Herb Cheese Crisps are a super simple appetizer made with only 3 ingredients - Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and fresh from the garden herbs. You can throw in a hot pepper slice for fun too. The crisps come together in about 30 minutes. Serve them hot or at room temperature. We love Herb Cheese Crisps right out of the oven with a glass of wine after a sweet long day in the garden.
I always have a big assortment of fresh, ready to pick, herbs available. Today I roamed through the garden cutting a handful of anything that pairs well with Parmesan and cheddar cheese. I cut rosemary, lemon thyme, cilantro, mountain basil and chives. Some mildly hot peppers also found their way into my basket. Really any herb or herb combination will work - choose what sounds good to you. Like so many of my recipes, Herb Cheese Crisps are more of a method than an exact formula.
Garden Tip. Herbs are a great way to dip your toe into gardening. You don’t even need a big space to have an herb assortment. Pick a pretty container and fill it with some good organic garden mix - you know organic is important - right? I used PRO-MIX Organic Garden Mix. Finally, put in your favorite herbs. Choose small plants because they will grow. Place in a sunny spot, inside or out, and water regularly. You can start using cuttings from your container herb garden right away.
PRO-MIX Organic Garden Mix is the smartest soil around. The PRO-MIX guys have really thought about this product. The soil is compressed so that one bag is really two bags once it is opened. It is bagged in the shape of a rectangle making it stackable - great for transport and easy storage. It has a strong carry handle - even I can carry two bags at once. All that and it is organic. I promise it will grow some tasty and healthy herbs.
Back to the crisps. A mixture of grated Parmesan and cheddar cheese is placed directly on a parchment covered baking sheet. Use a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture to make a little cheese mound. Yes, it is that easy. Leave plenty of space because the cheese will melt and spread. Before baking, top each mound with the herbs you like. Pop everything in the oven for 12 minutes.
Once baked the cheese turns into crunchy perfection! Who doesn’t love crispy cheese? The only problem - you will eat too many.
Herb Cheese Crisps
Recipe makes 34 crisps
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2/3 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Assorted finely chopped fresh herbs
1 thinly sliced hot pepper
PROCESS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the Parmesan and cheddar cheese together.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture directly on the parchment covered baking sheet. Leave lots of space because the cheese mounds will flatten and spread.
Sprinkle the top of each cheese mound with herbs. My favorite combination adds a thin hot pepper slice to a cilantro sprinkled crisp. Other favorite toppings are rosemary, chives and thyme. It all works.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes. Then transfer the crisps to a serving dish to eat right away or to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.