Smoked cheese and thyme sablé biscuits

These delicate biscuits mimic the butteriness of shortbread, but with the savoury notes of smoked paprika, fresh thyme and cheddar cheese. Batch bake a load for your neighbours at Christmas and you’ll be everyone’s best friend.

Best served as a savoury snack with a side of chutneys, these melt-in the-mouth sablé biscuits are an upgrade on your usual cheese and crackers and are so easy to make that you can load your freezer up with the dough, ready to slice-and-bake whenever you need.

The smokiness comes from using smoked cheddar cheese and plenty of paprika, which is probably the most-used spice in my entire store cupboard.

Package these up for the bank holiday weekend and serve them as part of a picnic spread with friends and family.

How To Make Smoked Cheese And Thyme Sablé Biscuits

• Chef Catling’s recipe notes
• Recipe: Smoked cheese and thyme sablé biscuits
• Frequently asked questions

Tips & Notes To Know

• Chill the dough: After forming the dough into a log, chill it for at least 30 minutes. This helps the biscuits hold their shape and improves texture. You can even freeze the dough and slice-and-bake straight from frozen. Just add a few minutes to the cooking time if so.
• Don’t overbake: Sablés should be delicate and tender, not crisp like a cracker.
• Store in an airtight tin: Cheese sablés keep well for up to a week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer once cooked.

Smoked Cheese And Thyme Sablé Biscuits

Serves: 24 Prep time: 5 mins, plus 30 minutes resting time Cook time: 12 mins 12 mins

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Ingredients

125g wholemeal flour
125g plain flour
100g cold butter, cut
100g smoked cheddar cheese, grated
1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne chilli powder
1 tsp smoked paprika, plus extra for dusting
2 medium free-range eggs, yolks only
Olive oil, for glazing

Instructions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C. Mix the flours in a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese, spices and thyme, then add the egg yolks and seasoning and mix well.

Step 2
Using your hands, bring the mixture together and knead slightly to form a smooth dough. Form into a log shape with a width of about 5cm and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Step 3
Use a sharp knife to slice ½ cm thick rounds or alternatively, roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment and use a 5cm cookie cutter to stamp out the biscuits (this recipe will make around 24 biscuits). Place the biscuits on one or two baking trays lined with baking parchment and brush with olive oil.

Step 4
Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown and slightly puffed up. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and dusting with smoked paprika.  

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Sablés?

Also known as a French butter cookie or Breton biscuit, sablés are a pure butter biscuit originating from Normandy. Sablé means ‘sandy’ in French, which refers to the crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

There are sweet and savoury variations but because neither contain a leavening agent, the biscuits are flat and delicate, rather than fluffy or cake-like.

What Should I Do With The Leftover Egg Whites?

Get creative! Make meringues, whip up an egg-white omelette, or use to breadcrumb some chicken or tofu for my katsu curry.

Fresh egg whites will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days but if you’re not going to use them before then, just decant into an ice cube tray and freeze for up to 12 months. When you’re ready to cook or bake with them, simply thaw in the fridge overnight and use as normal.