Yields: about 2 dozen
Ingredients
2 dozen small green olives
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Thoroughly pat dry the olives on paper towels.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt.
In a food processor, combine the flour mixture, grated cheddar cheese, and chilled butter pieces. Pulse until the mixture holds together as a dough, but don’t over-blend. The dough should be a bit crumbly; if it seems wet, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour.
Pinch off a piece of dough about twice the size of the olives. Flatten the dough with your fingers and wrap it around an olive, encasing the olive completely. Roll into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. Repeat with the remaining dough and olives. You should have enough dough to make about 2 dozen balls.
Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate the balls until very cold, for several hours or overnight. Alternatively, you can freeze the balls in a plastic storage bag.
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400°F.
Place the refrigerated or frozen balls on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, 16 to 18 minutes for refrigerated balls, or 20 minutes or a bit longer if the balls were frozen.
Remove from the oven and let the balls rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Adapted from the “A Well-Seasoned Kitchen” blog