For NYE my in-laws went to Aunt Anne and Uncle Alan’s house. Aunt Anne is FAMOUS for her skills in da kitch-aaaan.

She ROCKS it. Seriously – her creations are as beautiful as the pictures in the magazines I read and TWICE as delicious. AND – get this – her den is floor-to-ceiling bookshelves of cookbooks. *swoon*

So when my in-laws came back describing Aunt Anne’s Blue Cheese & Fig Savory Crackers I just HAD to know how to make them. After a delightful conversation Anne shared the recipe with little ol’ me, as well as giving me a helpful hint too (freeze the log, holds its shape and cuts easily).

Easy peasy this recipe is – as long as you have the ingredients. DON’T WORRY – I shopped the list before I made these. Promise. NO substitutions…this time.

End Result: They’re really good!

I was thinking of sharing 1/2 the results with a neighbor, but C suggested that they stay right here. *grin*

Pretty

Blue Cheese and Fig Savories by P.C. at therunawayspoon.com

Printable Recipe HERE

Ingredients:

1 cup All-purpose Flour

½ cup (1 stick) Butter, room temperature **The recipe doesn’t say salted or unsalted, so I grabbed a stick outta the freezer without looking. Later I went back and dug through the trash and found I’d grabbed a salted butter. I don’t think it detracted from the taste. I say use what you’ve got on hand. Life’s more fun that way.

4 oz. Blue cheese, crumbled **I guess-timated. May have been a touch more than 4 oz. *shrugging shoulders*

Ground Black Pepper

Fig preserves (about 3 Tablespoons)

*clapping*

How To:

1- Oven to 350ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper/silpat – just NOT wax paper please.

2- 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.

3- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together. Roll your dough out into a cylinder about 2″ wide, wrap in plastic wrap and lay it in the freezer for 20 minutes or so to firm up.

4- Slice the log in 1/8″ thick slices. Lay the slices out onto your lined baking sheets.  **I got about 4 1/2 dozen cookies outta this batch.

5- Using the back of a half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle (**I used my knuckle), make an indention in the top of each dough round.

6- Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indention, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentions.

7- Bake the savories for 10 – 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom. **MAKE SURE you rotate your pans in the oven – spin them and swap the top sheet and the bottom sheet – to ensure even browning.

8- Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Nice balance of sweet and savory

9- Devour with both hands. And perhaps a glass of wine. Maybe share with your husband. Yeah. Share with your husband.

Like little gifts, laid out just for you.