Last Updated on January 31, 2021
Looking for an addictive snack or appetizer? These Parmesan cheddar basil bites are a real crowd pleaser and so easy to make! I love that you can use cookie cutters to customize them for any even or party too. They are even fun to put in kids lunches for a treat.
The dough does freeze well for several weeks if you want to save dough to make fresh bites later on.
Cheddar Bites Variations:
Try swapping out the basil for other flavours. Rosemary, Chives, Tarragon or Cayenne are some great alternatives.
More delicious appetizer ideas:
If you are looking for additional appetizer realness, check out some of my favourite recipes including cucumber roll-ups, party meatballs, hot cheese dip, and mexi-casa cheese dip.
PARMESAN CHEDDAR BASIL BITES
Yields: 3 Dozen | Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ cup butter, softened
5 tablespoons half-and-half (10% Milk Fat Cream)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Beat Cheddar cheese, butter, half-and-half, and salt at medium speed with a mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, Parmesan cheese, and basil – beating just until combined.
Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Divide into 3 equal portions, and roll to flatten each to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with star shaped cutter. Place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until golden; cool on baking sheets on wire racks for 30 minutes.
Parmesan Cheddar Basil Bites
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
- ½ cup butter softened
- 5 tablespoons half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Beat Cheddar cheese, butter, half-and-half, and salt at medium speed with a mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, Parmesan cheese, and basil – beating just until combined.
- Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Divide into 3 equal portions, and roll to flatten each to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with star shaped cutter. Place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
- Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until golden; cool on baking sheets on wire racks for 30 minutes.
Liz Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys cooking and baking, food photography, and reading.
I love cheese biscuits! These look SO delicious, addictive and moorish. If I was to make the recipe, they definitely would NOT last very long..
The recepi don’t tell you what to mix with what,I wish they would give you more info
I just made the recipe, and it had the list of things to mix together. perhaps you missed it?
I’m a bit confused too… half and half of what a?
half and half is just that. a milk/cream combination. when you go to the store look in the dairy section and the carton will actually say Half and Half.
Half and half is half heavy cream and half milk. Most use it in coffee.
Half & half as in the milk half & half
Half and half is blend like used in coffee. Coffee cream
“Half & Half” is sold near creamers and whipping cream in the dairy cooler.
Half and half is cream, not whipping cream. Not sure which country you are from so cannot give you the correct term for your country lol … so here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_and_half
Half and Half is a dairy product.
For reference: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-half-and-half
Step 2 of the recipe states: Beat Cheddar cheese, butter, half-and-half, and salt at medium speed with a mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, Parmesan cheese, and basil – beating just until combined.
That’s all of the ingredients.
Half & half is a grade of milk/cream. It’s on Dairy isle, near heavy whipping cream, milk etc.
Half and half is a high fat milk product, find it in any dairy aisle, literally called half and half
Half-and-half is a liquid that’s half light cream and half whole milk. You buy it in the dairy section near the cream.
I would presume the butter and cheese is moist enough to mix it . Would a egg or milk help if you find it’s not moist enough when u have it in the dough mix.
How can I get the recipe
I made these lovely crackers with 1 cup
Cassava flour and 1/2 cup coconut flour.
Low carb excellent.
Substituting did you find you needed some egg?
I was going to try almond flour.
Thanks
It’s been a while since I whipped up a batch of crackers. I’ll definitely have to try these! :) [#CraftyAndDelicious]
These look super yummy, and I love how you used a fin cookie cutter!
These look delicious, and I love the fun star shape:)
I have made crackers a handful of times and these make me want to whip up a batch. They look great! I really like the addition of fresh basil.
do you think I can make these ahead for a party and put them in the freezer for 3 weeks?
Thanks!
Can you freeze them
Can you freeze them ?
Can I ask what half and half is? I am in the UK and not sure what this refers too . Thanks
It’s Single Cream :)
Half regular milk and half heavy cream.
50% milk 50% cream. It’s sold that way here in the States
How long will they keep if frozen? I’d like to make them for my daughter’s wedding reception.
How many days do they stay fresh?
About 4-5 days if stored in an airtight container.
I stored them in an airtight container for 3 days and they were soft and soggy. I was so mad at myself. Next time i’ll still make them in advance but i’ll crisp them up in the oven for a few minutes before i serve them. The flavor was great though!
what is half and half?
It’s half cream or 10%.
