I think you all may have already noticed that I really like baking. I do. I used to be a Daring Baker, for crying out loud. But I had never baked savory cookies before.
I tagged this recipe after seeing it on L.’s blog, Bake or Shake. Her cookies looked delicious and one just can’t go wrong with cheese and herbs. Oh, and butter. That’s just impossible. :)
I made these to give as a gift and to be honest I almost gave up on sending them – they were so good! They’re a great snack and go perfectly with ice cold beer. Or caipirinha…
Savory herb, black pepper and parmesan shortbread
½ cup (113g/1 stick) salted butter, softened – I used unsalted
¼ (heaping) cup (35g) ground parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon freshly cracked/ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil (or use the dried herb you like the most)
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
Line a light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the butter, salt, parmesan, black pepper and basil until creamy and speckled. Slowly add the flour, and mix until dough holds together when pinched. If dough is still too crumbly, add up to 1 tablespoon of ice water – I didn’t need to. Turn out onto a floured counter top, roll into a ball and then into an elongated log, around 30 to 35cm (12 to 14 in) long, depending on how large you want your crackers. Try to make sure the log is an even length, and wrap in tinfoil or plastic and freeze for at least half an hour, or longer if you don't want to serve them today. If you do, preheat your oven to 175ºC/350ºF.
Remove from the freezer, and slice into rounds: the original recipe (by Ina Garten) yields nearly 36, L. got 24 or so and I got 35. Arrange in rows on the baking sheet, with at least a little space between them - they won't spread like normal cookies or biscuits. Bake for 15-25 minutes, checking after 15, until golden brown around the edges and smelling delicious (so true!! The smell is intoxicating).
Remove and cool completely, or serve slightly warm.
Makes 35-36
40 comments:
I'm so bookmarking this, Patricia! They remind me of black pepper shortbread sold by Marks & Spencer in the UK which I used to love. I cannot get them here in Estonia, obviously, but I can try your similar recipe (with the added bonus of cheese:)
Patricia, I am so glad you posted these! I am going to a party next Friday and wanted to bring something. These will be perfect!!!
Cheese and pepper shortbread -- oh goodie, I can think of many things that will taste delicious with these. Maybe on a platter with big hunks of cheese and fruits?
You've convinced me to do some savoury baking too...never done savoury baking besides quiche type things. Your shortbread looks so delicious! I'll gladly drink a caipirinha with that ;)
With a title that includes the words parmesan and shortbread the post is a must read! These look and sound really good!
I'm afraid I could embarrass myself eating these. Yum!
Patricia, these look so yummy. I can't wait to try one with a glass of Prosecco. Does that sounds festive?
Yay! If i have a daughter one day i will name her shortbread... my favorite! Those savory ones look exquisite!
I made savoury blue cheese cookies once, but haven't made savoury cookies in a long time, I should do that again soon...
Oh... dear...
Yummy...
These look amazing - I haven't tried anything like this before, but I have been intrigued for awhile. Thanks for posting!
Patricia, "used to be" a daring baker? :) Anyway, those look good, and yeah, they do remind me of the Marks and Spencer snacks too!
Oh my goodness! These look and sound absolutely fantastic! I'll be trying them this week. Thanks so much for posting! :)
Oh what interesting and delicious sounding shortbread! They look great.
a savoury girl at heart here so i will definitely love these, with or without caipirinha! sounds like another winner, pat:-)
Pille, I bought shortbread there, too, when I was in London, but the sweet ones. They were great, so I'm flattered by your comment! Thank you, dear!
Pam, thank you! I want to bake them again and again. :)
Lydia, that idea is so good! I'll be using it, you bet!
Linda, you are an expert in Brazilian sweets, my dear, I'm sure you'll love caipirinha, too. :)
Kevin, parmesan is a winner in my book, too. ;)
Jen, I'm glad you like these! Tks!
Karen, I LOVE your idea - prosecco, wow!
Zen Chef, you crack me up! :)
Bri, those cookies of yours are going to my list now! :)
Michelle, thank you, sweetie!
Mallow, it was a first for me too and I should not have waited so long!
Mark, I quit the group, not enough time to take part in the challenges.
