Mexican Cheese Cookies
Submitted by amilya81
Mexican cheese cookies are slim shortbread-style sticks made with shredded Monterey Jack folded into a buttery sugar dough, baked until golden at the edges.
YIELD
36 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThese Mexican cheese cookies take a sweet-savory turn that surprises everyone who bites into one expecting a regular sugar cookie. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese goes into the dough along with sugar, giving the finished sticks a subtle savory edge that plays against the sweetness. Think cheese straw meets shortbread, with a faint Mexican-inflected hint from the mellow Jack.
Rolling the dough into sticks rather than rounds matters for texture. Long, narrow shapes bake quickly and develop crisp edges without ever going leather-tough in the middle. Pressing them lightly flattens them just enough to bake evenly.
The egg wash is the finishing detail. Brushed on before baking, it gives the sticks a glossy, golden top crust that looks like proper pastry rather than home-baked cookies.
Keep an eye on the bake. The light brown should only appear around the edges. Beyond that and the cheese flavor turns sharp and bitter.
Pro Tips
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded Monterey Jack is coated in anti-caking starch that prevents the dough from binding properly and changes the texture.
- Use cold butter or chilled margarine if you can. It gives more structure and a flakier bite. Soft fat makes the sticks spread and lose their shape.
- Pull them as soon as the edges color. They look underdone in the center but firm up dramatically as they cool on the rack.
Variations
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne to the dough for a sweet-spicy-warm flavor that leans more authentically Mexican.
- Swap Monterey Jack for sharp cheddar for a punchier, more savory cookie.
- Roll the sticks in cinnamon-sugar before baking for a churro-meets-cheese-straw hybrid.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Mix sugar and softened margarine; stir in cheese.
Stir in remaining ingredients except egg.
Roll dough by teaspoonsful into sticks, about 3½ by ½ inch.
Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Press sticks lightly to flatten.
Brush with beaten egg.
Bake until light brown around edges only, 8 to 10 minutes.
Immediately remove from sheet and cool on wire racks.
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