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:
Umm so I heeded none of your words of caution and ran to the supermarket for Parmesan. They didn’t have rosemary but I have some oregano and basil in my garden so I might try a variation, cause greens make this definitely healthy;) Making them right now! Will try and instagram you a pic if there’s any light left in the day to get some shots! Weekend here I come!:D
No!!! You’ve already made them? I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK!!!! I will find you on Insta! 🙂 N x
Oh Nagi!! I have called you a temptress a few times before but this is beyond temptation — this would be out and out addiction! I don’t think the biscuits would make it out of the kitchen as a gift 🙁 Oh I can’t wait to get home and make these. Wow!! We’re having a family reunion– we’ve been gone for months — and this will be perfect to take. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend. BTW, what do mothers know when it comes to cheese — Simply Irresistible — I’ll have to play that song as I serve. xxxooo
Woah! You really think these are that good?? Honestly, I was quite hesitate about sharing these, thought they were too simple, wasn’t sure if it was the sort of thing many others would like!!! Oooh – where did you go, where did you go?? N x
Have made these for years. They never fail to please. I sometimes put in a sun dried oil packed tomatoe. Chop it finely first. Have also used other herbs. Even olives can be added. Roll them out if you like. I do and use seasonal cookie cutters. A bottle of wine, cheese board, biscuits and fresh fruit. Our favorite Sat. afternoon snack.
Awww Janet! I’m so pleased to hear that! I wondered what people would think of this – was it a bit strange?? Being cheese rather than sweet biscuits. Glad to hear we have the same idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon snack!! N x
LOVE Parmesan
LOVE Shortbread
LOVE Bar snacks
What an absolutely awesome recipe Nagi!!
I’ll definitely be baking these very soon…
I love that we are in agreement on 3 such earth shattering matters… 😉 N x
I love your recipes, but, I think I might like your narratives and photos even more. And that is saying a lot.
Awww Barbara, I think you made my day! I work hard on all of them so I really love hearing that you appreciate the narrative too! Hope you have a wonderful weekend – N x
These look delicious! I’m usually cooking Fr Bly one r two people. Can the dough be frozen (before baking)? Or is it better to cut the recipe in half? What about freezing biscuits after baking?
I save all your recipes on Pinterest and have tried a bunch of them. I haven’t been disappointed with any. I usually have to cut the recipes in half, which works out okay for savory dishes, but baking isn’t quite as successful for me.
Hi Yvonne! That’s such a great question, I should update the recipe. I haven’t frozen the dough but the biscuits freeze great! I like to defrost then bake for 5 minutes just to freshen them up 🙂 But even straight thawed ones are yum! I know what you mean about baking dishes not working out as well when you cut them in half. 🙂 Oh – I just did a quick Google and normal shortbread cookie dough freezes but I am still not sure if that would be the same for these because these are savoury rather than sweet so quite different. 🙂
Haha – I love your words of caution! Sometimes -as in this case- sharing can be overrated right? 🙂 These look so buttery and delicious Nagi – thanks for sharing your mom’s recipe with us!
BA HA HA!!! I love your way with words Shashi, you crack me up! 🙂
NAGI, STOP! These look so good. I have so much to make this month but I actually just want to drop everything and make these instead.
BA HA HA!!! These babies are pretty amazing! Can’t believe it took me so long to blog them – I’ve been meaning to share this since December!!!! Happy weekend Hillary!
If adding salt, try (dark) smoked salt. It’s one of my fav spices to add because it doesn’t dissolve readily. I sprinkle it on top of cornbread batter, on top of frittatas, quiches, and it mostly stays as surprising salty little dark specks.
OOOH!!! That would be AMAZING!!!!
Three ingredients? Now we are talking. These look great!
Magic…????
Hi Nagi! Wine and cheese biscuits YES PLEASE! These sound delicious! Shortbread cookies are my favorite and I am sure that these biscuits will be a new favorite! Hug your Mom for me!! 🙂
They really are amazing Dorothy!! The same soft crumble that sweet shortbread has – in cheesy form!!! 🙂 Mum says HI! And say hi to Gary for me please – trust you are spoiling each other with great FOOD this weekend. What’s on the menu?? ❤️
Hi Nagi! Gary says HI back! Tonight we are having corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut paninis on rye bread. Tomorrow I’m making wings from you wonderful book, just have to decide what flavor! 🙂
Oooooh. Corned beef. It has such a bad reputation in Australia, memories of the days when people used to just boil it – ew! Bet your corned beef is a killer. Do you make it from scratch?
Hi Nagi! Yes I do corn my own briskets. I have NEVER boiled it! I bake it covered with potatoes, onions and carrots at 350 and in the last half hour I add cabbage wedges. It is good! No it is better than good! I did two so we would have leftovers for sandwiches and hash! 🙂
I bet it is!!! You have amazing taste! I really need to share a corned beef recipe one of these days, show people how to make it PROPERLY like you do!!! <3 N x
I am the same, cheese is the way to my heart. I love recipes like, this, simple, you can make it in a few minutes and it’s 100% delicious
BA HA HA! Isn’t cheese the best invention ever???