I have a weakness for French cheeses. This wasn’t always the case, in fact I used not like cheese very much. Being Mexican cheese is not something we eat often or much of. Contrary to the inaccurate impression many have about Mexican cuisine, you’ll find that in our authentic cookery cheese is using sparingly. Growing up my parent’s only bought a couple Mexican cheeses that we occasionally used for quesadillas or to top chilaquiles. So needless to say, when it came to cheese my experience was very limited.
My husband grew up loving cheese, and his favorite one is blue cheese. You can image the reaction someone, like me, with very limited experience has the first time smelling and seeing blue cheese. But being the brave and curious eater I am, I had to give it a taste. Much to his and my surprise I too fell in love with blue cheese. Fast forward all these years later and I now love eating many cheeses my husband isn’t too fond of.
Living in Paris only helped solidify my and his love of cheese. France, the land of 400 distinct cheese types, is a dream come true. There instead of a sweet or heavy cake for dessert you can enjoy a plateau de fromage or a plate of cheese. If you happen to be eating at a nice establishment the waiter will come by with a cart full of all sorts of cheeses to choose from for your plateau. If you love cheese it is a fun and delicious experience. My love of French cheeses became so grand that instead of holding my breath when passing our fromagerie I inhaled deeply to take in the ripe cheese smell.
In a house with two cheese lovers, cheese is always in our refrigerator. The options here aren’t as large as in France but there are still plenty to choose from, like this creamy goat cheese I used for these shortbreads. The other day I was craving not only cheese but also shortbreads, another one of my weaknesses. I thought why not combine the two and make goat cheese shortbreads. Since I was using goat cheese and therefore making savory shortbreads, I wanted to add a little more depth of flavour by using spicy pecans. Before I tell you how scrumptious they tasted, I’ll give you the recipe.
- 3 tbs Amelia's Hot & Spicy Pecans
- ½ cup or 100 gm all purpose white flour
- large pinch of sugar
- pinch of salt
- 40 gm or 1.4 oz goat cheese
- spicy paprika
- 3 tbsp melted unsalted butter (if using salted butter omit salt above)
- Preheat oven to 180 c or 356f and line a cookie sheet with baking paper, set aside. Place pecans in a blender and pulse for a couple of seconds until they break up. Don't overdo it, we don't want them to be pulverized.
- Roll the goat cheese in some spicy paprika and set aside. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and ground pecans until well combined. Next crumble the goat cheese into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour the melted butter into the bowl while stirring, until a crumbly mix is achieved. Gather the crumbly dough and place on floured surface. Flatten out to an even level and slice into even sized squares or use a cookie cutter to cutout desired shapes.
- Place on baking sheet bake in center of oven for 8-10 minutes. Check after 8 minutes and do not allow shortbreads to brown. Allow to cool completely before enjoying.
The shortbreads are crumbly, buttery, savory, spicy, a tad sweet, and have a slight tart flavour given by the goat cheese. To say they taste good is an understatement — they taste awesome! The only bad part is that the batch was small, we ate them in a couple of days. But these will definitely be something I make over and over again.
I hope you give them a try and love them as much as we did. If you’re not craving a cheesy spicy treat but rather a sweet one, try these Black Sesame Polvorones or Matcha Merunky Polvorones. (Polvoron is the Spanish word for shortbread.)
A wonderful recipe! Those shortbreads looks marvelous. Perfect with a slice of good cheese!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
These would make such a delicious appetizer, I love the flavors! Have a great weekend!
They are a great appetizer or snack. Thanks Laura!
I like blue cheese as well :) I like any cheese to be frank. Spicy cheese is always worth trying.
Yay, for blue cheese!:) Thanks Marta.
I will have to make my own spicy pecans..But I will make these:)
2 Frenchies here..from QC not France ..but cheese lovers nevertheless..And always des bons fromages in the fridge..~
These look wonderful Nancy..
Bon weekend savoureux to you~
Your photos always make me think..will I ever take photos like this?
Not to be great or anything..just for me:)
PS I always forget to say I am not a spammer:)
Mai oui, it’s impossible to live without cheese. Merci Monique, J’e espere que vous avez passe un bon week-end.:)
My taste is limited to a few variety of cheeses. Reading your post I felt, I too have hope ;-)
Loved the way you paired all these ingredients to turn out such scrumptious looking shortbreads.
Btw, I also love the colour of the board on which you clicked them :-)
Of course, all you have to do is start trying new cheeses. Thank you Taruna:)
Love it! Thanks for recipe :)
Thanks!
