Diary of a Secret Housewife: Savory Shortbread "Cookies"

Once upon a time, I used to bake.  A lot.  But then this thing called work got in the way.  Luckily enough, I've got a cocktail party at work tomorrow that I have to bring something in for, so I get to bake on a work night!

I decided to switch things up a bit and make some savory, cheesy, herby, spicy shortbread cookies.  I'm imagining that they'd go great with martinis.

This shortbread recipe, which I adapted from Martha, is as easy as its results are tasty.  Plus you can make a ton of the dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for whenever the occasion requires a fancy snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon herbs du provence
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• 2 cups grated cheese (cheddar or parmesan works well, though feel free to experiment)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
• Pepper

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix flour, cayenne pepper, herbs du provence, and salt. 
• Add butter.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  
• With your hands, gently toss the cheese into the crumb mixture until integrated.
• Add in milk and vinegar or Worcestershire sauce.  Integrate the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until the mixture comes together as a dough. 
• Form mixture into two or three 1-inch-diameter logs, wrap in parchment, and refrigerate until firm -- at least one hour or until the occasion requires.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove logs from refrigerator, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.  Place the rounds on the baking sheet.
• Bake shortbread until golden, about 14 minutes (mine didn't look all that browned, until I flipped them over and realized they were nice and caramelized on the flipside).  Refrain from touching the hot shortbread, as they will still be soft to the touch.  Cool on a wire rack.  The cookies are ready to eat when they feel firm to the touch.