These cheesy, herby biscuits have an exceptional flavour, and go down well whatever the occasion. I’ve made these quite a few times now and tried to get the maximum flavour while reducing fat content slightly.
They take only a few minutes to prepare, with a bit of standing time followed by about 10 minutes cooking time (if rolled to around 3-5mm thick), they are also very quick to bake! Given they have both cheese and butter in them they’ll rise slightly during baking.
They make great canapés for parties. I usually cut them into circular shapes using a cookie cutter, but honestly, you can make them any shape that you like within reason.
You can go for a range of hard cheeses, I’ve tried with sharp red crunchers, various cheddar cheeses, and a smoky red cheese. They all worked well slightly changing the flavour of the biscuit. I tend to use mixed italian herbs ready made, but if you prefer to make your own Italian herb mix.
Ingredients
- 35g parmesan cheese grated finely
- 40g cheddar cheese grated
- 30g butter chopped into cubes
- 50g plain flour (any variety will do)
- 1tsp italian herb mix
- Pinch of salt and a little pepper.
- 1tbsp water (only use as needed to form the dough later)
Method
Put all the ingredients except the water in a bowl, cut the butter into cubes to make it easier to combine with the other ingredients. I normally wait for the butter to warm up a little before starting.
Cheese and herb biscuit ingredients in bowl
Combine all the ingredients by hand, it is easiest to rum the flour, cheese and butter together so they become a breadcrumb consistency.
Rub the ingredients together until like breadcrumbs
At this point start to combine the mixture to form a dough, adding a little water at a time until you get a pliable dough. Wrap the biscuit dough into cling film and put into the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Get the oven heated up to oven to 180°C fan. Put some flour on a preparation surface and roll out the dough to about 4-5mm in thickness. Cut the biscuits into shapes and place them onto a baking tray that is coated with oil.
Herb and Cheese biscuits before baking
Make sure the oven is fully up to temperature before starting. Then put into the oven for around 10 minutes, this will depend upon the size to some extent but I wouldn’t exceed that time by much or they may burn. I normally spray a little water mist into the oven around the biscuits as I put them in.
