Cottage Cheese Sugar Cookies
Known in Ukraine as goose feet, these cookies are folded from rounds of cheese pastry that are dipped in sugar at each fold. In the oven the sugar caramelises into a crunchy crust, while the inside stays tender and layered, almost like puff pastry. We love them still warm, when the tops crackle and the layers pull apart easily.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 45 min
- Servings
- 24
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 140 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Lower-fat farmer's cheese (about 5%) works too, but squeeze it well or the dough will be softer and stickier.
Makes: 24 cookies
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Method
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Step 1: Make the cheese dough
Press the cheese through a sieve. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, grate in the cold butter on the coarse side of a box grater and rub it in with your fingertips to crumbs. Add the cheese and quickly bring together into a soft dough without kneading much.
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Step 2: Chill the dough
Wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes so the butter firms up again.
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Step 3: Cut out rounds
Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with paper. Roll half the dough on a floured surface to 4 mm thick and cut out rounds with a 9 cm glass.
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Step 4: Fold the cookies
Tip the sugar onto a flat plate. Dip one side of a round in sugar and fold it in half, sugar inside. Dip one side again and fold in half once more to make a triangle. Dip the top in sugar and place on the sheet, sugar side up.
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Step 5: Bake the cookies
Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden and the sugar on top has caramelised to amber. Shape and bake the second half of the dough the same way, re-rolling the scraps.
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Step 6: Cool slightly
Move the cookies to a rack while still hot, or the caramel will glue them to the paper as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Wet cheese makes a sticky dough; drain it in cheesecloth for 30 minutes before mixing, or add 1–2 tbsp extra flour.
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Variation
Mix 1 tsp ground cinnamon into the coating sugar for a festive, spiced version.
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Swap
Lower-fat farmer's cheese (about 5%) works too, but squeeze it well or the dough will be softer and stickier.
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Storage
They're best on the day they're baked. In a closed box they keep for 2–3 days, though the crust softens over time.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 24 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 140 kcal | 3,360 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g | 72 g |
| Fat | 8 g | 192 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g | 312 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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