Xmas Baking #1: Cheddar and Cranberry Cookies

Don't ask me why, but I've been contemplating a sort of cheesy, savoury shortbread cookie for going on 2 or 3 weeks now, so I decided it was time to get off my butt and do something about it. The combination of salty, aged cheddar and sweet tangy cranberry has quickly made this a buttery, crispy snack favourite in our house. In fact, I made a second batch of dough expressly for freezing, so that I can cut a few slices off and quickly pop them into the oven when company pops by. If that sounds a little too Martha Stewart for you, bear in mind the real reason I do that is so we don't eat them all before company shows up!

• 115 grams (1/2 cup) butter
• 150 grams (1 1/2 cups) extra old (at least 3 years old) cheddar, finely grated
• 180 grams (1 1/2 cups) white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup finely chopped dried cranberries

Cream the butter ans cheese together at high speed in your stand mixer. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Combine flour mixture, nuts and cranberries with the butter mixture on high.

Turn dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a log shape, rol the paper around it and twist the ends shut. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. You can freeze the dough at this stage as well.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Unwrap the dough log and, using a very sharp knife, slice the log into rounds 1/2 cm thick. Place rounds on cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 30.

Comments

[Christiane]

Wow. I wasn't sure when I first read this, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds absolutely amazing.

[jeannette]

wow, looks amazing and i'm sure i'd also be freezing the dough just so i wouldn't eat it all at one sitting. i'm definitely making this!

[Mitsuko]

Cheddar & cranberries? i'm not used to the mix but why not?

[Brandon]

Fabulous photo--cookies are hard because who wants to see another pile of cookies on a plate? Your glass jar solution is perfect. Oh! And the recipe sounds great too--I have an addiction to shortbread that I have to monitor closely, but I think I'm going to have to try your very tempting version.

[Alanna]

I love this idea. Would you ever use Imperial cheese? My Canadian family turned me onto it this summer, I've made two batches of savory cookies with it. One's in the freezer, awaiting baking over Christmas.

[Brandon]

Fabulous photo--cookies are hard because who wants to see another pile of cookies on a plate? Your glass jar solution is perfect. Oh! And the recipe sounds great too--I have an addiction to shortbread that I have to monitor closely, but I think I'm going to have to try your very tempting version.

[Traci]

I don't know too much about cheese - would any really sharp cheddar work for these?

[lyn]

Alanna - I don't see why you couldn't use Imperial cheese. It is a bit softer than block cheddar though, so you might need a bit more flour, or a bit less cheese.

Traci -You could use any really sharp cheddar I'm sure. I would definitely stick with white cheddar though, and the older it is the better.

[Dianka]

What a great combination of flavors, this looks delicious!

[Fabienne]

Oh, my god, i think it's gorgeous !

[Robin]

These look delicious! Can't wait to try them! I love any kind of shortbreads... made 2 kinds for Thanksgiving....
And I'm glad you posted your gorgeous decorated cookies from last year as the blog banner! I'd love to have time to make those, too!

[Karen]

The thought of combining cheddar and cranberry intrigues me - I'm making these cookies tonight!!

[Jeanne]

Wow - what an interesting combination. I've always liked a sweet-savoury combination so I must put these on my "to try" list. Thanks for sharing such a great inspiration!

[f]

I just made a batch of these and they are fabulous! The savory/sweet is really well balanced. Thank goodness I'll probably have to make another bath anyway, and can afford to nibble on a few myself.

[Amanda Redmond-Neal]

i just made a batch for the office. they are very good indeed. but i had some difficulty that inspired some advice for others who try this recipe.
i was having zero luck rolling the dough into a log using the wax paper -- just way too crumbly. the way i ultimately formed the rolls was to use one of those plunger-style adjustable measuring cups. i filled the fully extended cup with dough crumbs, packed them down, and pushed out a perfect cylinder of shortbread dough.
maybe it has to do with my high altitude and dry climate, but i also had serious crumblage when cutting the log into raw cookies -- had to reshape 4 out of 5 by hand. i compensated by cutting them more like 1/2 inch thick rather than 1/2 cm, making for a yield of 20 cookies instead of 30. (of course, i certainly had about 1/2 cup less volume because i lacked pecans, anyway.)
thank you to lex for the great recipe! i am in awe of anyone who can improvise when it comes to baking. how do you think the mixture would work with whole-wheat flour?