Description
Cocktail cheese biscuits are perfect party food. These salty crunchy bits are perfect with cocktails! And be careful-because you can’t stop at one!
Ingredients
For the onions:
- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
- 4 Anchovy filets, minced
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 t Diamond kosher salt
- 1/2 c plus 1 T heavy cream
For the dough
- 1 1/2 c plus 2 T all-purpose flour, plus more for counter
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 1/2 t Diamond kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice and frozen
- 3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese, plus more for sprinkling if desired
- 2 1/2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heavy cream, for brushing
Instructions
Make the onions:
In a skillet over medium-low heat, combine the onion, anchovies, oil, crushed red pepper flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the onions are soft and golden, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then chop the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the cream and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and pulse until combined. Add the frozen butter and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the cheeses until combined. Add the onion mixture and pepper and, using a fork, stir just until the onions are evenly distributed. The dough will be crumbly.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly flour a work surface, turn the dough out on it and shape it into an 8-inch square. If the dough is too dry to stay together, sprinkle it with more heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until it holds its shape. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut it into quarters. Stack one quarter on top of another so that you have two stacks. Push them close together; then, using a rolling pin, gently flatten and roll it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick square. For neater biscuits, trim any uneven edges of the dough with a bench scraper or sharp knife, reserving the trimmings, then cut the dough into 1-inch square biscuits.
Reroll the trimmings and cut additional biscuits as needed. Working in batches if necessary, arrange the biscuits about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush each biscuit with heavy cream. Sprinkle them with additional gruyere or parmesan, if desired. If your kitchen is very warm or the dough has gotten soft, chill the cut biscuits in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
Bake the biscuits for 7 minutes, rotate the pan front to back and continue baking 4 to 6 minutes more, or until the tops are golden. The biscuits are tender, so if the sprinkled cheese on top melts causing them to stick to the parchment, gently free them with a thin spatula before lifting them.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
Cut biscuits can be refrigerated and baked later in the day. Unbaked biscuits can be frozen for later use. (I did this and they were in my freezer for a year. I don’t recommend this, but I must say they were still delicious!) They can also be baked and then frozen. In that case, reheat them at 350 until warm.
To freeze, place the sliced biscuit dough on a large, rimmed baking sheet and freeze until hard, about 1 hour; then transfer to an airtight container for up to 1 month. Bake as directed. No need to defrost.
Thanks Wall Street Journal and Claudia Fleming for this great recipe!
