Butter, flour and parmesan. That’s all you need to make buttery parmesan shortbread biscuits. And you’ll be amazed how fast these are to make – no cookie cutter required! Watch the 15 second video here to see how easy these are to make!
PARMESAN BISCUITS
My mother makes these incredible parmesan biscuits that I frequently beg her to make. Until recently, I had no idea they were made with just 3 ingredients: butter, flour and parmesan. Nor that they took all of 2 minutes to make the dough.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?!” I exclaimed. “If I’d known they were that easy, I would have been making them myself!”
“I don’t know,” she said calmly. “I just never thought of it. They aren’t that special.”
“Aren’t that special?” I gasped, flabbergasted. “These are my favourite biscuits.”
“That’s so typical of you,” she said. “Just because it’s got cheese in it.”
OK, well that’s true. I couldn’t argue with that. And of course, having discovered they were made with only 3 ingredients, I declared them to be so fabulous that I had to share them on my blog.
These biscuits are savoury shortbread biscuits, which means they are buttery and crumbly, just like the sweet ones.
Except these are cheesy. Parmesan cheesy.
You barely need the recipe for this. Butter, flour and parmesan, whizz until crumbs form, form a log, wrap in cling wrap, refrigerate, slice, bake for 12 minutes.
3 ingredient magic. That’s what this is. Honestly, these exact biscuits are sold in a certain up market grocery store in Sydney (which shall remain unnamed!) for close to $10. And you get less than one batch of this!
I have 2 words of caution about these:
1. Making as a gift: If you make these with the intention of gifting them, please just make a double batch. Don’t kid yourself into believing that you won’t “taste test” so many that you end up with a dismal scant pile for your friend, so small that you can’t possibly give that as a gift so you end up doing an emergency present run énroute to the birthday lunch; and
2. To nibble with wine: These are brilliant to have as nibbles. But they go a little too well with wine. What happens is that that the cheesy buttery biscuits make you thirsty, so you drink more, and the more you drink the more you nibble. An endless viscous cycle. So as with #1, just make a double batch. 🙂
OK, so #1 may have happened to me last weekend. And come to think of it, #2 as well. Oops.
Happy weekend! – Nagi x
PS Please do not count the biscuits in the photos below. I can tell you now, there are 5 missing!!!
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Parmesan Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz / 100g salted butter , chopped (Note 1)
- 3.5 oz / 100g parmesan cheese , grated (Note 2)
- 3.3 oz / 95g plain flour
For rosemary flavoured biscuits
- 1 tbsp rosemary leaves , roughly chopped (or 2 1/2 tsp dried rosemary)
Instructions
Two Ways To Make The Dough
- Process the butter, flour and parmesan in a food processor until a wet crumbly dough; OR
- Alternative method: Place the flour and butter into a bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until a crumble dough forms. Then add the parmesan cheese and use your fingers to rub it into the mixture.
- If you are making rosemary biscuits, add the rosemary at the same time as the parmesan cheese.
Make the biscuits
- Lightly flour a surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead to bring together, then shape into two logs with a diameter of around 3 cm / 1.2" and about 15cm/6" in length.
- Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. (Note 2)
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350F. Line 1 large baking tray or 2 ordinary baking trays with baking paper (parchment paper).
- Remove the log from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut the log into 7mm/ 1/3" thick rounds.
- Place the biscuits onto the baking tray at least 2cm / 1" apart.
- Bake biscuits for 12 minutes or until light golden.
- Stand on trays for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
I tried this with cheddar as I wanted to use up what was in my freezer. It was good but next time I ll try it with parmesan 🙂 thanks for sharing- i love easy recipes 😉
I’m so pleased to hear that Zen, thank you for letting me know! N xx
These do freeze well. I put the uncooked dough into the freezer, sliced and individually wrapped, for when I am asked to make more, the batch is ready and waiting. I haven’t frozen the cooked biscuits. There are never any left to freeze :-)) They are deliciously moreish. I will be baking these this weekend, and your Salami Cheese bites, Nagi dear. Thanks for your lovely recipes, and your cookbooks. They are all awesome.
