Crispy Parmesan and Herbs Crackers: Delicious Summer Snack Recipe
Are you looking for a savory and crunchy snack to enjoy during your next movie night
or summer wine party with your friends?
Oh girl, you’ve got to try these Crispy Parmesan and Herb crackers!
I know, I know… you can easy buy cheese crackers at the nearest supermarket, but hear me out! Imagine the enchanting smell of fresh herbs, mixed with gentle butter and sharp Parmesan cheese.
These delicious savory Parmesan crackers are:
- gonna melt on in your mouth,
- make your guests asking your for the recipe and more wine
- they’re so easy to make
- they’re bursting with combination of cheesy and herby flavors.
Whether you’re serving them as an appetizer before a main course,
or including them on your beautifull styled charcuterie board,
savory shortbread Parmesan herb crackers are a delicious and versatile snack
that you’ll want to make again and again.
So why not give them a try today and see for yourself
just how tasty and incredibly fragrant they can be?
Ingredients for savory Parmesan crackers
Making crispy Parmesan and herbs crackers requires a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to gather before getting started.
Dry ingredients
The dry ingredients are the base of the crackers and provide structure and texture. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pastry flour or all-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Parmesan cheese
- Dried herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, or oregano)
- Black pepper
Wet ingredients
The wet ingredients bring everything together and create a dough
that can be rolled out and cut into crackers.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Milk
- Egg yolk
Savory parmesan and Herb crackers with Mediterranean flavors
What makes these homemade parmesan crackers so special, is the use of Mediterranean herbs. The fragrant herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano make these savory crackers so special and turn them into a great addition to any Mediterranean dish.
Herbs also serve as the decoration in this recipe and give them popular organic look.
How to make perfect parmesan herb crackers
Making Crispy Parmesan and Herbs crackers is a fun and easy.
I love how I get to use all the aromatic herbs from my garden and I bet you’ll love it too.
It’s just so magical to prepare something mouthwatering
with the ingredients from your own backyard, isn’t it?
In this section, I’ll quickly guide you through the preparation process in three simple steps:
- Mixing the dough
- Rolling, cutting and decorating the crackers
- Baking the crackers.
Mixing the dough
To begin, gather all the ingredients you will need.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour,
Parmesan cheese, dried herbs, and salt until well combined. - Cut the unsalted butter into small cubes and add them to the bowl.
Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients
until the mixture resembles coarse sand. - Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix
until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
Be careful not to overwork the dough, or the crackers will be tough.
Rolling and cutting the crackers
- Preheat your oven to 170°C/340°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ½ cm (1/5-inch) thick.
- Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut the dough into the desired shape and size of your crackers.
- Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet,
leaving about 2 cm of space between each one.
Baking the crackers
- Bake the crackers for 13-14 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy.
Keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking time,
as they can quickly go from golden to burnt. - Remove the crackers from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cracker on the cooling rack and let them cool completely before serving.
Enjoy your homemade Crispy Parmesan and Herbs crackers as a snack or with your favorite dips and spreads.
5 tips for perfect savory Parmesan shortbread crackers
Tip 1: Use soft butter:
Soft butter is crucial for achieving the right texture in your homemade Parmesan crackers.
The perfectly soft butter blends easily with the other ingredients and takes care of smooth and well-mixed dough. Your Parmesan and herb crackers will have heavenly good scent and a tender ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ consistency once baked.
Tip 2: Take time to chill the dough:
Chilling the dough is an essential step in the process of making Parmesan crackers.
I promise, this step is worth the wait and I really want you to not ingore it
(like we all love to ignore instructions about sifting the flour 😊).
Chilling allows the butter to firm up, making the dough easier to handle
and preventing it from spreading too much during baking.
It also helps the flavors to ‘mingle’ together and enhances the overall texture of the crackers.
Tip 3: Control the salt:
Parmesan cheese already contains a good amount of salt,
so it’s important to be mindful of the additional salt you add to the dough.
Start with a smaller amount of salt, and you can always adjust it according to your taste preferences. Remember, it’s better to under-salt and add more later if needed.
Tip 4: Don’t overwork the dough:
When mixing the ingredients for your Parmesan shortbread crackers,
it’s important not to overwork the dough.
Overworking can lead to the development of gluten,
resulting in a tougher and less delicate texture.
Mix the ingredients until they are just combined,
and avoid excessive kneading or handling of the dough.
Tip 5: Best quality Parmesan:
The quality of the Parmesan cheese you use in
your homemade crackers will make a significant difference in the final outcome.
Choose high-quality Parmesan cheese that has a rich and robust flavor.
Freshly grated Parmesan will offer the best taste and texture,
as pre-packaged grated cheese may have additives or a less pronounced flavor.
How to keep Parmesan shortbread crackers crips?
