A rich buttery cheese wafer with the surprising addition of Old Bay seasoning. Added pretzels give these cheese wafers an extra crunch. A slightly spicy appetizer that’s great for any occasion.
One of my favorite recipes from Dorrie’s Cookies is not what I would consider a cookie at all but a savory Old Bay cheese wafer made with Old Bay seasoning. I don’t know if all parts of the country are as familiar with Old Bay as we are around here, but this is more common than catsup if you live close to a Southern beach.
The most common use is with boiled shrimp, but we throw it in everything. If you’re not familiar with this seasoning, it contains mustard, paprika, celery salt, bayleaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger. So when I saw that she used it in cheese wafers, I had to give these a try.
These are definitely my new favorite appetizer. They will melt in your mouth but still have a great crunch from the addition of pretzels. The Old Bay adds flavor without too much spice. They’re perfect with a glass of wine, red or white. I brought them to a friend’s house for cocktails last week and everyone was raving about them and asking for the recipe, so I had to get home and make another batch to photograph. If you don’t see Old Bay in your grocery, you can get it on Amazon.
How do you make Old Bay Cheese Wafers
You really need a food processor to get the best texture for cheese wafers.
- Add the flour and seasoning to the food processor and then add butter and pulse until it comes together. Next add cheese and crushed pretzels and pulse until a dough forms.
- Shape into two logs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or freeze for later.
- Slice and bake. Let cool completely before serving.
Another great thing about cheese wafers is you can freeze the logs and when you need something last minute, just pull them out, slice and bake. Don’t cut these too thin though, I went with ½ inch slices. If you get much thinner they tend to crumble on the edges. You can also freeze them after they’re baked. You don’t want to eat these warm, they’ll fall apart, but once cooled, they will keep their shape.
More MAKE AHEAD appetizers
- Roasted nuts with sage and rosemary are great to have in the freezer for a last minute appetizer
- Try festive tomato jam thumbprint cookies
- Gruyère Crackers are always a hit
- Go Southern and make a pimento cheese dip
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Pretzel Cheddar Cheese Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces salted pretzels ½ cup crushed
Instructions
- In a food processor, add flour, Old Bay and salt and blend. Add butter and pulse until the dough forms clumps. Add cheese and crushed pretzels and use quick pulses to blend.
- Turn dough onto work surface and knead it together. Divide into two equal portions and form into two 9 inch logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350º and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice logs into ½ inch slices and place on prepared pan.
- Bake for 19-21 minutes, rotate pan ½ way through. They should be golden across the top and firm. Allow to rest on a rack for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can freeze the dough after it has been formed into logs
- You don’t want to eat these warm, they’ll fall apart, but once cooled, they will keep their shape.
- Be careful to not cut these too thin. I went with ½ inch slices. If you get much thinner they tend to crumble on the edges.
- You can freeze the crisps after they’re baked.
Nutrition
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Mina says
I’ve been making these Old Bay cookies for several years now and happened to come across your version recently. As far as I can tell they originated from Dorie Greenspan (Dorie’s cookies).
I *agree* with your version that the cookies should be cut a little bigger. I do 1/3 to 1/2 inch.
I *don’t agree* about 4 oz of pretzels. It should require only 2 oz. Every Old Bay cookie recipe I’ve seen all indicate *2 oz* Perhaps it’s a typo…thought you should know!