Rocky Road Fudge Brownies

I can hardly believe it has been over a year since I last posted. Each month has gone by so quickly, it's hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. I haven't been baking as much as I would like, but I hope to change that next year! So anyways, on to these bars!
These rocky road brownies are fudgy, dense, moist and packed with chocolate flavor. The peanuts added a delicious crunch and that hint of salt that pairs and contrasts so perfectly with chocolate. I was really skeptical about their consistency even after taking them out of the oven. It seemed like they were severely underbaked and I doubted that they would even hold together as squares but once they cooled fully, overnight, they were amazing! If you make this recipe, bake it with faith that they will set up in the end :)



Rocky Road Fudge Brownies
9 x 13" pan | adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Compation

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened at room temp
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 cup salted peanuts
1 - 2 cups miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch pan (or line with parchment).
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and both sugars until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, 2 cups chocolate chips and peanuts.
3. Pat the dough into your prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are set but still soft in the center. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and then marshmallows. Bake about 5-10 minutes more. Allow bars to cool completely before cutting. This is very important as they will be too gooey to cut if not cooled completely first. Ovenight is best I have found.

Sour Cream Orange Apricot Rolls

Tangy and full of bright apricot flavor from the chewy, plump diced dried apricots strewn throughout these rolls. They are a wonderful morning not-too-sweet treat. Sour cream, like buttermilk, adds a certain beauty to the dough. It's one of those ingredients that brings so much to a recipe - both savory and sweet, cakes and breads alike - moistness, flavor and tenderness.



Oh yeah, don't forget to email/msg me your Copycat Club submissions for January! Check back on the 7th for everyone's yummy cloned concoctions.

Sour Cream Apricot Orange Buns
Makes 16 | adapted from King Arthur Flour

1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) orange juice
3 1/2 cups (14 7/8 ounces) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt shopping list
1/3 cup instant potato flakes
3/4 cup (3 3/8 ounces) diced apricots
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program the machine for the dough setting and press Start. Check the dough's consistency about 10 minutes before the end, adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball of dough. Let the dough rise until doubled in volume.

2. Gently punch down and roll out into a large rectagle - 11 x 17 inches - and spread melted butter over tip. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and spread out evenly. Roll it up and pinch seams together. Slice into 1 1/2" thick rolls and place close but not touching each other on a greased or lined cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until puffy and almost doubled in size.

3. Bake at 350 degrees until golden and fully baked.

Guaranteed Fudge Brownies

You are most likely thinking - Oh no, not another brownie recipe - but before you click away, please note that these brownies are Incredible. So incredible that King Arthur Flour has designated them as "guaranteed" in the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. They have a crinkly, shiny, slightly crisp top layer that yields to a decadently fudgy (but not gooey) brownie layer. The generous chocolate chunks dispersed throughout the batter melt on your tongue giving you an extra burst of chocolate. There are no nuts to detract from the utterly rich and fudgy texture of these gems.

**Tip** In order to get the coveted shiny, crinkly top, make sure to heat your melted chocolate and butter together a SECOND time so the sugar dissolves fully and the chocolate-butter mixture is glossy.

King Arthur Flour's Guaranteed Fudge Brownies
9 x 13 pan | KAF Cookie Companion

3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips

1. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110 degrees to 120 degrees), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

2. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour and optional nuts and chips, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

3. Bake the brownies in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 29 to 32 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a tiny amount of crumb clinging to it. The edges of the brownies should be set, but the middle still soft. Remove the brownies from the oven, and cool them completely before cutting and serving.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Happy Halloween!!! I know everyone's probably pretty pumpkin'd out already, but I just had to feature a pumpkin recipe today. These whoopie pies are a twist on the classic chocolate version. The mellow pumpkin flavor of the cookie pairs perfectly with the icing which is studded spices to be interesting without being overpowering.

The recipe comes from King Arthur Flour's Cookie Companion. It makes soft, moist, cake-like cookies which are then sandwiched around a tangy-sweet cream cheese filling. The cookies are so good you almost don't need the filling, thus enabling you to save a few calories! ... Or rendering them more acceptable to serve for breakfast.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
24 - 2" sandwich cookies | adapted from KAF's Cookie Companion

1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (15 oz.) canned pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups flour

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons soft butter
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger, optional

1. Cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease/line two baking sheets. Beat together the butter, oil, sugar, molasses, cake enhancer, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

2. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, until fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin. Add the flour in two additions, mixing well after each addition.

