Those savory appetizer crackers are called sablés (shortbread) in French, seasoned with grated hard cheese (Comté (here) or Parmesan) and herbes de Provence: quick and easy to make, you’ll feel like an elegant appetizer in France in just a few minutes.
Imagine you’re in Paris and it’s time for “l’apéro”. Do you know this French word? “Apéro” is the short version of the word “apéritif”, which means the pre-dinner drink, a very important moment in French life, as it’s the perfect excuse to pair your drink with all kinds of things to eat.
So imagine you’re having a glass of wine or champagne, and why not a kir royal, the fanciest drink! And in front of you, you have different dips, a cheese and charcuterie platter, and those incredibly delicious cheese and herb cookies to grab. Well, I promise it’s hard to resist!
The two key ingredients and alternatives
Cheese: Any hard cheese works; however, the French tend to choose Comté cheese or Beaufort for those cookies. I used grated Comté cheese. If you’re not making this recipe in France, you can replace Comté cheese with Emmental, Parmesan, or Cheddar, for example.
Herbs: I always have a jar of herbes de Provence on hand; they work perfectly for this recipe. Herbes de Provence are a blend of dried herbs that are very common in South-France Provencal cuisine, made of 19% thyme (thym), 27% rosemary (romarin), 27% savory (sarriette), and 27% oregano (origan). Substitute this blend with your favorite dried herbs, such as thyme or rosemary.
If you want to make those biscuits even nicer, customize them by adding a leaf of fresh herb such as rosemary, parsley, or sage on top of each cookie as a decoration. It will be pretty, but it won’t change the taste at all. Depending on the herb or its size, it might be a little tricky to eat. It’s up to you; I choose the taste rather than the aspect.
You can add spices to flavor those savory shortbread cookies even more or diced olives.
Feel free to explore different seasonings to personalize your appetizer cookies and impress your guests with unique flavors.
Serve as crackers with all kinds of homemade sauces or dips: Provencal bell pepper sauce, black olive tapenade, ultra-gourmet salmon rillettes or fragrant mackerel rillettes, lemony hummus…
It’s a great make-ahead treat. Store them in a cookie jar for up to one week.
The main steps of the recipe
Prepare the shortbread dough
Combine all-purpose flour with the dried herbs. Add cubed cold butter and combine in a food processor or gently with your fingertips.
The principle is very similar to making homemade shortcrust pastry for your pies, tarte tatin, or galettes. In French, we use the word pâte sablée as sablé comes from the word “sable”: sand. You want to achieve a crumbly texture, similar to sand —slightly grainy but fine enough for all the ingredients to mix together.
Add the cheese. It’s best to use very finely grated cheese. Use pre-grated Comté cheese, or better yet, grate it yourself.
Then add an egg. I use a whole egg, either beaten into an omelet or added as is and mixed into the dough. Egg is the wet ingredient that will bind the dough together and allow you to form a ball.
If the dough is too dry and you can’t form a ball, you can add a little water. This recipe can be made without eggs, using only water instead.
Shaping the shortbread cookies
This is done in two stages, with a rest in between:
- First, shape the dough into a ball, then roll it into a long log shape. Wrap it in parchment paper (better than plastic wrap, but both work) and roll it to form a cylinder. Make sure the ends are straight, not pointed.
Place your roll of dough in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. The butter will cool, and your dough will harden.
- Finally, place your dough on a cutting board and cut slices, a little like you would slice sausage, about 0.5 centimeter / 0.2 inch thick.
I got 3 dozen cookies about 4 cm / 1.5 inch in diameter with this amount of dough. You can make a double batch and store the dough in the freezer for later.
Alternative. Note that another way to make the typical thick and round shape of those crackers is to roll out the pastry and form rounds with a circular cookie cutter. Then you’ll need to do this again with the remaining dough. You’re not any more with an incredibly quick and easy recipe with those instructions, in my opinion.
Baking
Place your medallions on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
The baking time depends on the thickness of your shortbread cookies. Check them after 12/15 minutes and continue baking if they are not golden brown and cooked through. Note, however, that they will harden slightly as they cool.
Cheese and Herbs Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 125 g flour
- 100 g grated hard cheese Comté or substitute (ex parmesan)
- 75 g butter cold, cubed
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence or a mix of dried herbs: thyme, rosemary…
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and herbes de Provence. Add the cold butter, cut into small pieces. Mix with your fingertips or a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add the grated Comté cheese. Combine.
- Add the egg and combine until the dough is smooth. You can add a little water if the dough is too dry.
Shape and rest the dough
- Form the dough into a ball, then roll it into a long log shape. The diameter will correspond to the size of your cookies (about 4 cm / 1.5 inches in diameter).
- Wrap it in parchment paper or plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator to chill for at least half an hour.
Shape and bake shortbread cookies
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Cut the roll into slices about 0.5 centimeter / 0.2 inch thick.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Check after 12/15 minutes so see how baking goes.
Notes
Read the article for more detailed instructions and substitutes to cheese and herbs.