changing course … Cotija Cumin Shortbread

This recipe started out as crackers. I had quite a bit of cotija cheese left from a prior recipe and given that it’s a bit similar to parmesan, I thought to make a cheese cracker. An ever so slightly sweet, crisp wheat cracker spiked with some heat – a Mexican inspired Wheat Thin of sorts. The thing is, the idea was solid but what came out of the oven? Not so much. Though the friends I hoisted my experiments onto disagreed, I thought they were too crispy, too bland and too blah. They liked them but I didn’t think they were quite right and I wasn’t sure how to fix what I saw as the problem. Which was everything. So I gave up and changed direction. You have to know when to throw in the towel on occasion.

My focus shifted as I rethought this concept. Rather than a thin crispy cracker, what about a thick, buttery crumbly one? My mind turned to shortbread as a well made one is indeed something to behold. I used to make a fantastic rosemary parmesan version for a catering hors d’oeuvre that was incredibly popular. What if I put a little Mexican spin on it? Swapped cotija, chipotle and cumin for the parmesan and rosemary? I did and the results were fantastic on the first try. All the great qualities of a good shortbread – buttery, rich, tender and crumbly – but with a surprisingly spicy hit and a wonderful salty savoriness.

It might seem odd to mix cheese and spices with powdered sugar but do it anyway. You need that bit of sweetness to offset the heat and the powdered sugar gives a wonderful sandy texture granulated sugar can’t possibly provide. I cut mine into fancy fluted squares but you don’t have to. You can form the dough into a log, chill and do the ‘ole slice-and-bake routine. But if you do want to go for the fancy cut-outs, remember my simple trick – roll warm, cut cold. I rolled the dough just after mixing into thin sheets between two pieces of parchment and chilled until firm. Then, and only then, did I cut out nice shapes.

For the onslaught of holiday entertaining that is about to hit us all, you could freeze either the logs or the cut-outs and bake off as needed. How easy is that? The recipe makes a lot and this would be such a nice trick to have up your sleeve. They are fantastic with champagne, a bold red wine or even a nice, cold beer. I had a few with orange juice for breakfast and they were still pretty damn good.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: BONUS POINTS. This is one of those recipes that is so deceptively easy, with results so good that when the compliments start rolling in, you just nod serenely, basking in the glory. Having these tucked away in your freezer is like having a winning lotto ticket – easy money. Sure you can bake off a few at a time as needed but why not bake all at once, serve half and eat the other half yourself with shots of tequila while you hide in a back bedroom from your party guests? It could happen.

Six years ago: Ratatouille, Peach Crostada
Five years ago: Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Turnovers, Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas
Four years ago: PB&J Bars
Three years ago: Kale & Squash Salad
Two years ago: Spiced Honey Maple Roasted Pears 
Last year: Pumpkin Hummus

COTIJA CUMIN SHORTBREAD – though I’ve made this for years, it is very similar to this recipe. And I bet it was at one time.
depending on what size you cut these, the recipe makes about 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground chipotle
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour + a bit more for dusting/rolling
1 cup finely grated cotija cheese (about 2 ounces)

1 Tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt or other coarse salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on low until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the powdered sugar, black pepper, ground chipotle and kosher salt.
3. Increase the speed to medium and beat, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
4. On low add the flour and cheese and mix until dough just comes together. Take care not to overmix or your cookies/crackers will be tough.
5. Divide the dough in half and then you have two options. 1) for cut-outs, roll each piece between two pieces of parchment paper to about ¼” thick and chill untill firm (wrap tightly in plastic wrap for longer storage). For slice-and-bake logs, shape each piece into a cylinder, roll up in plastic wrap, roll on the counter into a nice log shape and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
6.  Once firm and well chilled, cut out shapes or cut ¼” slices from the log, rotating to keep the log cylindrical.
7. Place cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle and lightly crush or place in a resealable plastic freezer bag and give a few good bashes with a rolling pin, meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. You want to lightly crush, not alienate, the seeds.
8. Transfer to a small bowl and combine with the sea salt. Set aside.
9. Arrange a rack in center of oven, preheat to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
10. Arrange cookie/crackers on the prepared sheet pans, spacing ½” apart.
11. Brush with the olive oil, then sprinkle with cumin salt.
12. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, 20-24 minutes. Check early, you don’t want to overbrown these things.
13. Let cool on the sheet pans.
14. DO AHEAD: The dough can be chilled, tightly wrapped, up to 5 days or frozen for 2 months. The cookie/crackers can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

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