Hi? Am I able to use shredded Parmesan instead of grated??
Yes, absolutely!
I’am French …could you help me what is ” half-and-half ” ??? Thank you .
I’m Australian what don’t understand what half and half is can you clarify
It’s 10% mf.
half and half is like milk with a bit of cream added. just creamier than ordinary whole milk…
Do you know if these can be frozen? If so, how long?
Thanks.
Can they be frozen
Would like to know how far in advance can you make these? Do they need refrigerated? Can you freeze? Thanks
Can wheat flour be used
Can you use 3%milk?
Made these for our New Years Eve munchies. They are yummy! I didn’t have the patience to use a cookie cutter. Rolled them out and cut them into squares. I also added cayenne pepper to the mix because we like things spicy! I used heavy cream because I didn’t have half and half, worked just fine. Thank you for the recipe!
I see lots of questions about the possibility of freezing these yummy bites… Any success in freezing for a few weeks???
I keep meaning to try but forget they all get eaten. They should freeze well but that’s just a guess.
I don’t like basil. Can you omit it or substitute something else
I would just omit.
Rosemary?
I used rosemary and black pepper
These look lovely! I am trying to do more home baking instead of buying packaged foods so this will go on my list to try.
I love the look of these and I love cheese crackers so I was happy to come across this recipe. Tried making some today and was surprised that they aren’t crisp … tasty but surprisingly soft. I did try making them thicker or thinner but got similar results. What is the texture of these crackers when you make them? I love that I can cut them out in different shapes and do plan to try them again — I think a touch of cayenne would be nice (maybe in half the dough) and I would definitely reduce the amount of salt added or delete it altogether. With all that cheese and the salted butter there’s lots of salt without it (and I love salt!). Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Would really like to know if they have to be eaten the same day or if they can be made a day ahead. I have a cocktail party and would like to try these. But its on a Thursday, so I would have to make the night before. Any information?
They can definitely be made ahead!
I’m from South Africa … Could you tell what is 5tablespoons of half and half have no idea if we have half and half
It’s Cream with 10=12% milk fat.
I used Carnation evaporated milk workers fine.
Hi what do you mean half and half?
10-12% mf. I guess it’s called that here because its halfway between milk and cream.
Do these need to be served hot? Is there a recommended dip or anything?
No, I think they are extra yummy warm but they are still good cold!
What would happen if I only had 1% milk on hand. Would it make much difference?
Should work just fine, you might need a little less though as half and half is thicker.
Would like to make a Christmas gift, how long will they store in airtight container?
4-5 days
Thank you!
Just made these to take to a Christmas party. Yummy and festive. I will add a touch of red pepper for a touch of heat next time. Thanks for the recipe.
Can I use butter milk instead of half and half?
Making them 1 day in advance of the party. Should I store in the fridge or at room temperature. Have you tried reheating them?
Can the dough be frozen ?
I just made a batch of these to take to a New Year’s Eve gathering tonight. They are SO good that I’m afraid not many of them will make it to the party!
I do think they could do without the salt, and maybe some additional basil. Next time I make them–and I WILL make them again–I might add some onion or garlic powder and maybe some crushed red pepper to try out the different flavors.
Mine turned out crunchy outside, a little softer on the inside, and we love them like this. Is that how yours turn out? Thanks!
Sounds like they turned out great!
Hi, these look great! Could I make the dough a few days earlier and store in the fridge until ready to make them?
Are thsee crackers or biscuits? Serve with a spead or fig preserves?
Biscuits
Made these tonight. They are delish!! I am going to use them with a bourbon tomatoe bacon jam. Recipe was easy to follow. cind
Bonjpur svp vous pouvez me donner la recette des étoiles au parmesan et cheddar
Merci
We are trying to do foods with reduced carbs. How do you think Almond flour would work with this recipe?
That,s my exact question as my daughter and I are doing KETO for awhile. Have you tried them with Almond flour yet.
Delicious. The dough freezes well.
These are awesome. We love them per the recipe, but we are going to also try rosemary (per one of the comments). We also thought either chipotle or jalapeno would be interesting (instead of the basil). We are going to make some batches for a July 4th party and we’ll let you know how the different flavors come out.
BTW – we started mixing them with a hand mixer and because the dough was so stiff, we switched tot the stand mixer with the dough hook. If you want them crispier, put them on the wire rack after the recommended baking time and put them back in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Also, we experimented with a star cookie cutter with a star ‘hole’ cut in the center, and that made them crispier because they had more edges.
