by TheRunawaySpoon
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1 cup
all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup
butter, room temperature
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4 ounces
blue cheese, crumbled
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Ground black pepper
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Fig preserves, about 3 Tablespoons
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Ask the hotline about this step!Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.
Ask the hotline about this step!Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch cutter and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Ask the hotline about this step!Using the back or a round half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indention in the top of each dough round. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indention, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentions.
Ask the hotline about this step!Bake the savories for 10 – 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom.
Ask the hotline about this step!Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, the remove to a wire rack to cool.
Ask the hotline about this step!You’ll find fig preserves at the grocery – it may be shelved with the “fancy” jams and jellies. You can make these a day ahead and keep them in two layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.
Ask the hotline about this step!I made these today for a New Year's Eve party tonight....yummy! I adopted the roll into a log and cut method, worked great; used my knuckle to make the indentions and filled them with Black Currant preserves (it's what my husband likes!) and they came out wonderful. I'm sure they will be a big hit tonight. Happy New Year's everyone.
I just made these for a NYE gettogether tonight. They are delicious and easy to make. I did find the dough to be a bit sticky as well. I'll have to review some of the suggestions here to make it less so the next time I make them.
I made these as an appetizer for Christmas Day . They were delicious. A week before,I did roll out the dough - cut the circles and then chilled the dough - took out the circles and froze them individually and put them in a ziploc for later use. On Christmas day - I took the discs out of the freezer and let them thaw a bit , made the indents and put the fig jam on them and baked according to the recipe. So savory and sweet. A great alternative to the cheddar pennies I always make.
I just made these tonight, and they are wonderful. I used a very dry bleu cheese and I chilled everything before I whizzed it in the processor. The dough handled beautifully--hardly had to use any flour. The 1" cutter worked perfectly. I didn't have the fig jam, so I used an orange marmalade that had lots of bits in it. They are so delicious! And easy! Thanks.
I made these with Gorganzola from Costco. It just didn't have enough of a blue cheese umphf. Also forgot the pepper so I sprinkled some on top. I'll try again with stronger blue cheese (and pepper).
I used a Cape Goosberry jam and it was great. I thought it really benefitted from the tartness. I'll be trying this weekend with leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving!
LOVED these. Perfect for holiday parties because they can be served at room temperature. I found the dough was a little soft, and it was easier to work with after I refrigerated it for a little bit.
Hi RunawaySpoon - do you think the dough would work if I rolled it into a log and then sliced and baked it?
Hi RunawaySpoon - do you think the dough would work if I rolled it into a log and then sliced and baked it?
Hi RunawaySpoon - do you think the dough would work if I rolled it into a log and then sliced and baked it?
Hi RunawaySpoon - do you think the dough would work if I rolled it into a log and then sliced and baked it?
Hi RunawaySpoon - do you think the dough would work if I rolled it into a log and then sliced and baked it?
I just made these for a dinner party and they were a huge hit! Wonderful with a nice Pinot Noir.
My daughter loved helping me cut the dough out - great project for her too!
This will be a "keeper" and perfect to make again for the holidays.
I made these for Thanksgiving and really liked them. Thanks for a new easy go to recipe or cocktails!
Ooooooohhh ... these seem easy and wonderful. We're not huge fig fans, but I'm thinking they'd be equally lovely and seasonal right now with pear ... and just in time for an upcoming holiday party!
I've made these several times. They are easy to make and are addictive!
Great recipe Runaway Spoon! I just rescued big bunches of herbs from the terrace before the Noreaster blows in tomorrow. Chopped sage and thyme sprinkled over the tops of these are a yummy addition. I also tried roasted grapes instead of fig preserves in some of them. Another YUM!
This was the first recipe I printed off when I stumbled across this wonderful site last year. I've found this works as gifts for Christmas and birthdays, and also as nibbles for a party. So if you haven't got this recipe in your collection already, what are you waiting for?
