I've never made that recipe, so I can only take a wild guess.

I would probably add either a bit more butter,
or a little water.
If you add water, add a few drops at a time,
& cream as you go.
I'm thnkng a bit of water would be better than more butter.
But as I said, this is only a wild guess.

Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Rusty

Was your butter too cold? I am comparing it to another recipe (larger quantity) but yours looks like it should be right. I would probably process it a little more and see if things warm up a bit.

Thanks for the prompt response. My butter was definately soft. I tried adding a little water. We'll see how they turn out. They're in the oven now.
Happy Thanksgiving.

They didn't turn out very good. They were dry. I wonder if my mistake was not creaming the butter and cheese first befor I added the flour. Instead I just dumped it all in the food processor and processed.

Some cheddar contains less moisture than others, I wonder if you might have gotten a particularly dry brand?

That's exactly what I was thinking Rachelellen. I'm suspecting the cheese was a bit on the dry side. Creaming the butter and cheese might have helped but you did add some water to bring it together. That seems like it would have been enough butter so I'd blame the cheese. Maybe try it some other time with a colby or a more mild cheddar which will be softer/moister.

I've found it is really important to cream the "creamed " ingredients before adding dry. Whether it is butter and sugar or butter and cream or eggs and sugar. Well combined/creamed wet before dry seems to make a difference....Alton would know why?

It might depend on the Jalapeno jelly. My DD sends me some from CA to ND (can't get it here) and it has quite a bit of liquid in it. She sent me two different brands and one is drier that the other.

The jelly is added after....you make the cheese cookies, put a thumbprint in the middle and fill with jelly.

It could be a combination of factors. Dryness of the Cheddar, dryness of the flour, how the flour was measured into the cup (i.e. was it fluffed-and-spoon or dip-and-level, skipping the creaming.

It is funny sometimes how a recipe with so few ingredients can go wrong.

Carol

I agree with everyone's advice to cream the butter and cheese first before adding the flour. I am not certain if you used pre-shredded cheese, but that normally has a slight coating of flour to keep the shreds from sticking together. It could be that the cheese was too dry. If you did use the pre-shredded kind, maybe next time you can try to shred your own cheese.

It's too late now, but I make that recipe regularly and fill them with my homemade habanero gold. I've never had them be that dry, but I never use preshredded cheese, just extra sharp cheddar from a block. I'd probably have added more butter, if mine were too crumbly.

They are really very, very good, so hopefully you'll try again. And that's why I never try a new recipe on a holiday, it's sure to go wrong for me!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Annie

Thanks everyone. I will try again. Next time I won't use pre-shredded cheese and will cream the butter and cheese before adding the flour.

Below is the recipe I use for Pepper Jack Crackers. I notice that the proportions are the same, except mine includes an egg yolk and 2 more Tablespoons of butter, which would mean more fat in the dough.

If I could remember where I got the recipe from, I'd give credit. Perhaps Gourmet magazine eons ago?

PEPPER JACK CRACKERS
These delicate, buttery crackers make excellent accompaniments to cocktails. After a few days they become somewhat softer but can be recrisped in a 300 F, oven for 5 minutes.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 pound pepper Jack cheese, grated coarse
1 large egg, separated
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste (more like 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp is TOO MUCH)
3/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease two baking sheets. (I use parchment paper rather than greasing the baking sheet.)

In a food processor (do not use mixer!) blend together butter and cheese until smooth. Add egg yolk, salt, and cayenne and blend until combined. Add flour and blend until mixture just forms a dough.

Working in batches, transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 7/8-inch-wide ribbon tip and pipe dough in long strips 2 inches apart on baking sheets. (Alternatively, working in batches, dough may be transferred to a cookie press fitted with a ribbon disk and pressed out in long strips 2 inches apart on baking sheets.) Dough strips may break in places but repairs are not necessary, as strips will be cut later.

In a small bowl whisk together egg white and a pinch salt until just combined. Brush each strip of dough with some egg white and bake in batches in middle of oven until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. While crackers are still hot, slice diagonally into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces and cool completely on racks. Crackers keep in airtight containers 5 days.

Aha...your problem was preshredded cheese, plain as can be.
Preshredded is not only somehow treated toa void sticking but I think it's dryer that fresh shredded cheese. And I don't think the cheese is as good as even supermarket brand block cheese.

Is that why pre-shredded cheese always tastes odd to me? I don't buy it myself, because it's so much more expensive, and what the heck are my graters and microplanes for, anyway! :D

But when I get cheese in restaurants or on pot luck dishes etc that has that pre-shredded look, it seems to me that it has an odd flavor. It reminds me of the flavor I perceive on the pre-cut mixed vegetables that so many restaurants serve as side dishes. They must do something to them, because they last in the bag ever so long without browning or wilting. So, they look great, but have that weird flavor. It's subtle, but there.