A reader recently emailed me with the comment ´the recipe seems to lack a liquid´, and he´s right, but don´t let that frighten you. The crumbly dough really does come together once you´ve shaped it into a disc by hand and rested it in the refridgerator. The result is a savory cheese cookie that is excellent on any cheese plate and a great snack. My Gouda cheese cookies are always quickly gobbled up at parties. Use any shape cookie cutter you want for themed parties, e.g cheesy bells for Christmas, cheesy bats for Halloween or cheesy hearts for Valentine´s Day.
Yield: Makes about 30 Gouda cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups aged Gouda cheese, grated (200 g)
- 1 cup flour (100 g)
- 3 1/2 tbsp soft butter (50 g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the dough forms a crumbly, doughy texture. Shape into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll the dough out thinly to 3/32" thickness (3 mm). Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter and keep rolling out the dough as required, until you have used it all up.
Line a cookie sheet with non-stick parchment paper and bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 30 Gouda cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter. Serve with grapes and cheese or simply on their own.
Tips:
The cheese you need is known as Oude Kaas in the Netherlands. If you can't find aged Gouda, simply use some good Parmigiano Reggiano instead.
Variation: Mix in some chilli flakes for a feisty punch.
