(Farmer’s) Cheese Cookies aka Envelope Cookies aka “Goose Feet” AKA My Mother’s Favorite Cookie :)

From Lola Borovyk

Ingredients

240 g All Purpose Flour

*Or sub 15% Whole Wheat Pastry Flour by weight: 204 g AP + 36 g WWP

½ tspSalt

227 g Unsalted Butter, frozen and grated or cut into small pieces and frozen

227 g Farmer’s Cheese*, drained if wet

*You may use ricotta in place of farmer’s cheese, but be sure to drain it well.

2 medium-large Egg Yolks

2 Tablespoons Cold Water

2 Teaspoons Optional Flavor Add-Ins - lemon zest, vanilla extract, orange zest, or whatever your heart desires

50 - 100 g Granulated Sugar (for dipping)

Yield - 30+ cookies, depending on the size cutter you choose

Oven Temp - 375F/190C

These are super simple cookies - there is no sugar in the dough itself, and they are tender and flaky because of the combination of farmer’s cheese and butter. Since the ingredients are so straightforward, best quality butter is recommended. Regardless of their simplicity, eating a dozen in one sitting is too easy.

Method:

Note - this dough warms up very quickly and I recommend putting the shaped cookies in the refrigerator while pre-heating your oven. After baking, store covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Combine flour(s) and salt.

Grate frozen butter on the large side of a box grater into the flour mixture. Alternatively, you may cut up the butter into small pieces and freeze, then add to the flour working in with your hands or a pastry cutter until the butter is the size of breadcrumbs.

Add the farmer’s cheese to the flour/butter mixture and mix until just combined.

Whisk yolks with the water until homogenous and add to the dough. Knead until it just comes together, then add any flavor additions.

Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate/rest for at least one hour.

Divide dough into 4 parts, and begin rolling out one part at a time keeping the rest in the refrigerator.

Roll to ⅛” (2-3mm) thin. Use a 3-4 inch cutter (or a glass!) to cut out circles. Save the scraps and refrigerate (you may re-roll them after chilling for more cookies!)

Add sugar to a bowl. Press one circle’s side into the sugar. Fold in half (with the sugar side in) to form a half-moon. Dip the half-moon on one side into the sugar. Fold in half again, with the sugar on the inside.

Press the cookie into the sugar one more time. Put the sugar side up on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Optional: Use a fork to press down the wide/open side of the “envelope”.

Repeat with remaining cutouts, and roll out remaining dough and scraps. Refrigerate while pre-heating the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).

Bake 18-20 mins until puffed and golden brown, rotating your pan halfway through the bake.