Day 5 … Mediterranean Olive Savory Shortbread

So we’re moving onto the next phase of the 12 Days of Crackers. The first four posts were cheese based; a buttery pie dough type of base with cheddar, blue, goat or parmesan cheese mixed in. Did it, done, in the freezer, right? Ok, moving on. Today and for the next four posts, we’ll explore savory shortbread. Buttery, crumbly, just a touch sweet and utterly irresistible. And we’re starting off the bunch with a Mediterranean olive version.

The base comes together easily, just like you’d make a regular, sweet shortbread. Cream the cool but pliable butter in a mixer with the paddle attachment and a little sugar until light and fluffy, mix in the egg yolks then the dry ingredients until just combined. And yes, there is a little sugar in the dough, just a bit. It’s better with because of it. Don’t over mix – mix just until the dough comes together – as you’ll be mixing in other stuff later and don’t want to beat the dough to death. Divide the base – four pieces, eight pieces, or how ever many you like. It’s easiest if you flavor it all right after making the base but it keeps nicely in the fridge for a few days and freezes well too until you’re ready. That’s the beauty of this whole thing.

This first one is a riff on some orange spiced olives I adore. So there’s orange zest and olives of course, but also some rosemary, thyme and a good pinch of chile flakes for a Mediterranean spin. I like a strongly flavored olive for this one so the flavor comes through, like a niçoise or those dry cured wrinkly ones in the olive bar. A kalamata works nicely and frankly, so does a sharp green variety. Just make sure you pat off any excess moisture before mixing into the dough. It’s a delicious combination – the slightest bit savory, herby, salty and sweet. Wonderful.

This is a slice and bake cracker so shape the dough into a log and loosely wrap in plastic wrap. You can then roll it into a round log or press the soft dough into a shape using the plastic wrap, say a triangle or a square. If you’re making all the crackers, you want to mix up the shapes to make it a little interesting.

To start: base cracker doughs
Day 1: Cheddar Old Bay Crackers
Day 2: Blue Cheese & Fig Crackers
Day 3: Goat Cheese & Chive Crackers
Day 4: Parmesan & Rosemary Crackers

MEDITERRANEAN OLIVE SHORTBREAD
Makes about 7-8 dozen depending on the shape of the log and how thickly cut

¼ batch savory shortbread base dough, room temperature
zest of 1 orange (a good Tablespoon)
teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons well drained, pitted and finely diced cured olives (1oz unpitted)

1. Into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, break the base dough into several small pieces.
2. Add the orange zest, rosemary, thyme, pepper and red pepper flakes and mix on low until everything starts to work in – maybe 30 seconds or so. Do not overmix.
3. Add the chopped olives and mix on low until just combined, about another 30 seconds or so. Do not overmix or your dough will turn purple. Not the worst thing to happen but not ideal.
4. Divide the dough in half and form each into a rough log.
5. Place one log on a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap and roll back and forth to shape into a smooth log. For a round log, roll back and forth the smooth out the edges. For triangle log, run your fingers back and down the length to shape into a long triangle. For a square log, do the same, smoothing down four sides to create a long square log. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until firm (or freeze for longer storage.)
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven.
7. Remove one dough sheet from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and cut ¼” thick slices rotating the log to prevent any flat sides (important moreso for a round log).
8. Transfer shapes to a parchment lined sheet pan, ¼” apart.
9. Bake for 9-10 minutes until golden brown and firm, rotating the pans front-to-back and top-to-bottom halfway through baking. Keep an eye on them – they go from perfect to over-browned in seconds.
10. Slide the parchment from the sheet pan and let the crackers cool on a wire rack.
11. Crackers will keep, tightly wrapped, for 5 days.
12. Do ahead: you have a bunch of options. Remember the holidays are stressful enough. Don’t add to it if you can help it.

• Base dough: refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months
• Flavored logs: refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months