Asiago Lemon Thyme Shortbread is a buttery, savory shortbread cracker perfect for the cocktail hour! Add them to a cheese platter for a luxury touch.
savory shortbread enriched with asiago cheese and lemon thyme
Shortbread is such an elemental food; the rubbing together of flour and butter and sugar produces the most satisfying crumbly buttery texture when it’s baked.
Usually I get the urge to make shortbread during the colder months, and shortbread cookies are a holiday gift giving staple in our house. But this savory Asiago Lemon Thyme Shortbread calls for a glass of wine on the deck. Perfect for entertaining. They’d be a great addition to a cheese board. And so much more satisfying than a cracker.
shortbread crackers are a make ahead friendly appetizer
The great thing about shortbread is you can make it ahead and keep the dough in the fridge or freezer to slice and bake when you need it. Unexpected guests won’t be a problem when you’ve got a log of this dough on hand.
what you’ll need
- butter
- flour
- aged cheese
- fresh herbs
- lemon
- salt and pepper
1. quickly process the shortbread dough in a food processor
I like to make shortbread in my food processor, it’s quick and easy. Everything goes in at once, and all you do is pulse the machine until the dough comes together. The dough will be crumbly, it doesn’t have to be in one lump, but it takes a little experience to recognize this stage. I like to finish bringing it together with my hands.
2. form your dough into a log
Turn the dough out onto a board and form it into a 7-8 inch log, just like slice and bake cookies.
3. wrap your dough tightly in plastic
After wrapping, put the the dough in the fridge and chill for a few hours or longer. You can freeze the dough at this point, too.
4. slice and bake!
When you are ready to bake, just slice the dough with a sharp knife to about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. Arrange the slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Your kitchen will smell of lemon, cheese and thyme.
important tip for baking shortbread
- Don’t wait for shortbread to turn brown in the oven, it should only be very lightly golden around the edges. If you wait for it to brown, it will be over cooked and crunchy. In general shortbread is still fairly pale when fully cooked.
so many shortbread recipes, so little time!
- Savory Herb Shortbread (and Party Printables!)
- Lemon Shortbread
- How to Make Pansy Topped Shortbread Cookies
- Sparkly Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
- Butter Pecan Shortbread
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
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Asiago Lemon Thyme Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup finely shredded Asiago cheese
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp thyme leaves
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- lots of fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- set oven to 350F
- Put all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse, about 30 times, until the dough comes together.
- Remove from the processor and bring the dough into a lump, using your hands. Work it slightly if it is still crumbly.
- Form it into a smooth 7-8 inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap, smoothing it out as you wrap, and twist the ends securely.
- Refrigerate until well chilled, at least a few hours, or overnight. I like to cradle the log of dough on a thick dish towel so it remains round.
- Slice into 1/4 – 3/8 inch thick slices and bake on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet for about 10 minutes. The shortbreads will still be quite pale.
- Let cool for a few minutes on the pan, and then on a rack
Notes
Nutrition
How many cookies does your recipe normally make?
14-16, Kendall, depending on how thick you slice them.
Have you ever run across the herb lovage and thought to experiment with recipes? I would love to know as I have a huge 6 foot plant in my garden that comes up every year to taunt me to use it for something…it is an old medieval herb…not much used today but I think is a component in the Maggi sauce. Very like celery/parsley and a hint of yeast!
Fascinating, and no, I have no experience with it!
Most próbálna old English lovage. Very common in Germany.
Most probably, sorry autocorrect…
Do you think these would work out if I used Pamela’s gluten free baking mix?
Thank you!
I have made shortbread with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking mix and it works, but the texture is just a little different, as you would expect, Therese. So I would assume your baking mix would work, too.
Could I sub parmagiano for the asiago? Looks like a great recipe, and I have everything else on hand. Can’t wait to try it — wine and crackers for a Monday night!
Of course, feel free to substitute any hard cheese!
Recipe says 2 heaping Tablespoons – of what ? It’s listed right after the butter .
Thanks !
That was a typo, Amy, sorry, and thanks for spotting it!
One stick of butter = 1cup? Some brands are only 1/2 cup per stick.
Yes, that’s right, 1 stick of butter is 1/2 cup,
These are FANTASTIC and dare I say, better than Ina’s!
Adding the lemon and upping the amount of thyme has made all the difference. I did them in the food processor and it was very quick and easy. I then froze the 9″ log for 30 minutes before slicing them. If I cut them a bit more carefully, I could have gotten 24 but ended up with 22 perfect slices.
Given I will be serving this to both tea and wine drinkers at 4 PM today, I also added 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar and cut the flour by 2 tablespoons. The shortbread has a delightful, slightly sweet and savory taste.
Many thanks for ALL your shortbread recipes….they are inspired!
Cheers,
Kathy
These sound fantastic with a glass of wine as you say with endless flavor combinations. I am definitely a savory person.
Sam
These look so yummy! Thanks for sharing!
These look so good. I’ve thought about making these before…but now will for sure!