Rich butter and sharp cheese mixed with hints of caraway and sea salt. These savory parmesan shortbread cookies are a delightful treat alongside coffee or tea.
Savory Shortbread
Shortbread is traditionally sweet. It is usually made from a simple combination of 1 part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour.
From there, you can customize adding flavors to your preference. How about rose water shortbread or black sesame shortbread?
And for something very out of the ordinary, try savory parmesan shortbread!
Parmesan Cookie Ingredients
The base ingredients needed for this recipe include the following:
- butter
- confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar)
- kosher salt & black pepper
- all-purpose flour
- grated parmesan cheese
- olive oil (for brushing tops)
From there, you can add additional flavors to your liking.
- Use a mixture of different hard cheeses in place of parmesan. A blend of parmesan, romano, and asiago is wonderful!)
- Recipe calls for caraway seeds, however, fennel, cumin, or dill are great substitutes)
- Maldon sea salt flakes are my go-to. Other equally delicious salt variations include: black lava sea salt, Himalayan sea salt, or delicate fleur de sal (sea salt).
No Special Tools Necessary
Shortbread is super simple and easy to make. Best of all, no special tools such as cookie cutters are necessary.
Simply roll out the dough and use a knife to slice the dough into rectangles or squares.
Brush the tops of shortbread with olive oil. Alternatively, you may use melted butter or other cooking oil of your choice.
Sprinkle caraway seeds and sea salt flakes all over. Bake for about 20 minutes until cookies are golden brown.
Serve these parmesan shortbread cookies warm or at room temperature.
This an adapted recipe inspired from Blue Bottle Coffee. My local Blue Bottle serves delicious pastries and inventive snacks. Typical coffee shop fare include scones, muffins, and cookies.
But, Blue Bottle often has these amazing parmesan shortbread. It sounds like an unusual combination, but this savory shortbread pairs wonderfully with iced coffee!
Parmesan Shortbread with Caraway and Sea Salt
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, room temp
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (or parmesan, romano, asiago cheese blend)
- ½ Tablespoon caraway seeds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes or coarse sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, black pepper and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Add flour and cheese. Mix on low until dough just comes together.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and flatten into a rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, about two hours.
- In a small bowl, mix caraway seeds and sea salt. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
- Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to a 5×4-inch rectangle about 1/4” thick. Cut into 1 1/2×3” rectangles, or stamp out desired shapes with cookie cutter.
- Arrange cut out cookies on prepared baking sheet. Brush cookies with olive oil, then sprinkle with caraway salt mixture.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating sheet tray halfway through, until cookies are golden brown. Let cool on sheet tray for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Hmm. I’m all for cheesy crackers but Parm AND sugar? I can’t picture what these taste like, exactly. But I’d be willing to try one (or a dozen) to see what I thought :)
I was bit weary of cheese and sugar, but I’m sold and I think its delicious!
Delicious! These turned out beautifully!
Thanks, Michelle!
Love the photos here- what a great recipe!
Thanks!
Beautiful :) These would definitely cure my salty treat cravings!
Thanks, Courtney! I love salty and sweet treats!