Add herbs, a hint of cayenne or sesame seeds to this recipe, it’s all good!
The wonder of this simple dough is that it turns into a light and crispy consistency, resembling puff pastry, without the hard work. You can add herbs or spices like cayenne pepper to the dough or some sesame seeds to the cookies before they go into the oven. I like them best plain I think. You can also add a hint of salt if your cheddar is mild.
Ingredients for the Cheese Cookies
makes about 40 cookies
100 g wheat flour / all purpose flour
100 g cold butter in cubes
100 g good quality cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt if cheese is mild
a hint of cayenne pepper (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)
herbs of choice (optional)
Making the Cheese Cookies
This recipe is too easy! But the result is fabulously ‘cheesy’. Just take equal parts of flour, butter (in little cubes) and good quality cheddar cheese, very finely grated. With 100 grams of each you will get about 40 small cookies of 4 x 4 cm. Rub the butter with the flour, add the cheese and stir. Add one egg yolk and quickly form a dough. If it feels too sticky just add a little extra flour. Rap in cling film, shape into a flat disc for easy rolling later on and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven at 180ºC / 355ºF to 200ºC / 390ºF conventional setting, depending on your oven.
Roll out to about 3 mm / 0.12 inch thick between two sheets of cling film and make nice shapes with a cookie cutter. (little fish with your fish soup, stars for Christmas, little animals for the children, leafs for fall etc..).
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven, temper it when you think the browning is right. When they look golden brown and crisp, take them out and leave to cool on a rack.
The wonder of this simple dough is that it turns into a light and crispy consistency, resembling puff pastry, without the hard work. You can add herbs or spices like cayenne pepper to the dough or some sesame seeds to the cookies before they go into the oven. I like them best plain I think. You can also add a hint of salt if your cheddar is mild.
PS: Did you know that “Early English and Dutch immigrants first introduced the cookie to America in the 1600s. While the English primarily referred to cookies as small cakes, seed biscuits, or tea cakes, or by specific names, such as jumbal or macaroon, the Dutch called them ‘koekjes’, a diminutive of koek (cake)…Etymologists note that by the early 1700s, koekje had been Anglicized into “cookie” or “cookey,” and the word clearly had become part of the American vernacular. Following the American Revolution, people from other parts of the country became familiar with the cookie when visiting New York City, the nation’s first capitol, a factor that resulted in widespread use of the term…During the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries most cookies were made in home kitchens. They were baked as special treats because the cost of sweeteners and the amount of time and labor required for preparation. The most popular of these early cookies still retain their prize status. Recipes for jumbles, a spiced butter cookie, and for macaroons, based on beaten egg whites and almonds, were common in the earliest American cookbooks…Because it was relatively inexpensive and easy to make, gingerbread was one of the most popular early cookies…As kitchen technology improved in the early 1900s, most notably in the ability to regulate oven temperature, America’s repertoire of cookie recipes grew.”
—Oxford Encyclopaedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxford University Press: New York] 2004, Volume 1 (p. 317-8)
The easy cheesy cookies are amazing. We always had them (store bought) at my in-laws for “borrel” time (appetizer). With moving to the US that was one of the things that we were missing. These are even better and so easy to make. My oven is a little funky so needed to bake them for 5 minutes longer and increase temp to 400 F for the last 5 minutes.
Thanks for the recipe.
Hello Kokkie,
So glad our recipe brings such joy to you and they turned out so well.
Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful Christmas time with your family
Seasons greetings from Holland 🎄
Ed & Marieke
I have only just begun, making cookies. Family members seem to like my peanut butter ones. However I am going to try making these, I like cheese!
Hope they turn out buttery and flaky Trudy!
They are fantastic and so addictive . Thank you for such a great recipe. I have already made them three times , the first version was using gouda cheese , second was using cheddar and third was by eliminating cheese and adding a bit of salt and some were topped with sesame , some with granulated sugar(kind of caramelized on top ) and some with icing sugar (after baking). I think many variations can be made with this , and i will still be making different variations in the future.
Hello Optimist,
Thank you, that is just a wonderful comment that will inspire others to follow suit!
We love that you made a semi-sweet version too.
Let us know about your future versions if you please…
Enjoy your baking and sharing
These sound awesome. Going to make these for Christmas.
Happy Christmas baking Wende, hope they turn out great!
Seasons greetings! I’m planning on making your cheesy cookies today and I think there’s a typo in the recipe. Rolling them to 3 mm would be closer to .25 inch I believe. 1.2 inches would be 30.5 mm. Or are they meant to be a thick cookie? I’m going to try them with a dollop of jalapeno jam (slightly sweet with a nice heat to it) that a friend made.
On behalf of your friends in the U.S., can you confirm if this is correct or not? Thank you!
Nancy
New Jersey
Hi Nancy,
Thank you so much for pointing out this error. Yes you are right it has to be 0.12 inch (or 0.118 to be exact). I already corrected it in the recipe.
Your jalapeno jam sounds like a great combo with the cookies.
Happy baking and enjoy the holiday season!
Greetings from Holland,
Marieke
Greetings from Java,
I have tried your recipe and it worked out really great. Though my cookies a little bit salty (I did not at any salt at all), I think it was due to the kind of cheddar cheese we have here in Indonesia.
Thank you for the recipe, great website you have here!
We told you Pete..they are too good..you keep eating them. First time I made them I was so surprised that such an easy recipe turns out like delicate puff pastry.
Happy Baking!
Marieke
these are so easy and just delightful – melt in your mouth like puff pastry
highly recommended (mine came out of the oven 45 mins ago and there’s only about 6 left out of 25)
Pete 😀
Hi Delia,
They are a family favourite with us too. And so easy to make.
Thanks for the comment,
Marieke
Hello Marieke,
I’ve made these cookies at last. They are delicious. My mom & my daughters all love it. Thanks for the recipe.
Hello Delia,
Indeed, there is no sugar in these cookies!
Success with the baking,
Marieke
PS: Angie, from ‘my kitchen my laboratory‘, has made a wonderful herby version with my basic recipe.
I was thinking of making this but need to confirm with you. There is no sugar in this cookie recipe? Many thanks!
My mom (we are Dutch living in the U.S.) makes these cheese balls. Delicious!
I linked my blog to yours and showcased your Speculaas recipe. Hope you don’t mind!
These are so so pretty.
fanny
oooh, those are so simple i love it! look delish too, buttery and savory – i think i have to make them to serve with soup one of these chilly nights. thx for th recipe, yay!