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Buttery and cheesy cookie base is topped with marshmallow frosting on top. The combination of savory and sweet is so good. These cheese button cookies are so much fun to make too.
These cheese button cookies are so popular in Indonesia, especially during celebrations such as Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Idul Fitri.
Why are they called cheese button cookies? my guess (just my guess) is the original shape of these cookies is tiny round cookies with marshmallow frosting piped on top, resembling buttons. Then the shape has evolved into what you are seeing here, square or rectangle with the marbled pattern on the marshmallow frosting. These cheese button cookies are expensive from what I heard. But, fret not, you can easily make this at home with basic ingredients most people have in their pantries.
Taste and texture
Taste: The cookie base is savory and buttery because of the butter and cheese. The marshmallow frosting is sweet and complements the cookie base really well. If you like sweet and savory cookies, this is it!
Texture: Crunchy and melts in the mouth
How to make cheese button cookies
1. Please make sure the butter and egg yolk are at room temperature. Put softened butter (but not melting) and icing sugar in a large bowl. Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar until combined and creamy. You can also manually do this with a balloon whisk
2. Add the egg yolk and whisk to combine
3. Add the cheese and sift in the flour and use a spatula to mix until you don’t see pockets of flour
4. Preheat the oven to 320 F (160 C) for a conventional oven. 300 F (150 C) for a convection oven. Position the oven rack at the lower 3rd of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough out into about 4-5 mm in thickness, about 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm), roughly!
5. Trim off the edges. I use a dough scraper to help me make it neater on the edge. You can re-roll those edges later
6. Use a pizza cutter or a knife and use your rolling pin as a guide or “ruler” and cut into square or rectangle shape. I only made half the recipe in this photo. You can cut it into the size you want. Usually about 3.5 x 2.5 cm for each cookie (just a guide!)
7. The marshmallow frosting cannot be made ahead as it will lose its fluffiness. Put the egg white in a mixing bowl. Make sure it is clean and grease-free. Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer and whip until the egg white is foamy. Add the vinegar and whip for another minute. Add the salt and icing sugar. Use the whisk to mix in the icing sugar so it won’t fly all over the place when you start that mixer
8. Whip on high speed until you get a glossy, thick, soft peak. This may take about 10 minutes on high speed if using a hand mixer. It is much faster when you use a stand mixer
9. Take about 1 tablespoon of this marshmallow frosting and add one teaspoon of cocoa powder or brown gel food coloring if you have one. I use a cocoa powder. Mix to combine and transfer to a small plastic bag and cut off the tip
10. Spread the marshmallow frosting evenly on the surface of the pre-cut cookie dough you have prepared earlier
11. Then pipe a line across the frosting
12. Use a toothpick or a skewer to drag a line through the frosting, up one way and then down (I forgot to do this)to create the marble pattern
13. Use an offset spatula to gently lift the pre-cut dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet
14. These cookies do not expand much, so you can put them pretty close to each other
15. Bake for 30 minutes. I bake this at the lower 3rd rack to prevent the frosting from cracking. Remove from the oven and let them cool down on the rack for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack
Did you make this cheese button cookies recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Cheese Button Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie dough:
- 125 gr butter unsalted, softened
- 25 gr icing sugar
- 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
- 90 gr shredded cheddar cheese
- 250 gr all-purpose flour
Marshmallow frosting:
- 45 gr egg white (room temperature)
- 200 gr icing sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vinegar
Instructions
Prepare cookie dough:
- Please make sure the butter and egg yolk are at room temperature. Put softened butter (but not melting) and icing sugar in a large bowl. Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar until combined and creamy. You can also manually do this with a balloon whisk. Add the egg yolk and whisk to combine
- Add the cheese and sift in the flour and use a spatula to mix until you don't see pockets of flour
Shaping:
- Preheat the oven to 320 F (160 C) for a conventional oven. 300 F (150 C) for a convection oven. Position the oven rack at the lower 3rd of the oven
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Roll the dough out into about 4-5 mm in thickness, about 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm), roughly! I use a dough scraper to help me make it neater on the edge. Save the trimmings so you can roll it out again to make more cookies. Use a pizza cutter or a knife and use your rolling pin as a guide or "ruler" and cut into square or rectangle shape.
- In the photo above, I made only half recipe. You can cut into the size you want. Usually about 3.5 x 2.5 cm for each cookie (just a guide!).
Prepare the marshmallow frosting: (this has to be used almost immediately)
- The marshmallow frosting cannot be made ahead as it will lose its fluffiness. Put the egg white in a mixing bowl. Make sure it is clean and grease-free. Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer and whip until the egg white is foamy. Add the vinegar and whip for another minute. Add the salt and icing sugar. Use the whisk to mix in the icing sugar so it won't fly all over the place when you start that mixer. Whip on high speed until you get a glossy, thick, soft peak. This may take about 10 minutes on high speed if using a hand mixer. It is much faster when you use a stand mixer
- Take about 1 tablespoon of this marshmallow frosting and add one teaspoon of cocoa powder or brown gel food coloring if you have one. I use a cocoa powder. Mix to combine and transfer to a small plastic bag and cut off the tip
Assembling:
- Spread the marshmallow frosting evenly on the surface of the pre-cut cookie dough you have prepared earlier. Then pipe a line across the frosting (refer to the photo above). Use a toothpick or a skewer to draw a line through this piped frosting to create the marble pattern
- Use an offset spatula to gently lift the pre-cut dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. These cookies do not expand much, so you can put them pretty close to each other
Baking:
- Bake for 30 minutes. I bake this at the lower 3rd rack to prevent the frosting from cracking
- Remove from the oven and let them cool down on the rack for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack
Storing:
- Once the cookies have cooled down completely, store them in an air-tight container and they can last for weeks
2 comments
Hi, can I overlap the cookies when storing?
Thanks
Hello, absolutely! The top dries up nicely after baking. Make sure they have cooled down completely before storing!