PARMESAN & ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD

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MY TAKE

Some of my followers will know that I owned and ran a gourmet shortbread company from 2012 to 2022 . The brand name was Péché Mignon Shortbread (PecheMignonKitchen.com) and our cookies were sold throughout BC in major retailers like Whole Foods, Meinhardt, Fresh Street Market and Stongs et al. They were also sold to corporate gift basket companies. We produced a variety of flavours but our most popular sweet flavours were Apricot & Pistachio, Cranberry & Orange and Chocolate & Pistachio and, of our Savoury flavours, Parmesan & Rosemary, Parmesan & Thyme (as written up in The Vancouver Sun, December 7, 2013) and Cheddar & Red Pepper. The Parmesan & Rosemary shortbread was a much-loved favourite - needless to say that this is a tried and tested recipe that works very well and provides an excellent crumbly tasty and versatile shortbread. Lovely with a glass of wine, adding a few drops of balsamic reduction to the baked cookie and a great adddition to a charcuterie board!

HISTORY

Savoury shortbread is a modern twist on the classic Scottish biscuit, which traditionally dates back to medieval times when leftover bread dough enriched with butter evolved into the crumbly, buttery treat we now know as shortbread. While the sweet version became iconic, chefs and home bakers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries began experimenting with savoury flavours—adding herbs, cheese, spices, and nuts—to create a more versatile, grown-up alternative. These savoury variations quickly gained popularity for their ability to pair beautifully with wine, cheese boards, and holiday entertaining. Today, savoury shortbread is celebrated as an elegant, simple biscuit that bridges the gap between baking and appetizer, keeping its historic buttery roots while embracing contemporary flavour creativity.

THE RECIPE

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Servings: 50/60 COOKIES Prep time: 20 min Freeze time: 1.5 hours min. Cook time: 25 min

INGREDIENTS

454 g unsalted butter

500 g plain flour

216 g finely grated parmesan (I use rennet-free parmesan)

2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

1 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

Demonstration of rolling parmesan and rosemary dough into log for cutting.

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix unsalted butter and parmesan, until combined then mix in rosemary and salt and pepper. Finally add flour and pulse a few seconds at a time until flour is combined - do not over mix! Over mixing and over-handling the dough causes gluten to be formed, resulting in tough or hard (instead of light and crumbly) cookies.
   

2. Once mixed, place dough into a large round bowl and press flat - divide dough into thirds - each third will become a roll.
   

3. Press a sheet of cling film (saran wrap) flat on the counter. Make sure the cling film sticks to the countertop (easy with stone surfaces or just wet the back of film lightly so it adheres to the surface). The next steps are shown in the video above. Pick up one of the thirds of dough and press gently into a ball to remove air pockets. and then place in top of the cling film. Roll dough into a log about 1.5 inches (just under 40 mm) in diameter. Then roll the dough up in the cling film. When you have three rolls these should be put in the freezer for at least 1.5 hours. If the dough log is soft, you can slide each wrapped dough log into an empty kitchen paper towel roll to keep the roll in shape.

4. To cut roll allow dough to defrost a little so you are cutting a firm roll. Cut the log into discs around 10-12 mm thick. Once cut, the cookies should be placed a couple of inches apart on a parchment lined tray. The tray should be returned to the freezer for about 15 minutes to refreeze the cookies completely. Cookies should be frozen when they enter the oven (and tray should be cold).

   
   

5. Bake at 350 degrees F on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 25 minutes. Turn trays once in the oven in order to help with even baking. Bottom of cookie should be browned and the browning should just be beginning to rise on the side. At this point the cookie is done. Cool a little before handling otherwise they will crumble in your hand!

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NOTES

This recipe is very straightforward. Because it is baked from frozen, the dough can be made ahead of time so that you only need to bake off a few cookies when needed. They really are best when freshly baked.  Of course they can be kept fresh by sealing in an air free container and kept in a cool, dark place, and can be kept for several weeks. Alternatively, the cookies can actually be re-frozen once baked but this is not ideal.

LET'S TALK

Please let me know how you fare with this recipe and if you have any suggestions to improve it? Send me your photos and your comments. I would love to hear about your favourite shortbread recipes too!