Fantastic to hear Deborah! Thanks for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it! N x
The aroma!!! To die for. I added Zathar (a middle eastern spice) in mine, and OMG! I can just die and go to heaven. My only issue with the recipe was that, you said I would get 25-30 of them, but I’ve barely gotten about 15-18. Nevertheless, it makes for a fantastic gift!
Hi Shruti, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! ❤️ N xx
Hi Nagi, I saw your biscuits today & had to try them but they didn’t look like yours! 🙁
I must have done something wrong. Usually I’m good at cooking so not sure what I’ve done.
If you beat the butter mixture too much will that affect the recipe? Also perhaps my oven wasn’t hot enough because they kind of spread out & flattened 🙁
Yours look so good!!!
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 I literally just made 6 batches of these! You definitely weighed the ingredients?? Also, did it look like wet sand before you formed into logs, without big clumps of butter? One time when I didn’t whizz the ingredients enough, I formed the logs and saw clumps of butter throughout and that’s when they spread out. But they were still YUM!! N xx
Hi Nagi, Merry Christmas!
thanks so much, yes I weighed and I whizzed but is it possible that I whizzed the ingredients too much?
Anyway, I will try again! And maybe add some olives to the mix 🙂
thanks again 🙂
Was the butter cold?? The ingredients specifically say to use cold butter. If it is at room temp then it isn’t shortbread and that’s the other cause for the biscuits spreading. 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi, I’m thinking of making a triple batch for Christmas gifts this weekend but am worried about shelf life. Do you know how long they would last in a sealed container?
Hi Dana! In a really airtight container, they’re good for 5 – 6 days. For normal sealed containers, I’d say 3 -4 days 🙂 They’re really buttery so forgiving even if a bit stale 🙂
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while now & I finally got around to making them today.
Oh-my-goodness. Just, divine! The whole house smells of absolute perfection at the moment.
Thank you so much for sharing this. x
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sarah! Thank you for letting me know – N xx
Nagi these are absolutely delicious and every time I make a batch they do not last to the end of the day. Tasty, light and to die for in my opinion. I have also done a variation for my diabetic husband with ground almonds in place of the flour. They are also good but don’t have the same bite. We have tried a few of your recipes and can’t fault any. Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Val! Thank you for letting me know – N xx
My dough did not come together at all. I had to add a bit of water.
Hi Joe! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you weight the parmesan? That’s the key!
Hello! I have just finished making this dough. Do you think I can freeze one log for later use? Thank you!
Hi Josee! I’m sorry, I don’t know if that will work, I know refrigerating overnight is fine but not sure about freezing. Sorry! N x
Hello!
For future reference and in case someone asks you again, I did try to freeze a roll of dough and it worked beautifully. Thawed it for an hour at room temperature then sliced and baked as directed. Those biscuits were absolutely amazing with cultured butter and fresh rosemary. Your recipe is at he top of my favorite savory biscuits!
You ROCK Josee! My mum will be happy to hear that too, she loves this recipe!
Biscuits? Cookies? I think I can explain the confuzzlement: In some countries, what we in the USA call “cookies” they call “biscuits.” The author mentions that these sell well in Sydney. I assume she is referring to Australia, where they would be called “biscuits.” Then, the layout editor, or whoever chooses some of the artwork, saw the word “biscuits” and chose a picture of what we in the USA call “biscuits.”
Biscuits? Cookies? These “things” are just faaaaaabulouly delicious…and easy to make!
Yep, seeing the picture of what we in the states call biscuits got my mouth wanting the biscuits pictured. Took me a ton of time with no recipe for the first picture of biscuits. I googled and found a couple different ones, but not 3 ingredient ones. I will give in and make some homemade old time biscuits using lard.
Thanks,
Deb
You got it Erlinda! It is very confusing for people who are coming here thinking these are American biscuits 🙁 Nevertheless, these are SO GOOD!!!
The beautiful mile high flaky looking biscuits in the pic is not the biscuits in this recipe. So where is the recipe for the ones in the original picture.
I agree the picture on the intro page is of a biscuit once you press enter first and second page pics are a different kind of biscuit….not the same at all
I’m sorry about the confusion but unfortunately it is out of my control as that website is not mine! I have no idea why they would use my recipe with a different photo!!!
it doesn’t matter they look great and I for one will make them
Hi Penny! I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused. The photos are of the recipe!
