Walnut and Parmesan Sables (Perfect With Champagne)
Walnut and Parmesan Sables are the perfect pairing for champagne at your next gathering or special occasion. They're nutty, rich, and buttery, with a cheesy tang of parmesan and a slight hint of warmth from a pinch of spicy pepper.
Equipment
- Fine cheese grater
- Plastic food wrap
- knife
- Parchment paper /baking paper
Ingredients
Parmesan sable dough
- 105 grams (¾ cups + 1 tbsp) all purpose flour /plain flour
- 90 grams (1 cup) parmesan cheese finely grated
- 85 grams (⅓ cups + 1tsp) unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon (1 teaspoon) chili powder /paprika/cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- salt and pepper
- 1 Egg (beaten, for wash)
Instructions
How to make the parmesan sable dough
- Sift the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (or chili powder), and salt into a bowl. Add the cubes of cold butter and rub the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand with no lumps of butter.
- Mix in the grated parmesan cheese and bring the dough together by pressing it with your hand into the center of the bowl. Turn it out onto the surface and knead until it forms a smooth pastry dough.
- Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic food wrap and use that to form it into a long sausage (around 9 inches). Wrap it in the plastic wrap, and roll it to even out/smooth the sides. Alternatively, form it into a flat, round disk. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
How to bake
- Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and slice it into rounds roughly ¼ inch/ ½ cm thick. Or, wait for it to soften slightly, roll it out with a rolling pin, and use a cookie cutter.
- Place the sables onto the lined baking tray and brush with an egg wash. Place a few pieces of chipped walnut into the center of each one.
- Bake the walnut parmesan sables in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they have risen slightly and are golden brown.
- Remove them from the oven and leave them to harden up for 10 minutes before serving them still warm.
Notes
Work quickly and efficiently to make the dough so the butter doesn't melt and go greasy. But make sure you don't have lumps of butter, it needs to be a smooth and even dough. And don't skip the chilling stage, it needs to rest before baking.
Use a fine cheese grater or microplane for the parmesan to get as fine a grate as possible.
Mix this recipe by hand; you do not need to use a food mixer.
The cookies will expand slightly as they bake, so don't place them too close together on the tray.
You will be able to smell the cookies when they are ready. In my oven, they take 12 minutes. Make sure your oven isn't too hot, or it can burn the walnuts. Don't use the fan setting, and use an oven thermometer to check you have the right temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 76kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 35mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 432IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
