Cheese Plate Cookies
In the eyes of some, a cheese plate is an acceptable dessert. No comment. While I like a stinky blue as much as the next gal, it’s not what I want after I’ve crushed a massive plate of steak frites. I usually forgo the fromage for a slice of chocolate cake or a crème brûlée.
But perhaps the cheese-course-as-dessert POV is just missing a bit of a bridge. Something that says, yes, this is cheese, but there’s also something sweet here as well.
These plate cookies and cheese are the ticket. They have caraway and rye to earn their almost-cracker keep, plus citrus and a coating of sugar to bring some fun.
©Pixabay
Ingredients:
- 2g caraway seeds ¾ tsp
- 140g sugar ⅔ cup
- 4g grated orange zest 2 tsp
- 226g unsalted butter, softened 2 sticks (16 T)
- 1 large egg
- 180g flour 1¼ cups
- 125g medium rye flour 1¼ cups
- 6g kosher salt 1½ tsp
- 50g dried cranberries,⅓ cup chopped
- 45g turbinado sugar ¼ cup
- 4g flaky salt 2 tsp
Instructions:
Line a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Leave a few inches of overhang.
In a saucepan, toast the caraway seeds over medium heat, swirling regularly until they crackle and pop and smell fragrant, about 2 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, paddle together the sugar and orange zest on medium-low for 2 minutes until combined. Add the butter and cream on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and beat until smooth.
Add the flour, rye flour, and kosher salt and paddle on low speed just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Paddle in the chopped cranberries just until incorporated.
One handful at a time, press and mold the cookie dough into the pan to form a compact loaf. Fold the plastic overhang over the top and chill for at least 2 hours until firm.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Pan-spray or line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
On a plate, stir together the turbinado sugar and flaky salt.
Remove the loaf of dough from the pan and brush the outside of the loaf with water. Press each side into the sugar/salt mixture to coat.
Use a long chef’s knife to slice the loaf crosswise into the thinnest slices possible. Arrange the cookies on the pans as you go, as they soften quickly once sliced.
If you only want to bake half the cookies at a time, double-wrap the remainder of the loaf with plastic wrap and freeze for later use.
Bake at 350°F until the cookies are completely crisp and lightly golden, 20 to 22 minutes.
Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans, then transfer to a plate or an airtight container for storage.
At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 3 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
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