Gouda Cookies

Longing for Cheez-its...

I cooked with my sister today! She's normally not really into cooking, but give her the incentive of making Cheez-its and she's all in.
You see, she lives for chips, Cheez-its and such. But alas, obtaining Cheez-its here is slightly tricky, so she was willing to leave the T.V. and cook with me.

I found this recipe on Gilt Taste, an iPad app I just downloaded which lets you flip the pages of the recipe without touching the screen. 
How? It senses the movement of your hand through the camera :O It has its flaws- like turning the page when I move my head- but it's pretty cool. My mum was drawn in by the idea since she's always worried about me wrecking my iPad when it's in the midst of the chaotic kitchen.

This is really easy to make and it's helpful enough that it  gives alternatives for the various types of cheeses. I'm so excited for going to France this summer because I'm going to buy loads of cheeses and try them all out! 

My Mum and I had fun experimenting with different photo set-ups

Three Kinds of Killer Cheese Cookies
From Gilt Taste, by Whitney Chen
By the way, her photos are so gorgeous, I recommend you check out the original site too.
http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/5251-three-savory-cheese-cookie-recipes-take-that-cheez-its


Makes at least 30 cookies per recipe

Each of these recipes can be transformed; don’t be bashful about adding chopped herbs, bits of zest or a pinch of your favorite spice. 

For hard and semi-hard cheeses (Parmesan, Cheddar, Gruyere, Gouda, etc.)
8 ounces hard-ish cheese, broken into chunks (super-hard rinds don’t count)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Up to 2 tablespoons of milk (if needed)

For blue cheeses 
8 ounces blue cheese, in chunks (make sure the rinds aren’t too funky, or cut them off)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dried fruit (like cranberries, raisins, cherries or apricots)
Up to 2 tablespoons of milk (if needed)

For soft and semi-soft cheeses (Brie, Camembert, Goat)
6 ounces soft cheese, divided in half
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nuts (pecans and walnuts work well)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 small white onion, finely diced and caramelized
Up to 2 tablespoons of milk (if needed)
Brown sugar, to taste

For all recipes:

Whirl it together: Combine all ingredients, except for the milk, in a food processor.  (For the soft cheese version, save one half of the cheese for later.) Run for about 20 seconds or until the mixture is even, crumbly and sticks together when you press it with your fingers.

Add milk (maybe): If the mixture looks too dry and won’t stick together, turn on the food processor and add milk, one tablespoon at a time. With soft cheeses like goat, brie, camembert and some blue cheese, you might not need any milk at all.

Roll dough and chill: Dump the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll into an even log about 1 1/2” wide. If you want, you can flatten the sides so that the ends are square. Roll tightly in parchment and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven and slice: Preheat oven to 375° F. Remove log from the refrigerator and slice 1/4” to 1/2” cookies from the log, placing onto a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet.  If your log is square-shaped, turn it 1/4 turn after each cut to retain the square shape.

Drop thumbprints (for soft cheese version only): After slicing, indent the center of the cookies with your thumb.  Set ½” cubes or, if the cheese is too soft to cut, spoon a little glob of cheese into the thumbprint, followed by a little sprinkle of brown sugar.

Drop thumbprints (for soft cheese version only): After slicing, indent the center of the cookies with your thumb.  Set 1/2” cubes or, if the cheese is too soft to cut, spoon a little glob of cheese into the thumbprint, followed by a little sprinkle of brown sugar.

Bake and serve: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. For a chewy texture, serve warm.  If you want a crisp cookie, let cool before serving.