Parmesan Fennel Shortbread

And then there's the fennel... it adds a whole other element of flavor that makes you want to go back for more! They are super easy to make and fairly difficult to mess up (for one test batch I forgot to add to the parmesan, so after I packed it in the square pan, I had to take it out and mix the cheese in - they still came out perfectly though!). Make these shortbreads for an appetizer at a dinner party or just for an afternoon snack!

For more savory baking recipes, try New York Style Bagels, Pesto Brioche Swirl Bread, Salted Soft Pretzels with Cheese Dip, and Small Batch Buttermilk Biscuits.

Ingredient Notes

• Unsalted Butter: You'll need two sticks of room temperature unsalted butter.
• Powdered Sugar: You'll need a very small amount of powdered sugar to give these savory cookies the perfect shortbread texture, but it does not make them very sweet.
• All-Purpose Flour: This recipe calls for the perfect amount of flour, enough to absorb the butter and prevent the shortbread from spreading too much!
• Salt: Since this is a savory recipe, you'll add a little more salt than you would for a sweet recipe.
• Pepper: Freshly ground pepper adds a great savory flavor.
• Parmesan: You'll need about one cup of freshly grated parmesan. Alternatively, you could use freshly grated romano.
• Fennel Seeds: You only need about one tablespoon of fennel seeds to grind up slightly and top each shortbread before they go in the oven.
• Flaky Sea Salt: Always add a generous sprinkling of flaky sea salt. My favorite is Maldon! 

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this parmesan fennel shortbread recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make shortbread. Beat the butter until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until fully combined. Then, add the flour, salt, pepper, and parmesan and mix until fully combined, but do not over-mix! Transfer dough to the prepared pan and pack in using a piece of parchment paper and the back of a measuring cup (as shown in the pictures above). Once the dough is evenly packed in, place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

STEP 2: Cut and bake. Toward the end of the freeze time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take the dough out of the pan and cut the block in half, and cut each section into 8 equally sized pieces (a little over 1 inch per piece). Place the shortbread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about one inch apart. Sprinkle fennel seeds on top of each and bake for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Let shortbread cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Beat the butter until smooth before adding in any other ingredient. This will ensure everything is incorporated evenly and you don't have big pieces of butter throughout your dough.
• Do not over-mix the dough once you add the flour! Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour and will make your shortbread very tough.
• Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes. If you are not baking all of the dough at once, be sure to keep them in the freezer until they are ready to be baked. 
• To grind up the fennel seeds, I used a mortar and pestle. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x