Traditional crinkle cookies infused with the savory taste of cheddar cheese to balance the sweetness. If you enjoy a sweet and savory taste combination of cookies, this is another variation of the holiday crinkle cookies you need to try.
Place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Set aside. Cream the softened butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes max, over medium speed. Don't over cream the butter and sugar too or cookies will collapse after cooling down. Add room temperature egg. Stop halfway and scrape the side of the bowl. Add vanilla extract and beat until combine. Fold in the cheese and combine over low speed
Gradually add the flour mixture in 3 batches and let it mix until just combined. Don't overwork the dough. The dough will be very sticky at this point. Please don't be tempted to add more flour
Chill the cookie dough:
Cover the mixing bowl and chill the dough in the fridge (not the freezer) for at least 4 hours. It is best if you can do it overnight. The longer you chill, the flavor will be more intense too
Shape the cookies:
Preheat oven at 325 F (160 C). I used to do 350 F, but I find 325 F gives the dough enough time to spread to create a nice crinkle effect. When the oven is done preheating, scoop about 1 Tbsp of the cookie dough out. The cookie dough is still sticky but easier to work with because it's cold. You can also spray your palms with non-stick cooking spray or lightly oil them. Roll it into a ball and place them on a lined cookie sheet
Roll each one in granulated sugar first and then generously roll them in icing sugar. This step prevents the icing sugar from being absorbed by the dough and you won't get the crinkle effect. Roll them about 2-3 times in the icing sugar to make sure each ball is well-coated or the confectioners' sugar will not show much after baking
Baking:
Pop them into the oven, 3rd rack from the top. Let them bake for 13 minutes for really soft cookies or 14-15 minutes if you want them crispier on the outside. They will still appear to be very soft when you pull them out from the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. They will firm up a bit as they cool down
Storage:
Let the cookies cool down completely and then keep in an air-tight container. They can be kept at room temperature for about a week. If you want to keep the longer, freeze them