Ingredients

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 oz Manchego cheese, finely grated (1 cup)
Special equipment: a 2-inch round cookie cutter

Method

1. Pulse butter, flour, salt, cayenne, and cheese in a food processor just until a dough forms. (Do not overwork dough, or biscuits will be tough.) Gather dough into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
   Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Roll out dough into a roughly 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Working quickly, cut out rounds with floured cookie cutter and arrange 1/2 inch apart on a buttered large baking sheet.
3. Reroll scraps (but only once; chill first if soft) and cut out more rounds, arranging them on same baking sheet. Prick each round 2 or 3 times with a fork.
4. Bake in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a rack to cool.
5. Biscuits keep, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days.