Parmesan and black pepper shortbread
Parmesan and black pepper shortbread is my favourite savoury treat. It is salty, spicy, buttery and tastes mouthwatering. My recipe requires only 4 ingredients and is eggless and vegetarian. Parmesan and black pepper shortbread is a great alternative to a sweet treat.
How to make Parmesan and black pepper shortbread
My recipe for this fantastic savoury shortbread is so easy, you need only 4 ingredients. No chilling the dough or any fancy process.
HANDLING THE DOUGH – to make shortbread dough, I always use my hands. I rub butter, black pepper and Parmesan together until combined, for about 3 minutes. Next I add flour and gently rub it together until just combined. The whole secret is not to overwork the dough. Overworked dough means cakey and tough shortbread due to formation of gluten. We do not want it.
THICKESS AND SHAPING: I used 27cm x 18cm (11inches x 7inches) cake tin. It gave me optimal thickness. Not too thick and not too thin. I would say that they are 1 cm (0.39inch) thick. I do not recommend using this dough for cut out cookies as they will spread due to high content of butter. After baking shortbreads, cut it while hot and sprinkle sugar on top.
TIPS:
- BUTTER: In order to make the best shortbread you need to use the best butter. Not margarine, or any other butter substitute. Real butter at its best. I used salted butter in this recipe. If you can not find salted butter, you can use unsalted but add 1/4 tsp of table salt. The buttery indulgent taste comes from real butter, this is it.
- PARMESAN :if you can but a piece of parmesan and grate it on your own. Pre-grated Parmesan contains some additives that prevent grated cheese from turning into a clump. It is mostly potato starch but other chemicals are added depending on the brand you are buying. Good quality parmesan will rally make these savoury shortbread fingers special.
- BLACK PEPPER: freshly ground black pepper is the way to go here. It really makes the difference in taste. I have tested this recipe with finely ground black pepper, and shop-bought black pepper and the difference was huge. All my taste testers - all 10 of them said that freshly ground black pepper was the winner.
- FLOUR: As simple as it may be in order to make a good shortbread, you need to use a soft flour. If you did not know flour can be soft, hard or medium.
- Hard flour has a high protein content and has a good ability to form gluten. It is perfect to make bread.
- Soft flour has a low protein content and lower ability to create strong gluten. This flour is also called pastry flour or cake flour. It makes baked goods more flaky than doughy. For any shortbread recipe soft flour is the best option.
- Medium flour, also called AP flour – it is a mix of soft and hard flour and is the most commonly available in supermarkets.
What does Parmesan and black pepper shortbread taste like?
If you like savoury cookies and other savoury treats, you will love this shortbread. The texture is firm but crumbly and chewy due to high content of Parmesan cheese. These golden shortbread fingers are perfectly salty and perfectly seasoned with black pepper. If you are looking for a savoury addition to your cookie platter of for a great snack to serve with beer, these golden treats are a winner.
How to store Parmesan and black pepper shortbread
Store shortbread at room temperature in a cookie jar or a cookie tin for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. In order to defrost shortbread, just take it out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature for an hour. It defrosts like a charm.
If you are looking for more shortbread recipes, I can recommend you the following:
Miso and brown butter shortbread
Spiced rum and raisin shortbread bites
Click this link to see the best shortbread recipes
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – my own
Enjoy!
Parmesan and black pepper shortbread. My recipe requires only 4 ingredients and is eggless and vegetarian. Savoury treat.
- 250 g butter (salted, room temperature)
- 350 g flour (ideally soft flour, also called pastry flour or cake flour, if you can not find it, you can also use AP flour)
- 200 g Parmesan cheese (grated (I bought a piece of Parmesan and grated it at home))
- 20 g pepper (black, freshly ground)
Please read post above. It includes tips and useful information.
In a medium bowl add all the butter, grated Parmesan and black pepper, rub together until combined for about 3 minutes.
Add flour and using your fingers rub together until crumbs start to form.
Make sure you do not knead the dough and you do not overwork the dough. It is important. The longer you work the dough the more gluten develops. It will make your shortbread have a doughy consistency. You do not want it.
Preheat your oven to 180C fan (356F).
Take a baking tin. I used rectangular baking tin 27cm x 18cm (11inches x 7inches). Spread the dough into the tin and press it firmly so it covers all the bottom.
Place tin in the oven and bake it for about 30-35 minutes.
When shortbread is ready, remove it from oven and cut shortbread in small rectangles (finger like shapes) while still hot. When shortbread is hot, it is very soft and it will make it much easier to cut it this way.
Let it cool down completely before consuming.