These Cranberry Walnut Cheese Biscuits are easy to make. They are buttery, rich, flaky, and irresistibly delicious. These are perfect for snacking or with soup. And they can be a great addition to a cheese plate along with a glass of wine.
Hello everyone – I hope you all are doing well.
Since we are heading into the holiday season, this recipe is what you need, let me tell you. Don’t get me wrong. You can enjoy these biscuits any time of the year – I made them at least few times a year. (They are always a hit at baking sales and potlucks.) But there’s something special about having them during the holiday season. Perhaps, their cozy and comforting aroma coming from a lot of cheese, butter, nuts, and herbs. Oh maybe you just crave a savoury item after so many sweet cookies!
Biscuits? Cookies?
To be honest, I often struggle to classify this type of baking. What are they? Biscuits? Cookies? Crackers? Something else? Yes, these terms can be used interchangeably, but the meaning can vary depending on the region. Particularly, I am talking to you, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada!
To me it’s a cross between a cookie and biscuit. leaning towards a biscuit. Like 70% biscuit and 30% cookie. But after all, who cares as long as cookies / biscuits are delicious? And these Cranberry Walnut Cheese Biscuits fit the bill!
Cranberry Walnut Cheese Biscuits
These biscuits are cheesy, buttery, and herbaceous. They are savoury with a lovely hint of sweetness coming from cranberries. I love using medium-hard (i.e., Gouda, Jarlsberg, etc.) or semi-hard types of cheeses (i.e., Cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc.) But honestly you can go with any available. It should have a prominent flavour, though (i.e., pizza mozzarella will work, but the flavour will be mild.) I normally use cheddar – and OMG – smoked cheddar works wonderfully here!
And you can play with additions, too. Almonds, pecans, pistachios, dried apricots, dried cherries, and other thing – all work well. I even made similar biscuits with chestnuts Cheese Chestnut Biscuits.
I hope you like these Cranberry Walnut Cheese Biscuits, and you will give them a try. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers!
Cranberry Walnut Cheese Biscuits
Course: Snacks, Savoury Baking30-40
servings15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
3/4 cup (170 gr.) unsalted butter
3 cups (about 300 gr.) shredded medium-hard or semi-hard cheese of your choice (i.e., Cheddar, Gouda, Monterey Jack, etc.)
1 egg
about 1 and 1/2 cups (170 gr.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 – 1 1/2 tbsp. Herbs de ProvenceÂ
2/3 to 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
1/2 – 1 tsp. icing sugar
~ 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, depending on the saltiness of cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups (100 – 150 gr.) walnut halves, roughly chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup (70-100 gr.) dried cranberries
1 small egg (for egg wash)
Directions
- Place the butter cut into small pieces in a bowl and microwave it for 10-15 seconds, 1 or 2 increments. It should be very soft (but not too melted.)
- Place the grated cheese, softened butter, and egg in a large bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon (spatula) until smooth, 30 second or so.
- Stir in the herbs and spices. Mix just to combine.
- Stir in the flour – add 1 cup at once and the remaining gradually (You might not need all 1/2 cup of it.)  You will get a soft, slightly sticky to a touch, and pliable dough (some crumbs would be okay).
- Lastly, add the walnuts and cranberries. If the dough turns a bit too dry, it is easy to fix by melting a little (1 tbsp.) of butter and adding it to the dough.
- If you have about 20-30 minutes, it would be great to let the dough rest in the fridge. Otherwise, you can bake it right away.
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment.
- To make the egg wash, in s small bowl whisk the egg and water, 15 seconds.
- Roll the dough out (about 0,7-1 cm) and cut using a cookie cutter or simply a knife. Place the cookies onto the sheets and brush with the egg wash.
- Bake for about 10-14 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your biscuits (and of course, your oven) – they should be golden brown. The small-medium biscuits like in my photos took about 12 minutes. If desired, you can use the broiler for a minute or so to get more beautiful browning.
- Remove from the oven and let completely cool. Once cooked, they will harden up more but still remain soft and flakey. Keep them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to a week. After a couple of days they might become too soft and less flavourful, but it’s easy to fix. Just preheat the oven to ~400 degrees F, place them onto a baking sheet, and pop in the oven for 1-2 minutes them remove. Once cooled, they will be fresh and crisp again! Enjoy.
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
I want to try this but hope dried Rosemary will work. To get 1/2 Tbs. I’d have to buy a whole package of Rosemary that I wouldn’t use.
Hello! Oh yeah, dried rosemary would work nicely, too. Just rub it a bit between your fingers just to make it finer. And since dried rosemary is normally more potent, perhaps, you may want to use a bit less of it. You can also use dried blends such as Italian seasonings and herbs de Provence; I have used them, and they are all good options.
is “175” the correct oven temp?
Yes, it is. 175C or about 350F.
Wow, this would put a smile on my face if I was Santa. Great flavor combination and happy to read Andrey is back home on his Christmas holidays. Cheers friend!
Kevin | Keviniscooking recently posted…Sweet Potato Gratin
I love this idea! Santa definitely needs some savory to balance out the sweet. Although are these still called “cookies” since they aren’t sweet? I don’t care what we call them, I’m all about these! I love a good sharp cheddar, so the combo of cheddar and walnuts and rosemary in cookie form sounds amazing to me. Perfect for holiday parties!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Gingerbread Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting
Ben, I have to give these cookies a try! they look lovely!!
Gaila recently posted…How to easily make a colorful quinoa salad
I’m all about savory cookies, especially when cheddar is involved! Yummy! Very unique recipe and interested to try them soon. Thanks for sharing Ben! Merry Christmas to you and Andrey :)
karrie @ Tasty Ever After recently posted…Crispy Tahini Chocolate Cups