One thing about me: I’m Italian. And I want everyone to know it. These savory shortbread cookies are a great way tell everyone, plus they are ridiculously buttery, salty and delicious. The cookie is made up of three different flavors: pesto, parmesan and sun dried tomato, giving each bite a slightly different flair. Combined, they are perfection.
These cookies are easier to make than they look! There is a base shortbread dough that gets divided into 3 parts, then each flavor is added. Assembly is done in a loaf pan, making shaping and slicing the cookies a breeze! Plus, you can bake some now, and freeze some dough for later!
Watch me make this recipe on Instagram!
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Savory Italian Flag Shortbread Cookies
What You’ll Need
Scale
- 6 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
- 3 cups (6 sticks) of cold butter, cubed
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of food processed sun dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cups of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of basil pesto
What You’ll Do
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, slowly mix together 6 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Incorporate the 3 cups (6 sticks) of cold butter, cubed, into the flour and salt and mix until it turns into a coarse meal. With the mixer still running, add the 4 eggs, one by one. Now add ⅓ cup of whole milk and stir until the mixture forms into a dough.
- Remove the dough from the mixer, and separate it into 3 equal balls of dough. Place one ball back into the stand mixer and add the sun-dried tomatoes. Mix until the sun dried tomatoes are evenly incorporated into the dough. In a parchment lined loaf pan, add the sun dried tomato dough and press into all four corners with a spatula. Place one flap of parchment over the dough and press to flatten it with another loaf pan or a flat object of similar size. Your hands will work as well! Place the loaf pan into the freezer.
- With a clean bowl and paddle attachment on your stand mixer, add in the second ball of dough. Add ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese and ¼ cups of olive oil to the bowl and mix until they are evenly incorporated into the dough. Remove loaf pan from the freezer and add the parmesan dough and press into all four corners with a spatula. Place one flap of parchment over the dough and press to flatten it with another loaf pan or a flat object of similar size. Your hands will work as well! Place the loaf pan back into the freezer.
- With a clean bowl and paddle attachment on your stand mixer, add in the third ball of dough. Add ½ cup of basil pesto to the bowl and mix until evenly incorporated into the dough. Remove loaf pan from the freezer and add the pesto dough and press into all four corners with a spatula. Place one flap of parchment over the dough and press to flatten it with another loaf pan or a flat object of similar size. Your hands will work as well! Place the loaf pan back into the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer, remove the parchment paper and place the loaf of dough onto a cutting board. Slice the loaf into thirds, the LONG WAY. You will have 3 long logs of cookie dough. These logs can all be baked now, or you can tightly wrap and freeze one or two for later!
- Slice logs into ¼ inch cookies, creating little italian flags! Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until as dark as you like them.
- Mangia!
