Cheesy Shortbread

These little cheesy, buttery bites make an appearance at all of my holiday cocktail parties.  I feed them to you whenever you stop by for a glass of wine.  You eat more than you thought you would.  Because they are that magical.  The dough is always in my freezer.  I can have them on the counter and ready for your mouth in less than 15 minutes.  And my kids call them cheese cookies.  Which is super cute.

I adore these little guys so very much.  And just recently served them for both a wine tasting party and to some of my favorite houseguests.  All with tremendous and flattering success. I make several different varieties, and they’re so easy to make them your own! I add various herbs and spices, sometimes citrus zest, I make them with Romano or Parmesan Cheese, Gorgonzola, Swiss, Chevre… but these here Cheddar Rosemary.   These are the ones that I know I can serve all sorts of palates.  The combination of the extra sharp cheddar, a little cayenne, the earthy rosemary, the mild sweetness and then rich butteriness… Dangit.  They’re just perfection.

So come on over to my place!  Anytime.  And I will shortbread you.

CHEDDAR ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD

In a food processor, combine the following…

• 2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne 
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated (this would be half a standard 8 oz domestic brick and I actually prefer using white cheddar if I can)
• 1 large rosemary sprig, leaves removed and stem discarded

Blend this until a dough forms.

Separate the dough into fourths and roll each fourth with plastic into a log shape.

Refrigerate dough logs until firm, or freeze them in a freezer zip bag (for up to 3 months!) until ready to bake. (You can slice and bake them frozen!!)

When you’re ready to bake, slice each log into 12 disks.

Place each disk onto un-greased cookie sheets (you will most likely need 2).

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until you see a light golden brown color around the edges.

Allow to cool on the cookie sheets before attempting to move them, as they won’t firm up until they’ve cooled.

Serve room temperature.  And store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days for optimum freshness and flavor, or in the fridge for about a week.  (And remember, the dough can be frozen and these can be sliced and baked straight from the freezer!)

Enjoy with a glass o vino and with some super good friends.

XOXO