By popular demand… This is possibly the best recipe my mum ever taught me. Flat-out 1970s hedonism! Super-easy, brilliant for parties and afternoon tea, and everyone I’ve ever made these for has loved them – even my daughter, in her pre-vegan days (and she hated cheese!). Don’t ask me about the saturated fat content or calories because I’d like to stay in denial (but they are 3 Weightwatchers points each – worth it, in my opinion).
Normally I’d give tweaks to make it dairy-free, but in this case nothing works well enough. It has to be dairy cheese and proper salted butter. You can sub up to a quarter of the Gouda for cheddar and get away with it, but using all cheddar gives a different texture. This is my family’s favourite version.
Top tips: don’t skip the chilling stage (otherwise they spread and they’re impossibly crumbly and not as nice), and make sure the oven’s pre-heated.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz/250g butter
- 8 oz/250g Gouda, grated
- 2 egg yolks
- 8 oz/250g plain flour
- Paprika, to taste
METHOD
Beat the butter until creamy.
Add the cheese, egg yolks and paprika.
Work in the flour (with your hands usually works best!).
Chill the dough for an hour.
Knead, roll out to 5mm thick, and cut out star shapes (my cutter is about 3cm wide).
Place on a lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 10-12 minutes then cool on a rack.