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them… just need to buy some cream and herbs! Pinned.
I just made these, found them to be a bit salty… however,… I used Sharp Chedda, most likely put more than required in… didn’t have half and half so added regular 2% milk.
I also used coarse Kosher Salt… all this most likely had an effect.
first pan was round… until hubby found my old star cutter in the top of the kitchen cupboards…
then I made them thinner, who knows how thin or thick… I don’t worry too much… and I cooked the stars longer as well… they came out crunchier, and tasty, still a bit salty for my taste, however… would be great with a nice dip… and while I love Basil…. I would like to try them without it, and with some cayenne for the family members who love a bit of a bite… I honestly think this is a lovely recipe, and will definitely use it again. Thanks!!
What size cookie cutter do I use?
I was also curious about the size of the cookie cutter. Thank you
made them Keto friendly and used Almond flour
Did they come out well for you?
Did you sub 1-1 for the all purpose flour?
Awesome Eve, was wondering if they could be ketofied. Did you do 1:1 almond flour?
Does anyone know if you can freeze the dough and cut them out a few weeks later?
I do some small scale catering and made these to go with antipasto skewers. I thought they were crackers but they came out like biscuit bites – which were awesome. I came back to your blog to see if I missed a comment and noticed that the title clearly states Parmesan Cheddar Basil Bites – NOT CRACKERS lol. They went fast and I was asked many times for the recipe. I will definitely make them again. I do agree with some other comments about putting just a smidge of cayenne in for a little more flavor but thought the salt content and amount of basil was perfect. I also used a smaller star cutter than I will next time and ended up with a zillion of them which meant a lot of extra time cutting. Thanks so much for sharing.
These are a HUGH hit in my sphere of family & friends! I looked through other comments to see if others had to add about a 1/2 cup of half ‘n half as the 5 tablespoons left it very dry! I also baked them for 15 minutes. They are my new favorite ‘cracker’ “D
Helllo, What means half and half?
10% mf cream
What a wonderful recipe! They are delicious! I used different cookie cutters/sizes, too. A definite favorite! Thank you.
Made this and love them! I made mine a little thicker, closer to 1/4 inch, and had to bake longer, about 20 mins. for desired crispness. The remind me of Cheezits, Yum!
Made about 65 stars!
Thanks!
What size star cutter did you use.
Was wondering if I could use almond flour or other for keto diet?
This is a lovely recipe. Everyone in my house loved them. Thanks for sharing!
I thought they might make pretty pumpkin crackers and turn focus from sweets during halloween season.
I followed the recipe ingredients exactly but only made 1/2 the recipe due to my lack of enough cheese. I used a small 1″ maple leaf cookie cutter, as t is fall here in Idaho. Baked them 14 min. On stoneware. Brown and crispy. I’ll add cayenne to the other ball that is the fridge. Delish
Where is the nutrition count scale on this recipe? I’m a diabetic and need the nutrition count.
Thank you!
If I used a round 2-2 1/2 inch cookie cutter how many would it make. How wide is the star cookie cutter you used?
OMG!! These were a HUGE success last week at cards!! I set them out and went to out my bag and purse away. I came back to a chorus of “who brought the star things??!” and “did you make them??” , “are they hard?” . I have never, in the approximately 4 years of monthly card games, come home empty handed!!!! We are a bunch of “mature” church ladies, so there is always plenty of yummy appetizers!! I was reminded, as we were leaving, of having promised to share the recipe. I forwarded the link when I got home!!
Wanted you to know what a big hit they were and to let your followers know they need to give it a try !!!!!
Just made these biscuits. Yum yum. I did not have half and half and used all cream. They spread out to thin biscuits. Next time I will reduce the cream quantity and add milk.
10 stars from us in Australia.
Totally irresistible and a delicious change from store bought.
Too good for words. Thank you for sharing this fab recipe ♥️
I made these as an appetizer for Christmas dinner in 2017 and 2018, but I didn’t make them last year. My teen boys were VERY disappointed. When discussing the menu today for our Christmas dinner, they all asked for these and even offered to help make them (I can’t roll the dough since I recently had shoulder surgery). My whole family loves these!
If you don’t have a mixer , can you mix by hand? Or with a spoon