Gorgeous photos, Nancy. The shortbread look ever so tempting with the flavour combo.
Thank you Angie!:)
I’ve made many kinds of shortbread cookies in my day; (they are my son’s favorite cookie in any guise), but never with goat cheese. What an inspired combination–I can almost taste them! Thanks again for another recipe for my “to make” list, Nancy.
Your son has knows what he’s talking about, hehe:) Thank you Victoria and do let me know if you give these a try.
Beautiful shortbread. I bet the goat cheese a nice flavor to it. :) Have a fabulous weekend my friend.
I have to say that it really was Ramona, thanks and have a great week!
Hi Nancy! I like the spiced pecans and goat cheese combination in your savory shortbreads-must have been delicious ;-)
Thank you so much Patty!
For sure this recipe would have to be doubled. Savory shortbreads are a great alternative.
Yes, certainly. Thanks Sandra:)
Smoked paprika and goat cheese! That combination would make anything irresistible! And then you had to go add pecans. There is no way I could say no to these. Definitely pinning these!
I know what you mean about growing up with limited cheese option. Having been raised in the southern U.S. about the only cheese we had in our house was cheddar. Now I keep a crisper full of different cheese so that we have what we want when a mood strikes. :)
That’s great MJ, I’m glad you can now enjoy a great variety of cheeses. Thanks and I hope you give them a try.:)
I love the idea of goat cheese shortbreads, these sound so delicious! Your photos are so gorgeous too!
Thank you Rosie!:)
I’m a cheese lover too and this recipe looks sensational Nancy!
Crispy and delicate ,mmh.
The pictures are lovely :)
Thank you so much Daniela!:)
Lovely looking shortbreads, and I love the purple background!
Thank you!!
What a great flavor combination, TRUE!
Love the staging of your photos too!
Cheers! Joanne
Thank you so much Joanne!
Most people in the US are probably more familiar with Tex-Mex rather than actual Mexican food — and Tex-Mex smothers an awful lot of stuff in cheese. Anyway, I really like goat cheese, so you know these shortbreads have my name on them. Great recipe! Thanks so much.
I think that’s the case John, but also many don’t realize the difference and so refer to it as Mexican. Thank you!
I love most cheeses too but I can’t get my mind or taste buds around blue cheese. Those shortbreads sound very interesting with the addition of goat cheese. I should try a gluten-free version.
Hehe, it’s definitely an acquired taste Suzanne. Thank you, and yes I’d love to see a gluten-free version.
I love cheese!! All types and the smellier the better. I really love your images, the spicy cheese crackers look amazing : )
Delicious :)
Hehe, I’m the same way Julie!:) Thank you so much. xx
oo, a savory shortbread! what a fantastic idea! and i am always looking for new ways to eat goat cheese, although mostly i just go with ‘straight from the package’. i think i could make it last long enough to make this, though :)
I hope you do give the shortbreads a try Anna.
Love the idea of this, I don’t think I’ve ever made a savory shortbread. Unfortunately cheese never lasts long enough in our house to cook with, despite the fact that we usually have at least 4 different kinds at any moment. I love a good blue cheese but Epoisses and Maroilles are by far my favorites. The smellier, the better! And I agree, there is nothing more spectacular than the smell of a fromagerie!
There are so many great ones to choose from, I don’t always remember the names. Give the shortbreads a try with some of your favorite cheeses Holly:)
Love the shortbread… nice recipe and love the purple :)
Thank you Shema!:)
You know you’re a cheese lover when you can smell the telltale odor wafting out each time you open the fridge, but it’s a small price to pay!
Oh yes, love that smell!
Oh man, I love a savoury shortbread! Thinking of all the quality cheeses readily available in Paris makes my head spin. I would have OD-ed on lactose!
It’s pretty difficult to resist all the cheese. Thanks Irina!:)
I so love your website! Found you on Pinterest first… But – a question, please: I am not a baker and I’ve begun a ketogenic diet and am wondering if almond flour would work in these biscuits – then I could sneak one or two! Hope to see a reply…
Cheers,
Juudy
Hi Juudy! I have never attempted baking these with almond flour, so I can’t give you a good answer. Almond flour doesn’t have gluten, which is part of what helps bind/hold these shortbreads together. I don’t know anything about ketogenic diets, but is wheat just not allowed? If it is perhaps you could sub half of the wheat flour with the almond meal? Really my best recommendation would be to experiment a little.
If I make these with almond flour I’ll be sure to let you know the results. Thank you and good luck! :)