Today's recipe for Asiago and Herb Shortbread Cookies uses some of the many herbs I had in my Herb Pots last summer. After taking in the last of my herbs for drying, I knew we were about to have our first frost, so I picked in all the smaller stems of herbs and kept them in a glass with water (just like a bouquet of flowers) to use for - oh, I don't know - something. There were too many nice ones to just let them be damaged in the frost - that would be a waste of beautiful herbs. During the holidays (and even not when it's the holidays) I'm always looking for recipes that I can make ahead of time, if possible, so my time can be spent with my family or guests. Well, this might be one of my favorite make-ahead recipes of all time! I got to use my little herb stems in these, and after you make them, you can keep them in the refrigerator or freezer for use whenever you need them! These are NOT really cookies, by the way. I would consider these more of a cracker - something to enjoy with drinks or a glass of wine, and maybe as part of a charcuterie platter. Grandma would totally have appreciated a recipe like this. Make them ahead and then just cut them, bake them, and use them for the perfect little nibble!
Here is the recipe as I made it:
Asiago and Herb Shortbread Cookies
Mix together in the bowl of a food processor:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup shredded asiago cheese (you could also use parmesan or Romano for this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-4 Tablespoons assorted fresh herbs, minced (I used rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, oregano, parsley)
1 stick of room temperature butter
Pulse until crumbly - but don't process more than 30-60 seconds - until dough comes together.
Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to firm up for an hour.
At this point, you could roll out the dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper 1/8"-1/4" thick and cut it into shapes, if you want to. I rolled the dough into a log before putting it into the frig, so I could eventually put it in the freezer for later.
I did bake a few to see how they would work out, but for me, the whole point of doing this is to get ahead with a few snacks for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.
When ready to bake, I took the log out of the frig and just sliced the cookies about 1/4" thick before putting them on a baking sheet.
You can add a sprinkling of more minced herbs and/or coarse salt on top before baking.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or just until the cookies turn a little brown around the edges.
Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
A few other flavor possibilities:
Cheddar and cayenne
Lemon thyme and lemon zest
Parmesan and rosemary
The sky's the limit here - use your imagination!
Here are the bits and pieces of the herbs brought in from my Herb Pots before the first frost.
I minced the herbs before starting on the cookies so they'd be ready to go when needed.
This is so easy - everything just goes into the food processor.
After the dough came together, I turned the dough out onto plastic wrap - it should look like pie dough.
Just like pie dough, I used the plastic wrap to bring it all together.
Rolled into a log, it will eventually come together. Don't forget to make it nice and round like I did.
I even forgot to roll it smoother after I took it OUT of the refrigerator! Ugh! I was too excited to see how they'd turn out!
Oh well, the shape is a bit wonky, but that didn't stop them from being amazingly delicious.
You can fit a lot on a baking sheet.
When putting the dough into the freezer - don't forget to label what it is and how to bake it!
Oh boy - these totally melt in your mouth!
I love that I'll have these in the freezer ready to use at a moment's notice!
They pair perfectly with a cocktail, a glass of wine, or maybe a glass of Holiday Slush!
The possibilities are endless for flavors to try - go crazy! Get a few different flavors ready to go in your freezer and your holiday entertaining is going to be just a little more stress free. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. Anything that can lighten the load a bit is ok in my book! 
A few rolls of these would make such a nice teacher gift, hostess gift, girlfriend gift, any kind of gift you might need to give in the next couple of months! I know you're going to love these Asiago and Herb Shortbread Cookies - and so will everyone you know!
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