3. Use a mini-muffin scoop to deposit the thick batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2" around each mound. Bake until the cookies feel firm; a slight indentation will remain when you gently press them in the middle, about 14-16 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.

4. Filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the sugar in two additions. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until very fluffy. Stir in the crystallized ginger.

5. Assemble: Sandwich two cookies around 1 tablespoon of filling.

Rocky Road Brownies

The popular kids ice-cream flavor has been turned into a bar cookie! These flavors appeal to my inner child while the use of almonds instead of peanuts makes them more of a 'grown up' bar.

They are also very attractive, showing off their chunky contrast of textures and colors from the nuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows. The brownie part holding all these goodies together is fudgy and moist. The recipe comes from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.

Note: In the printed version of this recipe the baking time is wrong. It says 15 minutes but online it says 22 minutes. I ended up baking mine for 24 minutes and they were perfect. Use your own discretion and just bake them until they are almost done but not quite. All you are doing after you add the marshmallows/chips is browning the marshmallows and melting the chips slightly. The actual brownie part should be basically done by that point or you risk burning the topping before the base is ready.



Rocky Road Brownies
9 x 13 pan | King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups (7 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-process cocoa
3 cups (18 ounces) chocolate chips
1 cup (4 ounces) roasted salted almonds, coarsely chopped (or peanuts)
1 cup (2 ounces) miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Cream together the butter, sugars, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the flour, cocoa, 2 cups of the chocolate chips, and the almonds.

Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Bake the bars for 22-25 minutes, till they're set around the edge but still soft in the center. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips and the marshmallows, and bake till they soften, about 3 minutes more. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into bars. (Using a plastic knife to cut these is the neatest way I have found to do this).

Brownie Cookies

These cookies are undergoing an identity crisis. They fall into what I lovingly refer to as hybrid baked goods. Kinda like rich cupcakes parading as healthy muffins or Gingered Carrot Cookies that were really like scones.

Here we have a brownie/cookie cross with the original name "fudge drops" (recipe from King Arthur Flour). This is a good name to describe their papery thin tops and dense, chewy interiors, but the reaction I got when people took a bite was, "Wow, they taste just like a brownie!" ... and so "Brownie Cookies" they have become.

They spread a lot and do not need to be flattened prior to baking or else they may get too thin.

Brownie Cookies
Makes 24 | King Arthur Flour

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Melt together the chocolate and butter, avoid heating the chocolate too much and possibly burning it.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs till they’re thoroughly combined using a wooden spoon, not a mixer (mixers are too powerful incorporate too much air which leads to a cakier less chewy cookie). Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips, if using. Refrigerate the batter like dough for 1 hour, to make it easier to handle. Do not skip this step!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. Drop the cookie dough by the tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, dipping cookie scoop in water between scoops if dough is sticking too much. Leave 2″ between the dough balls. Top each with a walnut half. Resist the the urge to flatten them - they’ll spread and flatten as they bake.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, until their tops are shiny and cracked. They won’t crack until the very end, so keep a close eye on them; when they’re cracked all the way across the top surface, they’re done. The point is, you want these baked all the way through, but just barely; additional baking makes them more crisp rather than chewy.

Ricotta-Topped Blueberry Cake

This cake is like a layer of not too sweet cheesecake on top of a dense, blueberry studded cake. A little reminiscent of danish filling in a blueberry muffin. The original recipe says to serve at room temperature but I found them also really nice after a few hours in the fridge, fully chilled. They cut nicely into neat squares and they also store well. These are a nice twist on cheesecake - lighter and more subtle. The cake base is like a dense, sweet blueberry muffin. I thoroughly enjoyed the cake alone and I would honestly be happy just eating the cake without the ricotta layer too.



Ricotta-Topped Blueberry Cake
9" Square Cake

1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup (5 1/5 ounces) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) milk
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) fresh or frozen blueberries

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) ricotta cheese
1/3 cup (2 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" Square Pan.

