Instructions: Cream together cheese and butter; combine with flour, salt and cayenne until well blended. Form pastry into rolls about 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter (or smaller, for penny-size bites). Refrigerate for several hours. With a sharp knife, cut into thin slices and bake on lightly greased cookie sheets at 400 for 7-8 minutes (a little less for smaller wafers).

Variations:
Cheese-Nut Wafers: Center each slice with pecan half prior to baking.

Cheese-Olive Balls: Wrap about 1 tsp pastry around stuffed green olives, sealing well. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Chicken-Cheese Tartlets: Substitute Swiss cheese for Cheddar; roll pastry out as for pie shell and cut into 3-inch rounds with a cookie cutter.

Fit pastry rounds gently into mini-muffin tins; prick all over with fork. Bake at 425 until golden. Fill with your favorite chicken salad when cooled.

Each filled tartlet can be topped with a small green seedless grape for an elegant hors doeuvre.

Cheese Straws/Twists: Roll dough of your choice out as above. With a sharp knife, cut into pieces about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Bake either flat or twist gently and bake at 400 for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheese Puffs: Use Cheddar, Swiss or fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, and form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in paprika, chili powder, cayenne, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, or finely chopped nuts (or use your imagination). Bake on cookie sheets at 400 until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes.

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