Kaastengels, The Ultimate Cheese Cookies [Recipe]

I may sound cheesy this time.

Kaastengels

Who says Valentine's is all about chocolate? I think it's about spending time with the beloved one, and the gift should be the one that she/he loves the most, even if it is not chocolate. Don't you think?

In that case, Roo loves cheese (a bit) more than chocolate. And I have been giving him chocolates every Valentine's, so I thought I'll make something different this year. I may not be there on the actual Valentine's Day, but I'll make sure that the boy loves the special gift.

Kaastengels is cheese cookies, but some call them cheese shortbread. They have crunchy texture provided by the cheese on top, but the cookies themselves have to be soft and crumbly. This is a kind of savoury cookies where sugar is not a ingredient.

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Kaastengels
Recipe taken from Food.com


Ingredients:

• 125 g salted butter (I used half margarine and half butter, as my mom suggested)
• 2 yolks
• 25 g cornstarch (maizena)
• 150 g flour
• 100 g grated cheddar cheese (or you can use gouda and edam)
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

For garnish:

• 50 g grated cheddar cheese
• 1 yolk 

Method:

1. Mix butter, egg yolks with a mixer then add the grated cheese. 

2. Knead in the mixture together with flour, maizena and baking powder. 

3. Roll the dough and cut into small rectangles about 1x3 cm.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place rectangles onto grease trays. 

5. Brush each one with the egg yolk and sprinkle with grated cheddar. 

6. Bake until done about 15 minutes.

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Clockwise from top left: crumbly dough, shaping the dough, ready to go to the oven, final product

This is such an awesome cheese cookies. It is said to roll them and make small rectangles, but hey it's Valentine's! It's the day cheesiness should be tolerated, right? So I make heart shaped cookies, and they look perfect as a Valentine's gift.

Do not panic if your dough is so crumbly, it is supposed to be like that. Just make sure you can roll and shape it. My cookies turn out to be perfect. Crunchy on top, adequately salty thanks to all of the cheese, and they are also soft and beautifully crumbly.

Very crumbly cookie

As edam cheese is way to expensive for me, I use a whole block of cheddar cheese instead. Edam or other matured cheese can produce crispier texture inside the cookies, but there's no problem at all using cheddar. And it's much much affordable.

I am absolutely thrilled to make these savoury cookies. It's been one of my all time favourite cookies since I was little, and I am so glad that I can actually bake it. It's so simple, really.

They are super moreish, eat them fresh on the oven and they'll just melt in your mouth. Absolute pleasure. Great texture and flavour, especially with that nubbins of grated cheese on top. I might have put a little too much but who cares.

I gave this jar of deliciousness to the boy ten days before the Valentine's Day. Thankfully he doesn't seem to be disturbed by the early gift-giving, and he actually loves them. Score!

Early Valentine's gift for the boy

I love Valentine's Day. Not just because I have someone to celebrate it with, but I really love getting chocolates and flowers. Don't you?

Have a great Valentine's Day dear readers, even if you're single! You can still celebrate it with your beloved family and friends, right? Or just bake some kaastengels and spoil yourself tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day! <3