I just love these little savory shortbread crackers I made. I made them to take to a New Year’s Eve party, but they would also be great to take to a Super Bowl party or any other gathering where tasty snacks are needed. The party I took them to was small, so I had leftovers that I have been eating ever since. They are so hard to stay out of! They were quite simple to put together, but you to have to allow time for the dough to be refrigerated before slicing and baking. It only took mine about an hour to become stiff enough to slice cleanly. I also grated my own cheese instead of buying it already grated. I have found that the pre-grated kind does not combine well in recipes like this, so it is well worth it to grate your own.
I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart. I changed it because I really wanted to use rosemary and garlic and really didn’t want to use salted butter. Don’t worry, they are plenty salty with the garlic salt and sprinkling of Fleur de Sel. If you don’t Fleur de Sel, any sea salt will work. Like my last two posts, I used soft white wheat again. I think I am getting addicted to it. It is just so light and fluffy, especially when milled on the pastry setting. However, because the shortbread is not something that needs to rise like a cake, I think most wheat would work.
- 2¼ cups soft white wheat milled on the pastry setting
- ⅛ tsp. ground red pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut in 1 tbsp. slices
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ cup milk
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Fleur de Sel for sprinkling
- Using the knife blade of a food processor, process the first three ingredients until well blended.
- Add the butter and process until mixture resembles course meal.
- Add the cheese and process until well combined.
- Pour into a large bowl and mix in rosemary, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. You may need to mix with your hand to get it combined thoroughly. It will stick together when well combined.
- Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a log about 1½ inches in diameter and wrap each log in parchment.
- Refrigerate logs until firm (about 1 hour).
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice logs into ¼ inch slices and place on prepared pans.
- Sprinkle lightly with Fleur de Sel.
- Bake on two racks in oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden, switching racks at 7 or 8 minutes.
