Savoury Cheese Cookies

Hi, welcome back to work after a long break of Chinese New Year! To start this new season with something cheesy, isn't it great?
Cheese Cookies anyone? Cheese is kids all time favourite, perhaps adults too. We would fall in love with those pastry, bread, cookies, pizza or any items that uses cheese as one of the ingredients. Isn't it awesome? I had even added cheese in my traditional steamed egg cake that makes the steamed cake so savoury and tantalizing. Cheese is high in Calcium, but it is also fattening. Hence, we need to use it sparingly in our cooking and baking. Making cookies with cheese is simply heaven! Let's start baking!

Cookies are in my want-to-bake list. Since I had plenty of time during the one week Chinese New Year break, my sub-conscious mind told me to try it out. Thus, I kept on searching for some simple and easy to make cookie recipes. Hence, I recalled my good friend, LK (food-4tots) told me that her Cheesy Cookie recipe is good and her son loved it so much. I began my cookie project after sending off my son to pre-school. So, I had the whole house + the kitchen to myself..... haha...... this cookies making project is so fun and satisfying. Not only the cheesy smell good cookies but also to spend some personal time myself to bake something I like... I made approximately 30 - 40 cookies. I have added some chopped hazelnut & sesame seeds on top of the cookies for topping.

While I was busy taking photographs, my son came back from pre-school, he was so excited when he saw the cookies and can't wait to gulp down all the cookies. He finished almost half of the cookies. I need to stop him from stealing my little cheesy cookies from the jar.... haha (LOL).... Hence, he demanded to bring some to school the next day. Cookie is the kids all time favourite, especially with cheese flavour! It would be a great cookies as a gift during CNY or any other occasion such as party, gathering or picnic too. Are you a cheesy cookies lover too? Try it and I am sure you will love it too.

Recipe adapted & modified from Food-4tots Cheesy Cookies recipe
Make: 30-40 cookies (depending on the size and shape of the cookies)

Ingredients:
175g unsalted butter (chilled)
250g plain flour, plus extra for kneading
175g Cheddar cheese ? grated
2 egg yolks
Dash of salt and pepper (I omitted the pepper)

Egg wash ? 1 whole egg (beaten)
Some chopped nuts (hazelnut, walnuts, almond, macadamia nuts)
Some sesame seeds

Methods:
1. Preheat oven at 200°C. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the large mixing bowl with the flour and salt and pepper.
2. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
3. Combine grated cheese and egg yolks in a bowl. Mix with the fork, pour into the dough mix and mix well with hands.
4. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands. Sprinkle the work surface with a little flour & on your palms.
5. Knead the ball of dough until it is smooth, and then roll it out until it is 5mm (1/4 inch) thick with a rolling pin.
6. Cut out flowers, hearts or other shapes and put the cookies spaced slightly apart on the (ungreased) baking sheets.
7. Combine all the trimmings together, then roll out and continue stamping and kneading until all the mixture is used up.
8. Brush the cookies with egg wash using the pastry brush.
9. Sprinkle some sesame seeds or chopped nuts, I used hazelnut.
10. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool on the sheets and store in an air-tight container.

Note:
? The baking time is vary from each oven and size of the cookies, you may need to adjust the temperature or observe the colour changing on the cookies accordingly.
? If you do not have cookie cutters, you may roll the dough into cylinder shape and cut them with a sharp knife to make a round shape. Or even cut them into square or triangle shape with knife. Do your own magic!