These savoury shortbreads take a little getting used to on the first taste — cheese in a biscuit shaped like a Christmas sweet throws people off for a moment — but they don’t stay unfamiliar for long. Sharp cheddar and parmesan carry the flavour, walnuts add real crunch, and a whisper of cayenne warms things through without any heat to speak of. Equally at home on the Christmas table or a cheese board, with a cold glass of white wine alongside.
Cheese and walnut shortbread biscuits
CHEESE AND WALNUT SHORTBREAD
Ingredients
- 125g butter, at room temperature
- 150g cheddar cheese, grated
- 75g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 150g plain flour
- 45g walnuts, finely chopped in a food processor — not to a powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt flakes, for sprinkling
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Cream the 125g butter in a mixer, until fluffy. Add the 150g cheddar, 75g parmesan, 150g flour, 45g walnuts and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and mix until it just starts to form a ball. Remove from the mixer and bring together quickly by hand.
- Divide the dough in two. Roll each half into a log about 4cm in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and shape into a long square-sided log with roughly 3cm sides.
- Chill in the fridge until firm. Remove, cut into 3mm thick slices, and place on trays lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with salt flakes.
Chilled mix cut into slices ready for baking
- Bake for about 12 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Cool on a rack.
Notes
No extra salt is added to the dough — cheddar and parmesan bring plenty on their own, with just salt flakes on top for crunch. The dough can be made well ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge, ready to slice and bake when needed.