And another thing, you can't just make one batch, you have to hide them, they are that moreish. First time I made them, I tried one, as you do, and within quarter of an hour after making the whole lot were gone.
I made these for my engagement cocktail party and they were a SUPER HIT.
I made these for a group of friends who are all great cooks and they raved about them. I found the pastry to be delicate and delicious. For the blue cheese, I used Cashel Blue. It's pricey but the flavor was really good. Instead of fig preserves, I used some homemade pear jam. I added 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I used chilled butter cut into cubes (instead of at room temp) and then chilled the dough for about 45 minutes before I worked with it. I personally find it easier to roll out dough between plastic wrap or inside a very large zip lock bag that's been cut to more easily take the dough in and out. I lightly flour either the plastic wrap or the ziplock. Then it's very simple to turn the dough over when rolling and to remove it when ready to cut into rounds. The recipe made 42 1.5 inch rounds. One of my friends suggested using the pastry for a pear galette. I think that would be wonderful. Thanks so much for this recipe.
We had a recent contest at work for the best appetizer and I made these - have made them several times before for parties and they were very popular - as my entry. My partner suggested putting some rosemary into the dough and I thought it was a great idea. We have tons of it growing here at our home in Austin so he gathered some in the mid-afternoon heat when the smell was just amazing, I chopped up the leaves and put them into the mix and they were even better than before.
These were great. I've made them twice; once as a trial run, the second time for a party. For those who have had trouble with the dough being sticky, I think the type of blue cheese makes a big difference for the ratio of cheese, flour, and butter. I used a soft blue cheese from Trader Joe's.
The first time, I also had problems with the dough being too sticky, so I added more flour (and also chilled the dough); they turned out okay, but a bit dry and lacking in blue cheese flavor.
The second time, I adjusted the ingredient ratio, since I suspected that the amounts of soft blue cheese and butter were making the dough too sticky. I processed the blue cheese and flour together first in the food processor and then, progressively added small amounts of butter until a dough came together. This batch turned out awesome; they were easy to roll out and had a good amount of blue cheese flavor.
Made a whole lot of these last night for today's PTO teacher appreciation lunch. They're great! I tried two different jams and found that a really tart gooseberry worked well. Made me think it'd be great at Christmas time with cranberries. The past two years I've had a ton of cranberry sauce left over. This year I'll puree some of it and use it for these!
Only hiccup I had with the recipe is that the blue cheese I bought had, unbeknownst to me, a paper/fibre absorbent on the bottom. It being the same basic colour as the cheese (even the green of the mould came through) I didn't realize it until I went to cut my rounds and found lots of little fibres preventing a clean cut! Ugh...and, yes, I tossed that batch and started over...
Thanks for sharing, this is a wonderful recipe. In our very small condo in Florida where I have no rolling pin I shaped the dough into a log and cut the rounds from that. It worked great.
This is a winner! I used fig jam and found that using more helps to offset the sharpness of the blue cheese. I made them over the holidays and they were a hit.
Thanks! I took the recipe out to make more tonight.
Dear bas26,
I typically use a pungent Spanish blue for this recipe. But I made it with a triple creme French Bleu over the weekend and the cheese was much less pronounced.
I made these for a baby shower and they were fabulous! I doubled the recipe and made the dough the night before and refrigerated. Didn't care for them at room temp but hot out of the oven they were really yummy. Would add salt and more pepper next time.
I made these for an Oscar party (the power of suggestion), they were a big hit. I used a strong blue cheese (Roaring Forties) and treating the dough like pastry dough (cold butter, chilled before rolling out) and it rolled out beautifully. Using a 1.5" biscuit cutter, I had about to 70 pastries.
My wife hates blue cheese, so I waited until we had company to make them which occurred last night. Man, these things are tasty and were a big hit. Thanks!
Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe!!!! ; however, I can't see that using a 1" cutter works. I used a larger one (like 3") and still had the jam flow out of the baked shell. I think using one a lot larger works better. Make sure there is a definite depression in the shell in which to put the jam. Even with smaller biscuits it was a hit!
