Name: Cheese and Cayenne Cookies
Ingredients: 1 cup - 2 tablespoons flour; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon cayenne or to your liking; 1 stick of butter; 2 cups grated extra sharp cheese

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 ↓

Cheese and Cayenne Cookies

Oven375°F

Time14–15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup - 2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ - ¼ teaspoon cayenne or to your liking
1 stick of butter
2 cups grated extra sharp cheese

Directions

Make the dough

Mix butter and grated cheese.
Combine dry ingredients, and add to the cheese mixture.
Roll into a log 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap in wax paper and chill overnight.

Bake

Slice as thin as possible.
Place on a non-stick cookie sheet or foil, and place a halved pecan on top.
Bake at 375°F for 14–15 minutes or until light brown.
If using foil, cool and peel off.

Store

Store in a covered container, refrigerated.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

676Calories

20 gProtein

22 gFat

96 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
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).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + cheesetop 29% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,860 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter 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

Flour: Provides starch and gluten that give the dough structure so the log holds its shape.
Butter: Adds fat that coats the flour and makes the cookies tender and rich.
Extra sharp cheese: Adds rich savory flavor and fat, and its milk proteins brown in the oven.
Cayenne: Adds gentle heat that sharpens the flavor of the cheese.

The step that matters

Bake until light brown and no longer. Thin slices have little mass and the cheese's milk proteins and sugars brown quickly, so they can scorch soon after turning golden. Check early and pull them as soon as they are light brown.

“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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Cheese and Cayenne Cookies