Butter, flour and parmesan. That’s all you need to make buttery parmesan shortbread biscuits. And you’ll be amazed how fast these are to make – no cookie cutter required! Watch the 15 second video here to see how easy these are to make!
PARMESAN BISCUITS
My mother makes these incredible parmesan biscuits that I frequently beg her to make. Until recently, I had no idea they were made with just 3 ingredients: butter, flour and parmesan. Nor that they took all of 2 minutes to make the dough.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?!” I exclaimed. “If I’d known they were that easy, I would have been making them myself!”
“I don’t know,” she said calmly. “I just never thought of it. They aren’t that special.”
“Aren’t that special?” I gasped, flabbergasted. “These are my favourite biscuits.”
“That’s so typical of you,” she said. “Just because it’s got cheese in it.”
OK, well that’s true. I couldn’t argue with that. And of course, having discovered they were made with only 3 ingredients, I declared them to be so fabulous that I had to share them on my blog.
These biscuits are savoury shortbread biscuits, which means they are buttery and crumbly, just like the sweet ones.
Except these are cheesy. Parmesan cheesy.
You barely need the recipe for this. Butter, flour and parmesan, whizz until crumbs form, form a log, wrap in cling wrap, refrigerate, slice, bake for 12 minutes.
3 ingredient magic. That’s what this is. Honestly, these exact biscuits are sold in a certain up market grocery store in Sydney (which shall remain unnamed!) for close to $10. And you get less than one batch of this!
I have 2 words of caution about these:
1. Making as a gift: If you make these with the intention of gifting them, please just make a double batch. Don’t kid yourself into believing that you won’t “taste test” so many that you end up with a dismal scant pile for your friend, so small that you can’t possibly give that as a gift so you end up doing an emergency present run énroute to the birthday lunch; and
2. To nibble with wine: These are brilliant to have as nibbles. But they go a little too well with wine. What happens is that that the cheesy buttery biscuits make you thirsty, so you drink more, and the more you drink the more you nibble. An endless viscous cycle. So as with #1, just make a double batch. 🙂
OK, so #1 may have happened to me last weekend. And come to think of it, #2 as well. Oops.
Happy weekend! – Nagi x
PS Please do not count the biscuits in the photos below. I can tell you now, there are 5 missing!!!
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Parmesan Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz / 100g salted butter , chopped (Note 1)
- 3.5 oz / 100g parmesan cheese , grated (Note 2)
- 3.3 oz / 95g plain flour
For rosemary flavoured biscuits
- 1 tbsp rosemary leaves , roughly chopped (or 2 1/2 tsp dried rosemary)
Instructions
Two Ways To Make The Dough
- Process the butter, flour and parmesan in a food processor until a wet crumbly dough; OR
- Alternative method: Place the flour and butter into a bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until a crumble dough forms. Then add the parmesan cheese and use your fingers to rub it into the mixture.
- If you are making rosemary biscuits, add the rosemary at the same time as the parmesan cheese.
Make the biscuits
- Lightly flour a surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead to bring together, then shape into two logs with a diameter of around 3 cm / 1.2" and about 15cm/6" in length.
- Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. (Note 2)
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350F. Line 1 large baking tray or 2 ordinary baking trays with baking paper (parchment paper).
- Remove the log from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut the log into 7mm/ 1/3" thick rounds.
- Place the biscuits onto the baking tray at least 2cm / 1" apart.
- Bake biscuits for 12 minutes or until light golden.