These were fantastic. I added a quarter teaspoon of salt to the dough and was generous with the pepper. I also used chilled butter (forgot to take it out ahead of time) and added a little water to bind dough. Quick and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for dinner guests last night, completely devoured and loved by all. Also this recipe was recently featured in the Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/06/recipe_detail.html?id=7694
made these for a party and they were a huge hit - people couldn't get enough of them. i added a 1/2 tsp of salt, and was extremely generous with the pepper; i suppose this coupled with a strong cheese meant that i didn't have the same issue some commenters have had regarding wanting more 'kick' (they were literally busting with flavor). i definitely had to add more flour before i was able to work with the dough properly, and made the rounds about 1/4 inch-thick to make them easier to handle. one tip for making the rounds - put some flour on a plate, and 'dip' your cookie cutter into it between stamping out each round. helps to keep things moving...
Sorry - these did not work out well for me and I was so excited to make them. I found them too crumbly and the cheese flavor I thought needed to be a little stronger.
I made these 2 more times - once for Xmas brunch and again for a Mah Jongg gathering.
People are just dazzled by these little gems!
Scored a home run with my book club! Because I was running out of time. I chilled the dough, rolled it out, and then cut into 1" squares with a pizza cutter. The entire prep time was literally 5-10 minutes. Thank you for making me look good.
I made these tonight using a mango ginger chutney and a plum jam. Both are delicious! The rolling process wasn't too successful so I rolled them into balls and flattened them with my fingers, making a thumb print in the middle. We'll be making these again for an upcoming brunch, probably trying apricot preserves. Our oven required a little longer cooking time, just about 17 minutes until they started to brown. A succes!
I made two batches, one for a Christmas Eve gathering we were invited to and one for a new neighbor. I found the dough challenging and a little crumbly once done but they were very very tasty. I'd suggest making sure they are no larger than 1 inch. I put pepper on top vs. in the dough!
I just got some wonderful fig preserves as a gift and now know exactly how to use them. Many thanks for this really great recipe!
I made these at Christmas and I had a little trouble with the dough and needed to stick it in the fridge to harden for about 20 minutes. The batter was too sticky to roll. The final results were delicious and gone in minutes!
This is the only recipe where I can honestly say, " It was worth it, buying that expensive Fauchon Fig Preserve!" I made these once, then again, then again and still people are asking for more! The best recipe for eating/giving and just making the house smell so amazing! Roquefort and Fig..Yeah!
Made these again for NYE party, this time substituting Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour mix. I'm happy to say with a few adjustments they were delicious!! Since the dough was a bit darker, I lowered the baking temp to 325. The dough was also a little sticky (I did not have this experience the three times I've made it with regular flour) but dusting my rolling surface with fine ground cornmeal (labeled corn flour) worked just fine.
I've made these a couple of times over the holidays-once using a melon baller to form balls then flattening them like thumb prints; another time forming a 1" log, freezing until firm then slicing off 3/8" to 1/4" thick discs. Both ways worked well without requiring additional flour. Was also less likely to disintegrate when picked up because they were a tad thicker.
I made these over the holidays and my family loved them! I had problems rolling out the dough, it was too sticky. I had to just make balls and press them flat with my fingers. Will try more flour next time. They were still very tasty.
Store them? Um, I made these yesterday and they are GONE. I put mine onto my small elevated cheese stand with a glass dome. Very nice.
Next time I make these, I'm 1.5xing for more blue cheese and maybe some cayenne. The dough needs a little more ooomph.
Using chutney is brilliant. I have SO much pear chutney to use up! Next batch, and there will be a next batch very soon.
Also, my dough took on a decidedly green-cheese cast in it's raw state. It baked off nice and pale like the pictures here, though.
I made these with a bell-shaped cutter using gorganzola dolce and fig jam. Question is how to store them? will they stick to each other?
first batch a huge hit at a recent party tho' i had to urge them on people who wonder what cookies were doing on the apps table!
bringing a version with Cabot cheddar, membrillo and sweet pimenton to a party tonight! great party recipe!
