Love a nibble? These Roquefort and walnut shortbreads are a particularly elegant appetizer that combines some of our favorite flavors–sharp and tangy blue cheese, crunchy and earthy walnuts, and buttery shortbread. And don’t forget about the creamy, cheesy filling.
Once baked, you can keep the shortbreads for a week or so in an airtight container. Sandwich them up to two hours before serving.–Orlando Murrin
☞ Contents
Roquefort and Walnut Shortbreads
Ingredients
For the roquefort and walnut shortbreads
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- A pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 cup Roquefort cheese
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut in pieces
- 1 egg yolk plus a little beaten egg to glaze
- 40 to 50 walnut halves
For the filling
- Small Boursin cheese flavored with pepper or 1/4 cup mascarpone blended with 3 tablespoons Roquefort and ground black pepper
Directions
- Put the flour and cayenne in the processor and whiz to mix.
- Add the Roquefort and butter and whiz to crumbs, then the egg yolk. The mixture needs to be fairly homogenous or the shortbreads will be dangerously flaky when baked, so if necessary scrape down the sides of the processor with a spatula and whiz again.
- Lay two pieces of plastic wrap on the work surface and turn out half the dough on to each. Fold each up in the plastic wrap and shape into a flat disc about 3/4-inch thick. Chill for at least a couple of hours, or overnight is better —if it seems too hard to roll out when you start it will become amenable in a matter of minutes.
- Roll out on a well-floured surface to 1/8-inch thick and cut into 1-1 1/4-inch coins—I have a fluted cutter for the purpose. Use a spatula if necessary to transfer to a nonstick baking sheet, or one lined with a nonstick silicone mat.
- Press a perfect walnut half lightly but securely on to half of the shortbreads. Glaze shortbread and nut with a little beaten egg, trying to avoid run-off on to the baking sheet. Leave the other half plain. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350°F (175°C) (same for convection) until nicely golden. Allow to cool.
- Make one of the fillings.
- To fill the shortbreads, set out the bases in a row and the walnut tops in another row. Roll small balls of the filling between your palms and gently press on to the bases. If the filling is too sticky, use a teaspoon instead. Lay the walnut shortbreads on top and lightly press on the walnut to stick the sandwiches together. Transfer to a serving plate.
Notes
Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This was a fast and easy cracker recipe that could be used without the filling if you’re in a hurry or with the filling if you’re planning ahead. I’ll keep this tucked in my pocket for those days when I’m short on time and need an impressive looking/tasting treat.
These are adorable, dainty, and delicious, if using the right ingredients. I tried some of the shortbread coins with the Boursin cheese and some with the mascarpone-Roquefort filling. The mascarpone-Roquefort cheese filling was far better, no comparison. I rate the recipe a 4 or 5 with the Boursin cheese filling. The tang of the Roquefort is paramount to the making the recipe a success. It’s very important to taste and choose a really wonderful, and probably expensive, Roquefort. Unfortunately, we don’t live in France where it is readily available.
As a huge fan of any kind of shortbread, I was excited to try this version and am so glad I did. I love how the tastes of the Roquefort, walnuts, and pepper meld. Excellent flavours. I’ll make the Boursin version next time. This is such a very tasty recipe and well worth making. I love it.
These shortbreads are easy to make (don’t let the fancy photo fool you) and delicious. My gut instinct was that they would be too heavy and conflicting with two strong-tasting types of cheese. I was wrong. After baking, just the aroma and the slight saltiness of the Roquefort cheese remains in the shortbreads. Peppery Boursin has a strangely wonderful texture that’s between “crumbly” and “sticky” and is nice with the flaky coins. With the crunch and pleasant bitterness of the walnuts, each shortbread sandwich gives you a powerful of-the-moment experience.
A crew at work had only great things to say about these tidbits. They’re really not all that much fuss to put together; the ingredients mixed simply and assembled really easily. I didn’t have a 1 to 1-1/2 inch cutter, but the metal screw cap from a recent bottle of wine (yes…you can find good wines with a screw cap), happened to be a bit over one inch and was perfect for cutting out the shortbread disks. I found the Boursin with pepper to be nicer than the mascarpone with Roquefort combination (cheaper, too). There is enough Roquefort in the cookies and the peppered Boursin really helps these great flavours to meld.
A lovely light appetizer that is elegant and tasty. The shortbread has a subtle taste of Roquefort that works well with the cheese filling. Perfect served with a chilled white for those special guests.
This is a delicious and elegant recipe for either an informal or formal event. The savory shortbreads are flakey and crisp. The filling complements the shortbreads. The combination of Roquefort, Boursin and mascarpone cheeses are smooth and creamy. It’s just a very satisfying little bite of happiness.
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
These savory shortbreads are such a treat! So incredibly easy to make, but they look very fancy. They’re perfect to serve along side Champagne at a New Year’s Eve party, or other special occasion.
While I filled mine with softened goat cheese mixed with pepper for a holiday party (I wasn’t able to find peppered Boursin at my local market, and I think using more roquefort would have been too strong a flavor for some of the guests), I wouldn’t hesitate to serve the shortbreads on their own, even without the walnut. Honestly, I can’t wait to make these again, and will probably wind up eating them straight from the container. I think they’ll be phenomenal alongside tomato soup.
Thanks Tae! We couldn’t agree more, and your version looks divine.
Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but…can the recipe be frozen at any stage, please? Thank you.
Chris, once you cut out the dough in step four, freeze the circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. When they’re firm, stack them with a small square of parchment between each, and wrap the whole shebang tightly. They’ll keep for a month in the freezer. Bake shortbreads right from the freezer.
Thank you – could I freeze the dough as a lump before I cut out the circles?
Chris, sorry, I thought you wanted to do all the prep ahead and simply bake them off. Yes, you can freeze the dough disc. Transfer it to the fridge 24 hours before rolling it out.
Thank you again – that’s great.
Chris, of course. We’re always here to help.
This recipe is a really great appetizer. The combination of walnuts and Roquefort gives a great result and an unusual taste. The one drawback for me was that the Roquefort was too strong, both in the shortbreads and the filling, I’d suggest not using it in the filling, instead substituting with the more mascarpone or another soft cheese with more light taste.
So delighted you enjoyed it, Daria!
A unanimous yes in our house. We loved these, as did our very discriminating house painter! The unfilled shortbreads stayed crisp for several days stored in a cookie tin, and are delicious on their own, too.
Terrific, Sheila! Thank you for letting us know how lovely these turned out for you!