Rosemary Walnut Cheese Wafers (GF) + Embracing All Our Eras
Taking a cue from Taylor Swift.
These buttery cheese wafers, which have an herby kick from rosemary and crunch from walnuts, are the only appetizer you’ll need this Thanksgiving.
Hello my dears,
Before we dive into today’s recipe, I wanted to share an email with you that I received last week from a blog reader (this is a bit embarrassing, but here it goes):
I love your recipe for Crustless Pumpkin Pie Custards, but I can't bring myself to watch the video again. No offence, but please re-record it and make yourself sound and look like an adult. Sounding like a hyper, overly enthusiastic cheerleading tween does not give you more credibility. Your recipes already speak for themselves. Happy cooking!
Oof.
In the past, this email would have made me slump in utter shame. The video is indeed totally cringey, as my kids would say. It’s over four years old and does indeed show a super hyper version of me, talking in a high pitched voice that I barely recognize (who is that person??). However, instead of shrinking in shame when I read the email, I found myself laughing out loud. Really, authentically, laughing.
Thanks, in part, to Tay-Tay.
Taylor Swift taught me something over the past two years. She’s been on one of the most successful tours of all time embracing all of her era’s, even the cringey curly-haired country-twanged teen version.
Huh.
What if instead of hiding or denying all of our era’s, we celebrated them?
None of us would be here right now if not for the past versions of ourselves—the versions that made mistakes, said the wrong things, had terrible haircuts, tried on different personas, conformed because it made us feel safe, held onto weird beliefs, let those beliefs go, and kept going and growing despite it all. That old version of Nicki was trying to fit a mold because it was the only thing she knew how to do. But without her, I would never have found a deeper voice, one that’s rooted in my heart instead of my mind. Thank god for her.
Admittedly, celebrating our past versions isn’t easy work. I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday after drafting this newsletter, and my mind was like “Nuh-uh. Please don’t talk about that video!! Delete it!” But there’s a bigger part of me that has bloomed over the past couple of years, one that’s rooted in compassion instead of shame.
Yes, those old videos still make me cringe, but they also make me laugh, in a gentle way, not a derisive way. Oh Nicki, look at how far you’ve come.
Look at how far you have come, dear reader. You wouldn’t be here now without all of the eras of your life, even the ones you deem difficult or cringey.
People are always going to judge us (no matter how hard we try to please or fit in), and that’s out of our control. Let them have their judgements! What we can control is how we judge ourselves. Instead of looking at the shadow aspects of ourselves with shame, derision or denial, let’s take a cue from Tay-Tay and view them with compassion instead. Let’s celebrate how far we’ve come!
As we head into Thanksgiving next week, my invitation is to celebrate all of you, even (especially) the shadowy parts that you’d rather hide or delete. The holidays can be a triggering time, reminding us of old versions of ourselves that we’d rather box up and forget. In denying those parts of ourselves, however, ignoring the roots that allowed us to grow into who we are today, we dim our light. As I talked about in this post, when we embrace the full spectrum of who we are—the dark and the light—we shine even brighter, releasing fear and the desire for perfectionism.
This holiday season, let’s ground ourselves in tenderness and compassion, honoring the younger versions of self that taught us so much, while also celebrating where we are right now (knowing that this is yet another stop on the journey). Remember my little turkey wing, you are amazing, every last bit of you.
Do you have any eras of your life you’d rather forget? Tell me about it! Let’s celebrate our cringe!!
While I would usually never reply to an email or comment like the one I received above, I did send this in response: Dear XX, Your message made me laugh. Oh, that younger version of me, trying so hard. I have so much compassion for her. How much I’ve changed. We all evolve, and I suggest simply not watching the video. Happy baking! She immediately wrote back with an apology, and it ended up being a sweet exchange. There’s always a human on the other side of things things, and we all have the capacity to grow. ❤️
Rosemary Walnut Cheese Wafers
It’s too fitting that this week’s theme is all about evolution, as these cheesy little rounds of joy have had their own evolution in my kitchen. I started making a version of the wafers over a decade ago but stopped at some point a few years back, believing the recipe to be a bit outdated (or maybe not cool enough). It wasn’t until Molly Stevens mentioned her cheese straws in our podcast episode last year that I remembered how much I authentically love these wafers—they’re richly cheesy with a crumbly texture, perfect with a cocktail or glass of wine.
Last year I tarted tinkering with the original recipe, adding fresh rosemary for an herby depth, and adding walnuts along the edges for crunch. The result is an evolved version that still honors its roots. (Get it?)
You can freeze the dough then bake off the wafers as needed, making this the perfect holiday appetizer, particularly for big feasts like Thanksgiving when you want to give your guests something delicious to nibble on before the meal but nothing too heavy that will overwhelm dinner (as mentioned in this recent podcast episode, Thanksgiving isn’t the time for a huge appetizer spread!).
This is an adaptable kind of recipe—try adding another herb instead of rosemary, spicing things up with more cayenne or other chili flakes, and/or swapping out the walnuts for pecans (or omitting them altogether). Feel free to make it your own!
You can download a PDF of the recipe below (I’ve also included text and JPEG versions of the recipe at the bottom of the newsletter):
A quick favor! If you appreciate this newsletter, would you mind clicking the heart ❤️ in the upper left? It really helps support this work and spread the love.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, my dear. Remember to have compassion for yourself and to nourish yourself with intention and love.
xo, Nicki
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More thanksgiving inspiration:
Rosemary Walnut Cheese Wafers (Gluten-Free)
These buttery, flaky wafers are have a rich, cheesy flavor with an herby kick from fresh rosemary and crunch from walnuts. They’re the perfect pre-dinner nibble for special occasions and holiday feasts, and they pair perfectly with wine, Champagne and cocktails. You can even make the dough months ahead and freeze it. Feel free to swap out the Comté cheese for other aged, meltable cheeses, such as Gruyere or sharp cheddar.
Makes: about 25-30 wafers | Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill | Cooking time: 11-13 minutes
1 cup (148g) gluten free flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure) or 1 cup (136g) regular all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces (227g) Comté cheese, shredded (3 cups shredded)
3 teaspoons water, divided
1 large egg
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, rosemary, salt and cayenne (if using).
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or you can use a rubber spatula and some arm strength), beat the softened butter and shredded cheese until well combined. Scrape down the sides.
Add the dry ingredients, and beat until the flour is incorporated and the mixture looks crumbly. Scrape down the sides. Drizzle in 2 teaspoons of water and beat until the mixture sticks together into a rough dough.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape it into a 10 to 11-inch long log (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter). In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the egg wash all over the log of dough (you won’t need it all). Spread the walnuts out onto a piece of parchment paper, and roll the dough in the walnuts to coat, pressing the walnuts gently to adhere.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or for up to 48 hours. Do Ahead: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If freezing, place the wrapped log in a freezer bag or airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick rounds and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake the wafers, rotating the pan positions halfway through, until they’re light golden on the edges, about 11-13 minutes. Let the wafers cool on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack and let them cool completely (they will firm up as they cool). Transfer the cooled wafers to a platter, and serve.
Do Ahead: The log of dough can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost it overnight in the fridge. Once baked, the wafers can be frozen for up to 1 month (defrost them at room temperature before serving).
Oof, I actually think that comment is harsh! But yes to embracing all our eras, and understanding that we would not be here without all our past lives. Also, not a fan of people being judgy online. You put effort into that post and if they don't like it, move on. It's so bizarre to leave comments like this. In DEFENSE OF HYPER NICKI!
Hi these sound delicious!
Can I ask what is the weight of a stick of butter? Asking from the uk! Many thanks