Made these with homemade plum jam. Delish!
These are delicious! Thank you. I made them gluten-free by using 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup sweet rice flour, and 2 Tbls tapioca flour in place of the all-purpose flour. I also used vegan butter and I'm now excited to try them with a vegan cheese (if I can find something akin to blue cheese)!
Just checked in again and I am loving all the creative things y'all have done with this recipe! For those who have had problems, I wish I had a solution, but I am not sure what to tell you. Please keep the ideas coming, and have a very happy, safe and yummy holiday!
Learned something very important, making these today: Two batches is Not Enough! Made two more batches of just cheese wafers, with pecorino and rosemary and black pepper, to go with my bacon jam. My dough was, for some reason, a bit dry, so I added a couple of tablespoons of half and half. Marvelous!
I don't see why not? I make a similar cheddar cheese straw dough and freeze it in a log.
These were a HUGE hit at my Christmas party last night. Everyone kept asking, what ARE these???!! So yummy. Thanks again!
I just made these for a friend's party tonight. OMG. They are so delicious. I was even munching on the raw dough. I had to eat the crackers that I felt were a little too ragged - and I managed to talk myself into a few!
What did I do wrong? Either too much butter or not enough flour... I added about another cup of flour and things worked but what a mess on my work surface. Help please!
I made a batch of these last night and they are so good!! I did not have a small enough circle, so used a small star. This is such a wonderful recipe - they come together easily and reward you with fantastic flavor. I will be making another batch later today! Thank you RunawaySpoon!
Mine just came out of the oven. I used fig jam for the first bunch and a pear chutney that I threw into the food processor to smooth it out a bit. OMG they're good. The challenge will be to not eat all of them before our dinner guests arrive this evening :-)
Oops, I meant to say fig jam for the 1st batch and the pear chutney for the 2nd batch. :-)
I'm making these in a few minutes to take to a friend's for appys. Couldn't find fig preserves but found a luscious mango-peach preserved that I think will work well. At least I hope so.
Well, they came out great and the mango-peach preserves go very well with the cheese. These will be a hit at the dinner party! Great recipe.
I made these last night for friends and they are definitely going into heavy rotation this holiday season - so much flavor with so little effort. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
wow, these look divine! I never would have thought to put these flavors together, but now I can't wait to try it!
I'm making these tomorrow to take to a dinner party. Can't wait to try them!
Hm, these sounded great, but when I made them they disintegrated in the oven. I'm in New Zealand, so wonder if our butter is a factor?
Might the measurements be off, as in the wrong amount of ounces per cup?
So am I! Can't wait to try them. They look great. Congrats on your win TRS!!!
Thanks for all the congratulations and kind words. I am inordinately pleased with myself! I hope everyone who is making the recipe enjoys them as much as I do. Have a great holiday season!
Congratulations on your win! I am making these for a holiday party this weekend!
Congratulations TheRunawaySpoon! These have been on my "must-try" list all week, and I am hoping I will have a chance to make these soon.
Congrats on the win. Lovely recipe. I think I will make these with a hot pepper and cranberry jam!
These look smashing. A great way to use up leftover Stilton. I am curious to make a batch and try a few different jams other than fig -- perhaps a little mango or cranberry chutney? Thanks for a little inspiration. I just joined.
Isn't "leftover stilton" an oxymoron?
That is really funny! Thanks for the laugh, cheese1227!
Seriously, on Wednesday my husband brought me some Stichelton from Neal's Yard in London and I am having the shakes not eating it until Christmas! I am only held back by the cheese monger's recommendation that it will be perfectly ripe then and it's only really good now.
I'll be making these over the holidays for sure....fabulous! - S
I used unsalted butter & membrillo (instead of fig preserves) and they were delish! They were a tad fragile when made to 1/8" thickness so I made the second batch ~3/8 to 1/4" thick and were much easier to pick up without falling apart in my fingers. Would have happily served the fragile pieces with a flexible slotted turner to guests if I had enough slotted turners to go around-they're good to the last crumb!
i used membrillo also, they are in the oven now... my dough was very blue?