- Stand on trays for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Hi Nagi, we love this recipe & have made it about 3 times now. This week my husband made it with Tasmanian pecorino pepato instead of Parmesan & lentil flour instead of plain and left out the rosemary & the results were fantastic also. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. 🐩🐾
Husband requested cheese shortbread for Fathers Day. I groaned and googled. So many variations from which to choose, but I laughed at your Mum’s cheese comment and decided we had that in common. And 3 ingredients is hard to beat! Took your advice re making double batch
, even though it was my first attempt. Just as well I did, oh my goodness these are divine! I can’t bake but these are fool-proof and fail-proof. My son and I ate one batch and quickly boxed up the other before there were none left 🤣. Thankyou so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for posting this recipe, 8 made them years ago and just now my husband was asking about them. I vaguely remembered equal something..but was it quantity or weight? So happy to find this recipe, my husband will be delighted … me too.
Hi! I’m excited to make these! Does the butter need to be cold, room temp… does it matter? Thank you!
Hi Nagi,
I want to send these biscuits overseas for Christmas. How long would these keep in an airtight container?
Bake a batch with rosemary and a batch without. The rosemary ones turn out alright but the plain ones were flattened out and crumbly. Don’t know what’s wrong. Both batches were mixed and rolled at the same time😭.
The plain ones were also not crispy by the next day.
I must say they taste great whether flat or not. 👍🏻
Absolutely love your blog Nagi – I have been following you for a long time and just love your enthusiasm, your sense of humour and your obsessive attention to detail in your recipes ( I am a bit pedantic with recipes myself lol!) Oh…and of course I love Dozer – his diet is as diverse as our dogs’ Thanks for all the great recipes – don’t know what I would do without you now xc
It was so easy and fast to do! Butter comes in sticks of 250g here so that’s the quantity I used. I brought the shortbreads to our first in-person, post-confinement meeting at work, and my colleagues kept stealing the plate from each other. It was a big hit and soooo delicious! This is my new go-to recipe when needing to bring Something to parties!
Thank you so much Nagi!
Perfect Mathilde! N x
Hi Nagi! I love your recipes..they are simple yet delicious. Am just wondering, can we reheat the cookies to make them crunchy? Mine became a bit soggy 🙁 Thank you.
Hi Yuri, sorry they’ve gone soggy on you – was this after a day of so of storing them? You could place them in a hot oven for a minute or so to crisp them back up 🙂 N x
That’s great! I’ll reheat them in the oven. Yes it was a bit soggy the next day. I was pretty sure I stored them after they’ve cooled down. My son loves them. Thank you sooo much!!
Hi Nagi, I’ve gone and misplaced my kitchen scales (and what a time to do it, during lockdown when everyone is posting baking pics). Is there any chance you’re able to let me know a cup measure for the flour please, if I aerate & sprinkle?
I can gauge the butter from the pack & grate 2/3 cup from my parmesan block to try this recipe 🙂
Thank you so much! Aparna
Hi Aparna, oh no!!! It’s 2/3 of a cup 🙂 N x
Thank you, so 2/3 cup flour. Glad I checked with you as when I googled it said 95g flour was 3/4 cup (metric). I’ll give this recipe a whirl tomorrow with your measures, thanks again!
With the Parmesan Biscuits I add Dry Mustard Powder and Smokey Paprika. It brings out the Flavour of the Cheese.
YUM! Sounds great Gayel!! N x
Can I make these in a mixer. I have no food processor.
Thanks
Made for my work baking comp. came second and never made them before. I always use unsalted butter and grind in rock salt and black pepper for some bite. Great recipe.
Literally the whizzed these together whilst my toast was. Cooking this morning. Thanks for the tip about double batching- second lôt on the oven now and my my kitchen smells amazing! Hardest thing about these? Waiting til a civilised hour to enjoy with a drink. Thanks Nagi another brilliant recipe
YES! SO easy, I’m so glad you love them!
Hi dear Nagi,
Can I freeze these Parmesan biscuits successfully?
Happy Christmas to you, your Mum and glorious Dozer xxx
Made these and the daughter took some camping. Huge hit and have a stash in the freezer for those drop ins. Love them and they are so easy.
Hi Nagi,
Do you weigh the cheese before grating it or after ?
Hi Mayanka, you can weigh before grating or after – N x