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:
Excellent! I had success with this straight away! I had tried a different recipe previously which tasted good but ended up being rather greasy, but these were a lovely texture and difficult to resist!
Turned out great I cut recipe in 1/2 and used almond flour/ brown rice flour and 2 tbsp. Of corn starch
got so excited i forgot to give them stars ! 5 of course
Thanks Liz!! N x
OMG these are so delicious , i could have eaten them all myself and so easy to make
This didn’t work for me 🙁 completely flattened out even tho I followed the recipe to a T! Also made sure they rested in the fridge and popped it into the oven straight after. Anyone has any idea why? Could it be because my oven is convection?
These could not be easier to make. Love the ease, the ingredients and most of all the taste. Perfect addition to a Charcuterie Board.
Amazing recipe! Can I sub whole wheat flour for AP flour? Thanks!
I haven’t tested that on this recipe. I suspect it will make a heavier crisp with a nuttier taste but should still work. Let me know if it is successful! N x
I have just made this for a little pre dinner snack with our wine for our guests. So, the guests aren’t here yet and they haven’t even cooled properly but there seems to be a substantial amount missing already! Sooo good, yet another winner Nagi!
I can eat 20! Cheese!!! N x
I read through a lot of comments but couldn’t find this information. Can I make these cookies to the final stage (log) and store in fridge to bake later?
Hi Jimbo…yes you can and you can also freeze it and thaw slightly then bake. N x
Loved this recipe , turned out perfect, will make again for sure. love so many of your recipes, thank you .x
You’re so welcome Hazel! N x
Hi! For some reason my biscuits melted in the oven and didn’t keep their nice classic shortbread ridge (they look like cookies). My log was in the fridge for hours so was definitely firm before going in. Any idea what may have happened? Hoping these still taste delicious though! 🙂
Hi Nagi,
Can you make these biscuits with Gluten Free flour??
It will change the texture too much unfortunately. N x
Thank you (and thanks to your mum!) Today I wanted to bake something to take away on a mid-week break, and nothing sweet was grabbing me. THIS is what I needed. I’m seeing multiple future iterations with different crumbly cheeses – truffle! pepper! smoked! – it’s the gift that keeps on giving – much like you, Nagi. Thanks. A. Million!
Obvs 5 star!
I’d love to make this but alas! I don’t have a kitchen scale! What am I to do???
Buy one! They’re not expensive and you’ll discover that recipes with weighed ingredients are much easier than recipes that use volume. No pesky filling and levelling of cup measures!
How long do these biscuits keep?
This looks delicious! Would this work with different kinds of cheeses, like cheddar?
I’m never buying store bought parmesan crackers again!Delicious
Forgot the stars! Better than 5 star! Thanks, Nagi.