Salted or unsalted butter? These look amazing.
Sometimes simple is best and these are great! Congrats.
The ease / delicious ratio on these is stellar. I found that one 8.5 oz jar of fig preserves made two batches perfectly.
I made these last night-- SO good! The blue cheese I used was relatively mild, and I would use stronger next time. I would also add a little bit of cayenne to the dough for a kick.
these look great. I was thinking of cookies that I could make a ship to a friend. Would these hold up or are they too delicate? do they save well?
They save for a few days, but I would worry about shipping them. They are delicate and the jam is likely to get too sticky.
I just made these and they were fabulous. I used whole wheat pastry flour and 2 oz sharp english cheddar because I only had 2 oz of blue. Love the fig jam all gooey on top. Great recipe.
These are amazing! And so easy. Will make again and again. YUM.
Saw them on the site no more than an hour ago and now they're finishing up in the oven. They smell delish and will be a wonderful treat when my husband and son come in from the blizzard!
Congrats to you!! Good luck, this recipe looks yummy!
Do you have a favorite brand of preserves or one you'd recommend?
Just in time to bring to a holiday party this weekend. Congrats! Wondering if other cheeses/jams could be used?
A friend made these with apricot jam and said they were lovely. And I love Food52's suggestion of quince or pear jam...
And I think they'd be great with red pepper jelly.... or green pepper jelly ... or a combination of both to reflect the colors of the season. Yum!
Look forward to trying these! Congrats!
These are fabulous... I've been making them since they first appeared on The Runaway Spoon. And guess what????? they freeze beautifully, jam and all! (Just put a little wax paper between them when you pack them for the freezer.) They are the perfect thing to have on hand when you need to pull out something really good, and even better, home made, for a yummy appetizer. (trust me....I'm the freezer queen). Do try these... you'll love them.
These look wonderful - thoughts on how to package them as a hostess gift -- does it have to be one layer or can I put parchment paper between the layers?
I store them with waxed or parchment paper between layers and it works a treat
Thanks for all the kind words! I actually just came home from the grocery, buying the ingredietns to make these for holiday parties this weekend and found out the recipe is a finalist! I'm thrilled!
Yum...these sound so good! Fig and blue cheese is one of my favorite combinations. Congrats on being a finalist!
Congrats! These look delicious, and I love both blue cheese and figs.
these are grand. i will make these for a wine and cheese evening at my home. x shayma
Congrats on being a finalist this week!! And I love this recipe too! Definitely making it.
These sound so fun! I've made similar little crackers w/goat cheese, but the blue and fig... delish!
Congrats Runaway spoon - your recipes are delightful
Congrats! I'm so glad these were selected! I remember eyeballing them and thinking to myself, those look like a winner. Can't wait to try them!
Yum! I plan on making these very soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Marion is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU and the author of several books on food policy, including Safe Food and What To Eat.
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Ingredients, from left to right: blue cheese, butter, flour, fig jam and black pepper.
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Use a good, firm blue cheese -- nothing too creamy, or the dough will be sticky.
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Consulting about cookie cutter sizes.
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Checking to make sure the dough is just coming together in a ball.
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It's essentially a shortbread dough, but with cheese!
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If you're nervous, you can chill the dough for a little bit before rolling it out.
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You can use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, like we did, to create little troughs for the jam.
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1/4 teaspoon is just right -- otherwise, you risk spillover!
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Isn't Amanda's Christmas tree pretty?
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I made these yet again, for our Tournament of Roses festivities . . . ran out of fig preserves, so I used some of Bevi's outstanding Caramelized Apple Jam in about a third of the batch, and some pear-apple Mostarda Mantovana (recipe by Maria Teresa Jorge) in the rest. Perfect party food! ;o)