Rosemary Parmesan Crackers

These Rosemary Parmesan Cookies are the perfect combination of savory and sweet. They are the perfect appetizer for a cocktail party.

These Rosemary Parmesan Cookies are the perfect nibble for tea or with a glass of champagne or dry white wine. They have an amazing crumbly texture.

Along with the Parmesan and rosemary, these cookies also include ground toasted pecans, which compliment the nuttiness of the Parmesan in the cookies. And of course, the recipe for these cookies includes lots of butter.

I've made savory shortbread cookies and sablés, including these Parmesan and Thyme Crackers, these Cheddar Cayenne crackers, and these Jalapeño Cheddar Coins. (P.S. You need to try all of these if you are looking for a buttery, cheesy, flavorful, and sophisticated appetizer. Every time I make these, they are a huge hit.)

What makes these cookies "actual" cookies is the inclusion of sugar. I was kind of nervous about how sugar and Parmesan would work together, but because I am huge fangirl of Dorie Greenspan, who first created this recipe (you can also find it here on The Splendid Table), and I love the combination of rosemary and Parmesan, I definitely needed to give this cookie a try.

This recipe yields about 60 cookies. I did the math, and each cookie contains 1/7th of a teaspoon of sugar. I've got to tell you, because of the small amount of sugar, the first time I took a bite, the cookie kind of tasted "different" but good. The flavor is really unexpected, but kind of mesmerizing. The savory and sweet flavor combination turned out to be just right. It was one of those... "I need to try just one more to make sure these are as good as I think they are" moments. I just couldn't stop with one.

I later nervously offered some to my daughter to take home, and she called them "interesting, but really good" as she added quite a few of them into a "to-go" bag. Once I knew that she gave them her seal of approval, I took the rest of them to work. They promptly disappeared. Everyone agreed that the only way to improve them is to serve them with sparkling wine.

In France, the cheese course is served after the main course, but prior to dessert. I'm also thinking that these cookies would work here too... sort of a combination cheese/dessert course.

By the way, I finally tried my new rolling pin for this dough. I have five rolling pins. Yes, I have "issues." Here's how I justify the collection:

1. French rolling pin: This is my absolute favorite rolling pin. It is so maneuverable and easy to use. The only negative is when a recipe calls for the dough to be rolled out to an exact thinness, you can't exactly be precise. 
2. Marble rolling pin: I use this rolling pin to roll out laminated doughs. It's nice and heavy. If you don't make croissants or your own puff pastry, you probably don't need one... and yet, they are gorgeous. I totally love mine. 
3. Traditional American rolling pin: This rolling pin is probably the one I needed the least, and still wanted, because of nostalgia. 
4. Dowel Rolling Pin: This is also one of my favorite rolling pins. It's really easy to use, and you should have evenly rolled out dough. 
5. My new rolling pin: The recipe calls for rolling out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. This rolling pin was perfect for this, as well as rolling out pie crusts and other cookie doughs. I love the adjustable rings and the measurements on the pin. If you need to roll out cookies or pie crusts, get this rolling pin. This recipe calls for the dough to be rolled out to 1/4 inch think prior to cutting the dough. For the first time, I was pretty confident that each cookie was the exact same thickness. Love it! 

This month the Creative Cookie Exchange bakers are baking with herbs. Many thanks to Felice of All That's Left are the Crumbs, and Stacy of Food Lust People Love, for putting together the list of all of our cookies. Be sure to check them out after the recipe.

Rosemary Parmesan Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 272 grams (2 cups) all purpose flour
• 60 grams (1/2 cup) pecans, toasted
• 30 grams (1/3 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
• 226 grams (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, rub together the sugar and rosemary until the sugar is moist and the rosemary begins to release it's oil and color.
2. In the bowl of a large food processor, add the flour, pecans, Parmesan, salt, and the Parmesan sugar mixture. Pulse the mixture to blend and the nuts are ground.
3. Add the butter cubes to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Slowly add the egg yolk and pulse until the dough begins to clump and come together.
4. Pour the dough out onto your work surface and gather it together to form a cohesive dough. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a disk.
5. Roll each disk out between two pieces of was paper or parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick. Place each disk onto a large place, stacking one on top of the other, and freeze for about an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line two half sheet pans with parchment.
7. Peel off the top of the wax or parchment paper and, using a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on one of the half sheet pans, about an inch apart.
8. Once your pan is full, bake the cookies for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for three minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
9. Gather up the scraps, roll out, freeze, and repeat.
10. You can also cut and freeze the cookies for up to two months, and bake directly from the freezer. The cookies will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

Yield: 60 cookies
Recipe adapted from Dorie's Cookies

All those beautiful herbs growing in the garden are our inspiration this month’s #CreativeCookieExchange. We tend to think of herbs as an ingredient for savory dishes, but they are truly wonderful in baked goods too. Cookies infused with an earthy herbal note are delicious delight to be enjoyed at any time - and are seriously addictive - so we’ve got a great list for you to choose from! You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Anytime Tarragon-Apricot Cookies by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Citrus Glitters by What Smells So Good?
• Ginger Lemon Sage Cookies by Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Thyme Wafers by Cream and Butter
• Strawberry Mint Cookies by 2 Cookin' Mamas
• Rosemary Parmesan Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories