Savoury Cheddar and Black Pepper Cookies plus Red Wine, My Almost Perfect Sunday Evening

Is there anything more perfect than...
Delicious savoury cheese bites + a glass of red wine (cheap french merlot from a supermarket downstairs) + hilarious Sunday nite TV shows (Gourmet Secret Agent at 8, Beautiful Cooking at 9.30) + a sous chef who is not really into savoury snack (which means I get to finish all the cheese cookies myself) + a starry, breezy, perfect 26 degree Celcius Sunday night?

YES. There IS!
Well, what is it?

It would've been even more perfect, if...I did NOT need to work the next day.
Yuck, I hate Mondays.

Anyway...these deliciousnesses helped easing a very reluctant me into the dreaded Monday.

Savoury Cheddar and Black Pepper Cookies

Recipe
(source: Epicurious)
- 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder
- ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
- black pepper, Japanese chilli powder (I added until I can see black and red speckles on the dough)
- ½ cup (125 mL) cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups (500 mL) grated cheddar cheese
- 3 to 4 tbsp (45 to 60 mL) ice-cold water

Preparation
I threw everything into a food processor (with a metal blade) and pulse until the dough clumped together. Take the dough out and lay on a working space, shape into a log with about 4 cm diameter, wrap with a plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for one night.

Baking
Preheat oven to 200C (400F), slice the log, each 5mm thick, this yields a softer bite, or thinner if you want it crispier. Lay the sliced dough on a lightly greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet, bake for about 10-15 minutes (or until slightly golden), cool on wire rack. Although it keeps well, I think they taste the best when freshly baked, so just bake a small batch for each serving.

I like my cookies soft, so I sliced em thicker. Savoury, cheesy, peppery, soft, rich, and they made the normally hideous wine tasted beautiful.

Damn, I should've taken Monday off.