Cheddar Cheese Nippers

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

½ cup butter at room temperature

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the flour, Cheddar cheese, butter, salt, and cayenne pepper into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until well mixed, about 10 times. Scrape the mixture out onto a well-floured work surface, and gather the dough into a ball. Roll the dough out into a 1/8-inch thick layer. If dough is too sticky, refrigerate for about 15 minutes before rolling. Cut the dough into shapes with a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or ravioli cutter. Gently lay the cut-out crackers onto the parchment paper.

Bake in the preheated oven just until the crackers start to turn golden brown at the edges, 11 to 13 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling on racks.