Parmesan Cheese Crisps with Red Pepper

parmesanredpeppercrisps These Parmesan crisps make a delicious low-carb snack, crunchy salad topper, or a pretty garnish and you literally only need two ingredients to make them. The texture and flavour is so much better than store-bought cheese crisps.

5 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
red pepper flakes, optional for more heat

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5). Line a baking pan with a silicone liner.

Drop Parmesan in ½ Tbsp. portions onto the liner, equally spaced. Sprinkle crushed red pepper onto the top of each portion, according to your heat preference.

Bake for 5-6 minutes.

Let cool on baking pan for 2 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack that has been lined with a paper towel. Eat when completely cooled.

Makes 16 crisps.

Cook's Notes:

Shredded Cheese: It’s best if you shred your own Parmesan cheese; it will melt and taste better. I use a box grater with the medium-sized holes. Four ounces of cheese yields a generous cup of shredded cheese, and will make about 16 crisps. Once the cheese is shredded, it can be refrigerated in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
Storage: Cool Parmesan crisps completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 5 days.
Toaster Oven: To make a small batch of Parmesan crisps, preheat your toaster oven to 400°F (it preheats very quickly). Line a small baking pan with parchment paper, arrange shredded cheese to make 3-4 crisps, depending on the size of your toaster oven. Bake as directed.

Serving Suggestions:

Salads: Think cheese crisps instead of croutons. Add Parmesan crisps on top of this house salad or kale salad with apples and golden raisins for extra crunch and flavour.
Soup Topper: Crumble up a few crisps into a bowl of soup, or float one or two whole crisps on top for a more dramatic presentation. They’d be great with this smoky roasted tomato soup.
Snack: Eat them on their own or dip them in bread dipping oil for a keto snack.
Garnish: Use these crisps as a garnish for vegetables, pasta, risotto and more.

Storage:

Let the Parmesan crisps cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. If they’re even a touch warm, they’ll steam in the container and lose their crispiness.
Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.