Batter: In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk, oil, egg and vanilla, beating till smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the blueberries on top.

Topping: In a small bowl, beat the eggs till frothy, then beat in the cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread this mixture evenly over the blueberries.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool to lukewarm then refrigerate to chill fully before cutting into squares.

Whole Wheat Maple-Nut Cinnamon Buns

In an attempt to make a healthy cinnamon bun, I adapted a bread recipe for Vermont Maple Bread into a cinnamon roll. The bread is from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

Compared to regular cinnamon buns, they are a bit heavier and slightly less sweet. The whole wheat flour contributes a nice flavor of its own. Instead of slathering them with sugary frosting, I let their wholesome flavor shine through and was overall quite pleased with the results. I won't be abandoning my love of white flour-based cinnamon buns but these are a good alternative, even if just to reduce the guilt factor a tad.



Whole Wheat Maple-Nut Cinnamon Buns

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon maple flavor
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

Filling
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, oats, maple syrup, maple flavor, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool to lukewarm; this will happen naturally as you stir.

2. Add the flours and yeast, stirring to form a rough dough. Knead (about 10 minutes by hand, 7 minutes by machine, or on the dough cycle in the bread machine), enough to make a nicely springy dough.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or large (8-cup) measuring cup, cover the bowl or cup with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. It should become very puffy, and just about double in bulk.

4. Gently deflate the dough, and roll it out to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Spread melted margarine over the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, nut mixture. Slice into 12 evenly sized rolls and cover for approxmately 60 minutes until almost doubled in volume. Near the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Bake the buns for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting with foil if browning too quickly. When they reach 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer they are done. Remove from the oven, and rest for 10-15 minutes before turning ouof the pan onto a rack to cool.

Soft Pretzels: 2 ways

I couldn't decide which ones I preferred, the plain buttery pretzels or the pizza ones covered in mozzarella. I made the mistake of putting both types on the same baking sheet not knowing that they have different cooking times. The pizza ones were done before the plain ones which could have used a little more browning. That's why they're paler than I would have liked. Not a problem since they are so easy to make and fun to shape. The dough is great to work with and what I like about this King Arthur recipe is that it doesn't make a mountain of pretzels. Just 6 decent sized ones. My only wish is that they came out a little more heart shaped and "pretzel-like" and less round and "bun-like".




Soft Pretzels: 2 ways
Makes 6 | Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Dough
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons regular instant yeast
7/8 to 1 cup warm water

Topping
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons baking soda
coarse salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a food processor with the steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the water, and process for 7-10 seconds, until the dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Process a further 45 seconds. Place a handful of flour in a bowl, scoop the slack dough into the bowl, and shape the dough into a ball, coating it with the flour. Transfer the dough to a plastic bag, close the bag loosely, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into 6 pieces. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the water and the baking soda in a shallow bowl. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it'll make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 30" long), and twist into a pretzel. Let rise for 30-45 minutes, until sligtly puffy.

Plain: Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (to give pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until golden brown, reversing the baking sheets halfway through. When done, remove from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter.

Pizza Pretzel: Bake for approx. 5 minutes then spread with pizza sauce and top with grated mozzarella. Return to oven to finish baking, approx. 5 more minutes.

Store at room temperature, airtight for a couple days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Parker House Crescent Rolls

These delicious rolls were (dare I say) better than Pillsbury crescents! Never again will I pop open one of those little blue tubes. I used a King Arthur Flour recipe and made crescents instead of rolls. I'm finding more and more ways to have my son help out in the kitchen which is the best of both worlds because I get to entertain/occupy him while also doing something I love - cooking! For this recipe he helped spread the butter on the dough and brush more butter on top before they went into the oven.

One thing I have learned is that recipes from King Arthur Flour are always awesome. I have the Baker's Companion baking book by them and it is a wonderful resource. It might not have the fancy, glossy pictures that other cookbooks have but the wealth of knowledge and the quality of the recipes more than makes up for it. These rolls were so rich and flaky they didn't need any extra butter for spreading and they were excellent with soup - cream of broccoli, my favorite!



Parker House Crescent Rolls
Makes 12 | Adapted from King Arthur Flour

3 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup potato starch or flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened (for filling and brushing)

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients (except the 4 tablespoons butter for the filling), mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead the dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (5 minutes) till it's smooth. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.

