Whether you eat these spicy baked cheese crisps alongside a comforting bowl of soup or on their own as an appetizer, I’m fairly certain that you’re going to be in cheesy heaven. These little snack crackers contain both grated Romano and Asiago, along with a healthy dose of Queso Fresco, and with pepitas to give them a nice crunch and black pepper and cayenne some added heat, they’re pretty much irresistible.

Happy Saturday y’all and welcome to the virtual “Tapas Time Party,” celebrating the release of Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking’s newest cookbook entitled “Nibbles and Bites.” Recently, Sid asked a bunch of her favorite food blogger friends to help spread the word about her new cookbook, which features loads of recipes for, you guessed it, nibbles and bites, otherwise known as appetizers, canapés, hors d’oeurves, tapas, or finger foods. And, luckily for me, I just happen to be one of those favorite food blogger friends because she was kind enough to send me an autographed copy to take a gander at, as well as an extra copy to give away to one lucky reader.

I can’t even tell y’all how much I loved flipping through this lovely little cookbook. The hardest part was deciding which recipe I wanted to make first. From crackers to dips, finger sandwiches to wings, this cookbook has it all. There are a few what I like to call “fussy recipes,” which require a little bit more time and/or ingredients, however, for the most part, this cookbook is filled with many very approachable party or snack-time recipes that can be made with little to almost no effort. Heck, there are even a few deviled egg recipes, and y’all know just how much I love a deviled egg.

So, to get this “Tapas Time Party” started, Sid requested that we each make one of the recipes in her cookbook and share it with our readers. I’ll admit that at first, I was a little hesitant. Not because there’s anything wrong with her unique and flavorful recipes, but because I am just not a girl who ever follows a recipe. I like to make things my own, especially since I always seem to be cooking for someone who doesn’t like or is allergic to one ingredient or another. Thankfully, Sid is just like me and actually promotes people making a recipe their own. That’s just one more reason to love her.

Pine Nut and Parmesan Crisps

Recipe by Sidsel Munkholm McOmie – “Nibbles and Bites” Volume One 

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• 1 Cup Shredded Asiago Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Bruschetta Jack Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Pine Nuts
• 1 to 2 Teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper or Cayenne

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put the rack in the middle. Get out one or two baking sheets and line them with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Mix the cheeses, pine nuts, herbs, and flour together. Then go ahead and grind some fresh black pepper into it. Toss, stir, mix it up.
3. Use a tablespoon size ice cream scoop or just use a tablespoon, and scoop out a generous spoonful of the cheese mixture, place it on the baking sheet lined pan, mound it up a little. Tuck in any stray shreds of cheese.
4. Toss or mix the mixture in between baking each sheet, to keep the flour evenly distributed.
5. Bake for about 6 minutes, until nice and golden. Check after 5 minutes.
6. Take out of the oven, put the second pan into the oven. Let the first pan sit for a minute or two, this helps the crisps to firm up a little, then transfer them over to a baking rack to cool completely. Place them in a covered container, separate the layers with some wax paper. They’ll keep for up to three days. You can also freeze them for a great quick treat.

Anyway, for my first recipe, I chose to replicate Sid’s “Pine Nut and Parmesan Crisps.” Something about them just stood out to me. I especially love the fact that these crispy little baked cheese “crackers” require only a few minutes to toss together and just as little time to bake. The only problem with them is that I live with B.O.B. Bob who is deathly allergic to all tree nuts. So instead of using pine nuts, I swapped in pepitas instead. I also chose to use Romano and Asiago instead of Parmesan and Queso Fresco in lieu of Jack cheese. And as for the rosemary, well, my little crisps seemed to be taking on a Latin flair, so I just left it out altogether and swapped in freshly chopped chives.

Y’all, that’s what cooking is about; taking a recipe and making it your own. Sure, I look forward to making Sid’s original “Pine Nut and Parmesan Crisps” recipe sometime, but I’ll have to wait until I have some people other than poor B.O.B. Bob to help me eat them. Trust me, it’s not pretty watching him suffer through an allergic reaction. In fact, it’s pretty gosh darn scary. His lips get HUGE, his throat swells up, and every reaction gets worse than the one before. So, if you’re into nuts and want to make a Mediterranean cheese crisp, use Sid’s recipe, and if you’re not so much into nuts and want to make a Latin version of these cheese crisps, use my recipe. Or, if you just can’t seem to decide between the two, make both.

If you would like to own your own copy of “Nibbles and Bites” by Sidsel Munkholm McOmie, you can order it HERE through Amazon. It’s available in both Kindle and paperback versions. I’m just gonna say right now, that I think this will make a delightful little Christmas or holiday gift, especially if you bring it along as a hostess gift with a tapas recipe you actually made from the cookbook. Thanks to Sid’s generosity, we’re also giving one lucky reader the chance to win their very own autographed copy of this cookbook. So, make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for details on how to enter. This truly is a cookbook I think y’all will really love and I’m hoping that a few of you will make both versions of these little cheese crisps for your next “Tapas Night.”

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Romano, Finely Grated
• 1 Cup Asiago, Finely Grated
• 1 Cup Queso Fresco, Finely Crumbled
• 1/2 Cup Pepitas or Salted Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Chives, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.
3. Use a tablespoon to place heaps of the cheese mixture onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Allow the crisps to sit on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Suggestions:

• Use freshly grated cheese in this recipe. It is much better than pre-grated cheese.
• Use your fingers to tuck any stray cheese back into its mound before baking.
• Only bake 12 crisps at a time, so that they have room to spread out.
• Check on the crisps after they have been baking for 5 minutes. They will go from lightly golden brown to dark brown very quickly.
• Make sure to stir the cheese mixture again each time before measuring out another batch of crisps. This will ensure that the flour is evenly distributed in the mixture.
• Wipe down the Silpat with a slightly damp paper towel between each batch of crisps to remove any leftover cheese bits. If using parchment paper, use a new piece for each batch of crisps.
• Store the crisps in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.
• This recipe will yield approximately 24 to 36 crisps, depending on how big you make them.

Improvements:

• Serve these baked cheese crisps along with this 10-Minute Mexican Bean Soup or this Cozy Winter Sweet Potato & Thyme Soup.
• Throw your own Tapas Night and serve these baked cheese crisps along with these Bacon-Wrapped Cranberry Jalapeño Crackers, these Dill Weed Deviled Eggs, or these Crockpot Cranberry Jalapeño Swedish Meatballs.

Print

Yum

Spicy Latin Baked Cheese Crisps with Pepitas

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Romano, Finely Grated
• 1 Cup Asiago, Finely Grated
• 1 Cup Queso Fresco, Finely Crumbled
• 1/2 Cup Pepitas or Salted Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Chives, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.
3. Use a tablespoon to place heaps of the cheese mixture onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Allow the crisps to sit on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

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MORE GREAT CRISPY CRACKER RECIPES

Honey-Kissed Savory Shortbread Crackers

Bacon-Wrapped Cranberry Jalapeño Crackers

Chipotle Pecorino Romano Shortbread

Join Sid for “Tapas Night” by Following Along with Her in the Kitchen

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Purchase “Nibbles and Bites” through Amazon

To celebrate the release of Sid’s “Nibbles and Bites” cookbook, we’re giving one lucky reader the chance to win their very own autographed copy. This giveaway is only valid for those living in the United States and is open from 09/01/2018 to 09/16/2018.

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