12 Bakes of Christmas – Day 2, Parmesan Shortbread

I make a lot of shortbread at Christmas, but this has to be one of my favourite Christmas bakes in a series that is all about favourite Christmas bakes.

They have all the buttery yumminess of a proper shortbread, but with the sharpness of parmesan cheese. Cheese and biscuits in a biscuit. Now, that’s my idea of multi-tasking.

I first came across these little morsels in a Scottish recipe book some years ago. The recipe was super easy: 75g parmesan, 75g butter, 75g plain flour and a little salt to taste. Over the years I’ve found other versions that use extra butter and extra flour that, not only makes these go a little further but makes them shorter in texture. Nigella goes one step further and adds a single egg yolk. It adds a layer of richness that I think makes a good biscuit taste even better.

It’s, therefore, her recipe – from Nigellissima – that I’ve made my own. You’ll find it here.