My Mum's Cheese Bites

In this post, I mentioned my Mum's home-baked cheese crackers (on the Thursday in that post). Some of you were asking for the recipe, and here it is.

Maybe "crackers" is not the right term for them. One of the characteristics of a cracker is that it cracks when you bite or break off a piece. These don't; they are softer than crackers. So maybe we should call them cheese cookies (sounds odd), cheese straws (not really) or cheese bites (suits them best, I believe).

Anyway, here is what you need:

For the dough:

120 g grated cheese (a good, well-aged cheese such as a Conté works best - remember, the saltier and spicier the cheese, the less spice you'll need for the dough)

240 g regular white flour (not self-raising)
120 g cold butter, diced
1 egg
60 g sour cream
1/2 tea spoon salt
1/2 tea spoon sweet pepper powder
some pepper (preferably freshly ground)

For the topping:
 
1 egg yolk
1 table spoon milk
seeds (sesame, poppy, caraway, whatever you like and have at hand)

Make a dough and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Take it out about 1/2 hour before you proceed; if the dough is too cold, it will be brittle and hard to work with.

Heat the oven to 180C.

Roll out the dough, not too thin. Now you can either cut finger-length strips and twist them once or twice (depending on their length), or cut out shapes like hearts etc. with cookie cutters.

These were the "twisted" ones we had the other day.

But they work just as well for Christmas or a New Year's Eve celebration.

Cookie cutters come in all shapes and sizes.

They are nice all year round!

Mix the egg yolk with the milk and spread it on top of the strips or cut-out shapes. Sprinkle liberally with the seeds.

 

Bake in the oven for about 12 - 15 minutes. Don't let them get too dark; keep checking. Let cool on a rack before trying one for quality control :-) and of course before packing them in a tin or other container. They won't keep well all that long, not like some sorts of Christmas cookies you can still eat weeks or even months later. Therefore, you better eat them soon - they taste best with a glass of wine or cocktails, and with friends :-D