Nikki, I'm glad you stopped by! Tks!
Hey, darling, thank you!
May, thank you, sweetie! I'm a sucker for caipirinha, so I pretty much like to match it with everything. :)
These look different and delicious. I have seen a few recipes for savory cookies popping up here and there and have been wanting to try them. Yum!
These look like a perfect change-up to the seasonal sweets that are clogging up my kitchen.
I have never made a savory cookie, either. These sound so delicious, though!
Oooh, that looks really good! I'll have to try those as well!! Thanks for the recipe!
These sound so delicious - I love savory shortbread, and I've never seen one with cheese!
Those look very good Patricia, my grandmother would love these.
Ouuuu, savoury shortbreads, I like, I like.
Oh yum! I just saw something similar in Cooking Light, I think. Nice looking little tidbits!
Oh my Patricia, yes I'm sure I'd love these. I made some pepper parmesan biscotti last year and loved them. Trying to get some made again this year hasn't happened yet. I love savory when it's ordinarily sweet ;))
Gretchen, you should give them a go!
Lynn, it's good to change from the sweets to savory from time to time.
Deb, thank you, dear!
Lesley, thank you, I'm glad you like them!
Rachel, thank you for visiting!
Julie, good to hear that, my friend.
Cynthia, they are really good. :)
Kristen, really? I'll look for it - I could use some low fat recipes. :)
Tanna, that biscotti sound heavenly. Gotta try those too!
These are so great Patricia! I love how you made savory shortbread - what a novelty!
It is true, becoming a Daring Baker really HAD helped me think outside the box when it comes to baking!
These sound WONDERFUL. I had a store-bought version of these recently and hadn't been able to find them again, so can only imagine that a home-made batch would taste even better.
Patricia,
I love this recipe.
I must try them, I'm adding them to my Deli.cio.us "recipes 2 try"! :)
Have a great day, Margot
these look wonderful!!! and i bet they would taste even better!
This certainly is a must try recipe!
These sound great to go with a cheese plate, and may go well with some pig candy and fruit.
YUM!!! What a great idea Patricia!! I can't wait to make these gluten-free and try them!!
i made this yummy shortbread. it tastes really good, but for some reason the cheese turned orange because i got orange specks all over. did i bake it for too long?
Lee, I think that is exactly what happened. I hope the taste wasn't bitter.
Can't wait to try these. They look delicious, as does everything else on your blog. It's one of those "where do I begin?" moments for me on which recipe to try first. Eventually I'll try my best to work through them all!
I have these in the oven right now and oh-my-word does the house smell goooooood =) Can't wait to taste them!
Thanks so much for posting =)
Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe. I tried making these last night but the dough wouldn't firm up (it kept a very crumbly texture), even after a tablespoon of ice water and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. The few pieces I managed to bake turned out well, if not a bit flour-y tasting. I think my baking skills are somewhat lacking. :(
These are wonderful!
Savory herb, black pepper and parmesan shortbread
½ cup (113g/1 stick) salted butter, softened – I used unsalted
¼ (heaping) cup (35g) ground parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon freshly cracked/ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil (or use the dried herb you like the most)
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
Line a light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the butter, salt, parmesan, black pepper and basil until creamy and speckled. Slowly add the flour, and mix until dough holds together when pinched. If dough is still too crumbly, add up to 1 tablespoon of ice water – I didn’t need to. Turn out onto a floured counter top, roll into a ball and then into an elongated log, around 30 to 35cm (12 to 14 in) long, depending on how large you want your crackers. Try to make sure the log is an even length, and wrap in tinfoil or plastic and freeze for at least half an hour, or longer if you don't want to serve them today. If you do, preheat your oven to 175ºC/350ºF.
Remove from the freezer, and slice into rounds: the original recipe (by Ina Garten) yields nearly 36, L. got 24 or so and I got 35. Arrange in rows on the baking sheet, with at least a little space between them - they won't spread like normal cookies or biscuits. Bake for 15-25 minutes, checking after 15, until golden brown around the edges and smelling delicious (so true!! The smell is intoxicating).
Remove and cool completely, or serve slightly warm.
Makes 35-36
Post a Comment