Blue Cheese and Almond Crackers

This is an Ina Garten recipe.  Her recipe calls for walnuts but I didn't have any on hand so I ground up some whole roasted almonds instead.  Really delicious savory shortbread cracker.  Slice crackers thinner to get a crisper cracker, just be careful not to get them too brown when cooking.

Ingredients:

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup of roasted, ground almonds

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Preparation:

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and blue cheese together for 1 minute, or until smooth. With the mixer on low speed at the flour, salt and pepper and mix until it's in large crumbles, about 1 minute.  Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix until combined.

Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball, and roll into a 12-inch long log. Brush the log completely with the egg wash. Spread the walnuts in a square on a cutting board and roll the log back and forth in the walnuts, pressing lightly, and distributing them evenly on the outside of the log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the log 3/8ths-inch thick with a small, sharp knife and place the crackers on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 22 minutes until very lightly browned. Rotate the pan once during baking. Cool and serve at room temperature.