Gently deflate dough then transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll out into a large circle, about 12" in diameter if you can. Generously brush the whole round with softened butter. Cut the round into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge up tightly and place seam side down on a baking sheet.

Allow them to rise for about 1 hour. They won't double in bulk, but will become somewhat puffy; if you let them rise too much, they'll pop open in the oven. Brush tops with butter.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on a rack till they're almost completely cool; while they're still very slightly warm, place them in a closed container, such as a plastic bag. This will help keep them soft.

Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Buns

Oh My God. These are to die for. It's really simple and deliciously rewarding. What's not to love: bacon, cheese, green onions and bread.
You basically make a recipe for 1 loaf of white bread, knead in some herbs and garlic powder, roll it out and spread with ranch and sprinkle with goodies (bacon, grated cheddar, green onions), roll it up like a cinnamon bun, sprinkle some parmesan on top, cut and place in a plan to rise. Bake. Eat. :)



Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Buns
Makes 12 | Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tablespoons bacon pan grease or melted butter
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp dried oregano

1/4 cup ranch dressing
12 pc. bacon, cooked and chopped, grease reserved
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 chopped scallions or chives

Pour the warm milk into a mixing bowl and dissolve sugar in milk. Cool to 110 degrees F then the yeast. When the yeast is foamy, add the bacon grease/butter and 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt and spices. Mix together and then add remaining 1/2 cup of flour if needed to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.

Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, until it begins to behave as if it belonged together. Let it rest while you clean and grease the bowl. Continue kneading a further 3 to 4 minutes, until the dough feels smooth and springy. Let the dough rise until doubled (1 to 2 hours). Deflate it and knead out any stray bubbles, roll it out into a large rectangle and spread with ranch dressing and sprinkle with bacon, cheddar and scallions. Roll up tightly, pinch seam to seal and cut into 12 equal pieces. Arrange in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover and let rise until almost doubled (45 minutes to 1 hour at room temp or overnight in fridge). *If you are doing the overnight rise, take them out in the morning to bring to room temperature 15 minutes before you preheat the oven.

Just before baking, sprinke the buns with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Pizza Buns

There's just something about the smell of cheese and tomato sauce baked together that is simply mouth-watering. Even if I'm not hungry, the smell of pizza gets my stomach growling. These muffin-sized pizza buns definitely induced that reaction while they were baking. The dough is a little airier and lighter than pizza dough. Definitely a great snack that lets you fulfill your pizza craving without ordering a whole pie. You could easily throw in some cooked bacon and onions or chopped up pepperoni for even more pizza goodness.

Pizza Buns
Makes 12 | Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 1/3 cup warm milk
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour

3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Combine milk with yeast in stand mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, approximately 5 minutes.
2. Add olive oil and stir to combine. With mixer on low using dough hook, add 1 cup flour, sugar and salt. Add the remaining flour as needed to reach the desired consistency. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Lightly oil the top with additional olive oil or butter. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Gently punch down dough and roll out into a large, thin rectangle.
4. Spread pizza sauce over dough and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Roll up starting from long end, pinch to seal the seams and cut into 12 rolls. Place each into a greased muffin tin. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes, until almost doubled. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 mins until golden brown.

Cheese Pennies

Oh My Goodness.
These are amazing! Each crunchy bite is a flavor explosion inside your mouth. I especially liked the overbrowned ones because I'm just that kinda person. I always go for the edges of foods, the heel of the bread, pizza crusts, you get the gist.







Cheese Pennies
adapted from King Arthur Flour | 60-70 pennies

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients to make a cohesive dough, sprinkling in a tablespoon or so of water if the dough doesn't seem to want to come together. As soon as the dough starts to come together, turn off the mixer and gather it into a rough ball. Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a 16-inch log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in waxed paper or plastic wrap, and chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes. (If you want to freeze them for a longer amount of time, just make sure to remove them from the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to slice them.)

Using a serrated knife, slice the log crosswise into 1/8-inch rounds. Place them close on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. They won't spread much as they bake.

Bake the cheese pennies in a preheated 400°F oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they're just beginning to brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan for several minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely.