Blue cheese sablés, cheese biscuits, cheese crisp or cheese wafers
They melt and crumble as soon as they enter your mouth. The blue cheese version has an extraordinary crumbliness that surpass the other cheese versions. These are best eaten within hours of baking. The dough will keep in the fridge for a few days ready for cutting. Do not bake these when you’re hungry but if you do I hope you have the willpower to stop yourself from trying one because a second and third will follow!
Blue cheese sables
Cheddar, Parmesan, Goat’s – anything you want, with herbs and spices
This recipe is for any cheese, it’s wonderful with a good strong cheddar, or half cheddar and half parmesan combination. A popular combination was a strong blue with the tiniest amount of finely chopped rosemary. Other flavours; chives, chilli, smoked paprika, curry. With or without seeds, poppy, fennel, cumin, caraway.
Blue Cheese & Cheddar Biscuits
The ones with half blue cheese and half cheddar will still have a crumbly texture and the added tang from a strong cheddar.
Thickness and egg
Without egg they are so fragile but it is this that makes them melt. I cut them at 5 cm, slightly less than 1/4 inch thick and I would recommend not cutting them any thinner, they’ll spread out a little in the oven so give them so room. Don’t skip the egg wash because it actually helps keeping the dough together during baking and once cooled.
If you want an easier dough add half a beaten egg, it will be enough to gel it together but not too much that will make it a denser texture.
Making by Hand
If making by hand mix the soft butter at room temperature with the flour first. When butter and flour is well combined add cheese. Crumble soft cheese or grate the hard cheeses. Mix the cheese well into the mixture and bring it together.
Shape the dough into long sausage rolls and put in the fridge to make them hard in order to slice without squashing the dough.
Food Processor
Add all the ingredients together, best if the butter is straight from the fridge. To help shape dough especially if using blue cheese or similar soft cheese flour your hands and the board.
Once shaped into long sausages put in fridge for an hour or until hard enough to slice without squashing the dough, use a sharp knife.
Oil or line a baking sheet with flavourless vegetable oil. Try and leave enough room for them to spread a little and bake them in a medium hot oven between 8-12 minutes until they’re slightly golden.
If not using egg in the mixture it is important to leave them to cool a little on the baking sheet before trying to remove them.
To show what a difference a little egg can make, the ones on the left have 1/2 egg and maintain the shape and on the right they spread out a little more but the texture although fragile is very crumbly.
Blue Cheese Sablés or Cheese Biscuits
Makes 40-50 depending how long you roll out the dough and how thin you cut them
- 100g / 4 oz butter / 1 stick of butter
- 100g / 4 oz plain flour / 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 100g / 4 oz blue cheese or a good cheese of your choice.
- 1/2 beaten egg if wanting a less fragile dough – optional
- Beaten egg to brush over the biscuits – important not to skip as it helps to holds the dough together
- Flavour – choose seeds or spices to either combine in the dough or to sprinkle on top, see above for ideas.
Pre-heat oven to 180˚C fan / 200˚F / gas 4
In the food processor combine all the ingredients pulse until all the cheese is well amalgamated and the dough begins to come together.
If making by hand make sure the butter is soft at room temperature, combine it with the flour first when it looks like breadcrumbs, add the blue cheese crumbled or if using harder cheese grate it and combine (and if using 1/2 beaten egg).
Once the dough comes together form it into a ball and if very soft use a little flour on the board and flour your hands to shape it into a long sausage roll. Put it in the fridge for at least an hour until very firm to prevent squashing the dough.
Slice the dough into 5mm (slightly less than 1/4 inch) thick on put them on top of an oiled baking sheet, using flavourless vegetable oil. Give them some space to spread a bit. Bake for 8-12 mins until they turn into a light golden colour. Let them cool slightly in the baking sheets before trying to remove them.