I think Penny was referring to the picture on the very first page with those luscious white flaky biscuits in a pan and it states “3 ingredient Parmesan biscuits”. I too thought the same thing as she did.
me too it is confusing
Sorry Judy, I can’t control that other website! 🙁
I too wanted the recipe for the biscuits that were pictured on the first page. They were the delicious flaky biscuits that stated they were the 3 ingredient biscuits. I hope we can get an answer because they do look good.
I just figured out the confusion!!! You were directed to this recipe via another website who had another photo on the page. This recipe is for parmesan COOKIES that are made with 3 ingredients. That other website used the wrong photo!
Hi Nagi, I’m going to make these today! They sound so good! I’ll be 89 next month and hubby’ll be 91 next month. We’re on our 71st year of marriage and I still love to cook and he still loves my cooking! Thanks for your & your Mom’s recipes!
Awwwww!!! 71 years? WOW!!! You’re an inspiration for everyone looking for love! N x
Step 1Process the butter, flour and parmesan in a food processor & in step 2 it says add the Parmesan cheese?
Hi Ed! That’s the alternative method using your fingers 🙂 Hope that clarifies!
Thanks I’m old & stupid, did not read Alternative method, I tried one with 1 TBSP of flour & it was great.
Hi Amanda, I’m sorry to hear they didn’t work 🙁 Did you weigh the parmesan??
Yikes, I used a tiny bit over HALF of a SIX OUNCE bag of shredded Parmesan cheese. (Thinking, hey, that is 3.5 ounces) This was a bit over one cup. I didn’t have a scale to weigh.)
I was so sad to basically have Parmesan Lace spread out all over the baking sheet. As i re-read the recipe I saw your recommendation for 3/4 of a cup. Could it be that that little bit of cheese made that big of a difference?
I will try them again later, using the 3/4 c. recommendation. OH, the flavor was wonderful…and I used it to top a broccoli casserole!)
Karen, I’m not sure if you’ll see this, but I’m wondering if you perhaps didn’t refrigerate the dough long enough before you sliced and baked it, or if you let it sit at room temperature too long after slicing and putting it on the baking sheet. Shortbread dough needs to be very cold when you put it in the oven so the butter and flour have a chance to work their magic before the butter actually melts.
Because I LOVE shortbread and I am absolutely certain I will love this savory version, I’m giving this recipe five stars even though I haven’t made it…YET 🙂
Thanks so much for that tip Keri, I didn’t think about that!! My mother made that same mistake too – actually, she tried to make it without refrigerating it at ALL. Heavy price she paid for impatience!!! 😉
Oh dear!! I do hope you try this again with the proper amount, these truly are SO GOOD!!! 🙂
This sounds wonderful and I plan to make them today. Can this recipe be doubled and made all at one time? We ga e lunch at our church every Sunday and I’m on for a dessert… I think these would be a great shortbread cookie to counteract all the other “sweets and overly sweet” desserts!
Hi Cuylene! Yup, this is perfect for doubling – as long as you have a larger food processor, unlike me who only has a tiny one!
When my wife’s diet allows, I will make these. With a couple of tweaks, added mustard powder to pack a cheesy punch and garlic or onion granules to smooth the taste. Possibly a pinch of cumin… I can see I’m going to have to make a whole bunch
Oooh! That sounds lovely Johnny, I hope you love it!
What kind of meal can I pair these with?
Hi Kim! Any Western or Italian food would be fabulous! Anything European actually – Greek, Spanish, French etc 🙂
Hi Nagi! I made these for our Easter Antipasto lunch and let me tell you, I have now been told by the family never to enter into anyone’s house without a plate full of these! I made 2 batches of the rosemary and also 2 batches of Parmesan and fresh chilli and I swear they almost disappeared before we officially sat down for lunch!! Thanks for an easy recipe that I can do in no time at all ?
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed it Linda!! I’m SO GLAD you liked it! And you know, I think that’s a GREAT RULE!!! I want to make that rule for my mother – she is not allowed to come over without a freshly made batch of these for me!!! 🙂 N x
Hi there!was wondering, what if I dont have a food processor, what can I use?
Hi there! Just use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour 🙂 If you have a quick read of step 2, it explains how to do this!