There are a few sneaky tips I can share with you to help you get the best crackers everytime.
These tips are actually great for any kind of crackers and shortbread biscuits, sweet or savory type.
- Cool cookies completely before storing.
Once your crackers are baked, let them rest on the baking tray for about 5 minutes. Afterwards, transfer them on the cookie cooling rack and let them cool completely. - Do not store soft cookies together with crispy cookies.
It’s all about the moisture and sugar content in the cookies.
Keep each stort of crackers or cookies separated.
Bonus point: you’ll probably have to buy new cute containers. Oops 😉! - Glass containers are good for storing crispy cookies.
One of the main reasons to use glass cointainers is their ability
to provide better moisture control compared to other materials like plastic or paper.
The thing is that cookies can become soft and lose their crunchiness when exposed to moisture. Glass is non-porous and does not absorb moisture and
that ensures us that the cookies stay dry and crispy. - Refrigerating cookies will help keep them crisp.
Just like many other cookie or cracker recipes, this Savory Parmesan crackers recipe
contain butter. When cookies are baked, the butter melts, contributing to their initial crispness. However, at room temperature, butter can soften and make cookies more prone to becoming soft and losing their crispness.
Refrigeration solidifies the butter, helping to maintain the desired crisp texture.
What flour is best for shortbread?
I recommend you to keep it simple and use pastry flour.
Our goal is to get light and flaky shortbread cookies and
in order to get them right every time, you’ll need to use pastry flour.
Pastry flour is a lower-protein flour that produces lighter and flakier cookies than all-purpose flour.
Serving Suggestions
Once you’ve made your batch of crispy parmesan and herb crackers, you’ll want to know how to serve them up in style. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
As a Snack
These crackers are perfect for snacking on their own.
Serve them up with a glass of your favorite wine or beer for a sophisticated twist
on the classic cheese and crackers.
With a dip
These crackers also make a great base for dips for a delicious and easy party appetizer.
Try pairing them with:
- Olive tapenade
- Whipped Feta dip
- classic hummus,
- tzatziki
- a spicy salsa
With a soup or a salad
Crumble up your parmesan and herb crackers and use them as a topping
for colorful summer salads and warm or cold velvet soups.
The crispy texture and savory flavor will add a delicious crunch to any dish.
Try pairing it with:
Strawberry salad with edible flowers
Burrata salata with Aromatic oils
Parmesan crackers for the chacuterie board
Of course, you can’t go wrong pairing these crackers with some delicious cheese,
dried meat and seasonal fruit and nuts.
Try serving them up with:
- Paper-thin slices of best quality Prosciutto
- soft and creamy brie or a sharp cheddar,
- a tangy goat cheese,
- selection of summer fruit like white grapes and apricots
Ah, what a sophisticated snack for summer wine nights with your girlfriends.
Check my pretty Platter idea here: Pretty Chacuterie platter
How to store homemade Parmesan crackers
To keep your crispy Parmesan and herb crackers fresh for as long as possible,
proper storage is key. Here are some tips to help you store your crackers:
- Store them only after the crackers are completely cooled.
- Keep your crackers in an airtight container.
- Store your crackers in a cool, dry place, prefrealy in the fridge.
- Keep them refrigerated for up to 5 days
Recipe for homemade Parmesan and Herb shortbread crackers
Savory Parmesan and herb shortbread crackers
Equipment
- 2 baking trays
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 knife
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 parchment paper sheets
- 1 round cookie cutter
- 1 cookie cooling rack
Ingredients
- 150 g pastry flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 115 g soft butter unsalted
- 100 g Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 bunch fresh herbs
- 2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F and line the baking trays with the parchment paper.
Prepare the fresh herbs
- Take a look at the bunch of fresh herbs and pick at lest 25 interesting leaves. Place them on a plate and set them aside for later, when we'll decorate each cracker.
- Finely chop the remaining of the herbs into small pieces.
Prepare the dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, Parmesan cheese and finely chopped herbs until well combined.
- Cut the unsalted butter into small cubes and add them to the bowl. Use your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add the cold water, at tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough comes together and forms a ball.Be careful not to overwork the dough, or the crackers will be tough.
- Create a thick disk out of the dough and wrap it in the plastic foil.Let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough and cut the crackers
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ½ cm (1/5-inch) thick.
- Arrange the nice parts of the herbs that we saved earlier on the dough.
- Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut the dough into the desired shape and size of your crackers. Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 cm of space between each one.
Bake the crackers
- Bake the crackers for 13-14 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking time, as they can quickly go from golden to burnt.
Cool the crackers
- Remove the crackers from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the crackers on the cooling rack and let them cool completely before serving.
- Enjoy your homemade Crispy Parmesan and Herbs crackers as a snack or with your favorite dips and spreads