Name: Pepper Jack Crackers
Ingredients: 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened; ½ pound pepper jack cheese, grated coarse; 1 large egg, separated; 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste; ¾ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste; 1 cup all-purpose flour

Why it works: Butter and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,962 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Pepper Jack Crackers

Oven375°F

Time10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
½ pound pepper jack cheese, grated coarse
1 large egg, separated
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¾ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Prepare the dough

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease two baking sheets.
In a food processor 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.

Shape and bake

Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ⅞-inch-wide ribbon tip and pipe dough in long strips 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Alternatively, transfer dough to a cookie press fitted with a ribbon disk and press 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.

Cut and store

While crackers are still hot, slice diagonally into 1½-inch-long pieces and cool completely on racks.
Crackers keep in airtight containers 5 days.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

760Calories

27 gProtein

28 gFat

98 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Cayenne	1 tsp (1.8g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,962 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Pepper + cheesetop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,861 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Unsalted butter: Adds fat and richness, giving the crackers a tender, short crumb.
Pepper jack cheese: Adds flavor and fat, and its melt helps bind the dough together.
Egg yolk: Adds richness and helps bind the dough into a cohesive mass.
All-purpose flour: Provides the structure that holds the dough and crackers together as they bake.
Egg white: Brushed on top, it promotes browning and a glossy golden surface.

The step that matters

Brushing the strips and baking until golden brown. Egg white promotes browning, but the strips can over-brown quickly in a hot oven. Watching for even golden color, not just the time, keeps them crisp rather than bitter.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Pepper Jack Crackers