Soft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies

These Farmer’s Cheese Cookies are tender and flaky. The dough is made with cold butter and farmer’s cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can also be used), which results in a texture that resembles puff pastry – crisp and golden on the outside with a multitude of thin layers inside. 

Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies with flaky dough.

These farmer’s cheese cookies have been in our family for many years. My Mom used to make them all the time, especially when I was a little girl. In our family we use farmer’s cheese in so many different ways. This is one of the perfect examples of combining such simple ingredients for an amazingly delicious treat. They are still one of my favorite cookies.

These cookies are often known by the very uniques name “Гусиные Лапки” (Geese Feet, pronounced gusinie lapki), because of their shape. They sure do look like tiny little webbed geese feet! The dough is based on farmer’s cheese, butter, flour and eggs. How simple is that? It comes together in minutes and can be made ahead of time, since it needs time in the refrigerator to chill.

A perfect mouthful of flaky and tender dough, these cookies are crunchy on the outside from being baked into gorgeous golden crispness, but also from being dipped in sugar. Fill your cookie jars with these dainty, delicate darlings. They don’t usually last long at my house!

Video of How To Make Soft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies

Ingredients

  • all purpose flour
    • I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour or any alternative flours
  • salt
  • butter
    • the butter needs to be really cold, preferably frozen
  • farmer’s cheese (recipe that I use for homemade farmer’s cheese, just drain it well before using)
    • instead of farmer’s cheese, you can use ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, but it needs to be drained
  • egg yolks
    • I use large eggs in baking
  • water
    • use chilled water, or ice water, if possible
  • granulated sugar
Ingredients For Farmer's Cheese Cookies

What is Farmer’s Cheese and Where Is It Sold?

Farmer’s cheese is a very popular soft cheese in the Slavic cuisine. It’s called tvorog (творог), in Russian. It has a similar taste and texture of ricotta and/or cottage cheese. It is used in many, many recipes. I use farmer’s cheese interchangeably with ricotta cheese. I like making my own farmer’s cheese in the Instant Pot, using the same method as for ricotta cheese, just drain it really well before using it in the cookies.

You can also find it sold in some grocery stores. I often buy it at I bought in Publix, and the farmer’s cheese is usually located next to the cream cheese. It can also be found in many European stores, such as Russian/Ukrainian or Polish stores.

Farmer's cheese for cookies
Homemade Farmer's cheese vs store bought farmer's cheese

What Can Be Used To Substitute For Farmer’s Cheese?

You can substitute ricotta or cottage cheese instead. Farmer’s cheese is much more dense and has hardly any liquid in it, so if you are using ricotta/cottage cheese, use a cheesecloth to strain it and squeeze out the moisture before using it in the recipe.

How To Make Soft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies

  1. First, add the flour and salt to a large bowl and then grate the butter on a box grater into the flour.
    • Try to do this as quickly as possible to prevent the butter from melting. 
    • Stop every so often to coat the butter flakes in the flour.
  2. Add the farmer’s cheese to the bowl and mix to combine. It will be a very dry and crumbly texture.
  3. Whisk the egg yolks and water together slightly, then add to the dough.
  4. Mix the dough until it starts to come together.
    • Keep kneading it very quickly so that it comes together better. Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  5. Refrigerate for at least an hour, giving the dough plenty of time to chill.
    • You can store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Finally, roll out the dough.
    • Divide the dough into quarters and roll out each portion thinly on a well floured surface.
      • Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated when you’re not using it.
      • Use a biscuit cutter (about 3 inches), or a cup or glass to cut through the dough and  press out as much circles from the dough as possible.
  8. Now, assemble the cookies.
    • Dip each circle of of dough into a bowl of sugar.
    • Then, fold the circle in half, into a half moon shape, press one side of it in the sugar again.
    • Fold it in half one last time, dipping the top in sugar also.
    • Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  9. Lastly, bake the cookies.
    • Place the cookies sugar side up on the prepared baking sheet.
    • Use your fingers to press down gently on top of the cookies so the layers stick together better. 
    • Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cookies are puffed up and golden brown.
How to make farmer's cheese cookies  step by step tutorial

Storing the Cookies

Store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Store the baked cookies at room temperature for 2-3 days in a closed box or container, or freeze up to 3 months in a freezer ziplock bag or an airtight container.

Golden and crisp on the outside, flaky and tender on the inside, these soft farmer's cheese cookies are amazing.

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

Keep the ingredients as cold as possible.

You need little pieces of cold butter throughout the dough, which will make the cookies rise and form many layers of flaky dough by melting  as the cookies bake.
– Start with frozen butter.
– Use egg yolks right out of the refrigerator.
– Use cold water too, or even add ice to the water before measuring.

It’s also important to keep the dough cold.

– Chill the dough first before rolling it out for at least an hour. If you’re in a hurry, you can place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You can make the dough in advance. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Double wrap the dough and store in a freezer bag.)

When rolling out the dough, place the dough you are not using back in the refrigerator to keep cold while you assemble the cookies.

Work quickly while working with the dough, so your warm hands don’t melt the butter in the dough. Also, don’t over work the dough.
I often go one step further and place the baking sheet of cookie dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes so it’s really cold before you bake the cookies. The warmer the dough gets, the more chance the cookies will ooze out a lot of butter while baking and the less flaky and puffy the cookies.

Save all the scraps of cookie dough and use it to make more cookies.

Save the scraps, scrunch them into a little ball and refrigerate until it’s firm again. These cookies won’t have as many layers or puff up as much, but they will still be delicious.

More Farmer’s Cheese Recipes

I often use farmer’s cheese and ricotta cheese interchangeably in many recipes. It’s great in both savory and sweet recipes.

Farmer's Cheese Cookies - golden on the outside with ender flaky layers.
Print

Soft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

These popular Soft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies are tender and flaky. The dough is made with cold butter and farmer’s cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can also be used), which results in a texture that resembles puff pastry – crisp and golden on the outside with a multitude of thin layers inside.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 100 minutes
  • Yield: 90 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup butter (chilled)
  • 7.58 oz farmer’s cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can be substituted)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons water (cold or chilled)
  • 1/21 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Grate the chilled butter on a box grater, coating the butter flakes in the flour every so often, so it doesn’t clump together.
  3. Add the farmer’s cheese and mix to combine.
  4. Whisk the eggs yolks and water slightly, then add to the dough. Use your hands to quickly mix the ingredients together. Quickly knead it until it comes together.
  5. Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Cut the dough into quarters, then, working with one portion at a time, roll it out thinly on a well floured surface. (Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator so it stays cold.)
  8. Use a biscuit cutter (about 3 inches), or  an overturned cup or glass (preferably with thin edge) to cut through the dough and press out as much circles from the dough as possible.
  9. Save the scraps, scrunch them into a little ball and refrigerate until it’s firm again.
  10. Put the sugar into a bowl and press one side of the circle of dough into the sugar.
  11. Fold it in half to form a half moon shape. Press one side into the sugar again, fold it in half and press one of the sides in the sugar.
  12. Repeat with the rest of the dough. You will have 80-100 cookies, depending on the size that you make them.
  13. Place the cookies sugar side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cookies are puffed up and golden brown.

Notes

Storing the Cookies

Store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (If freezing, wrap the dough in parchment paper or foil and then also place in a freezer storage bag.)
Store the baked cookies at room temperature for 2-3 days in a closed box or container, or freeze up to 3 months in a freezer ziplock bag or an airtight container.

Farmer’s Cheese

Most store bought farmer’s cheese is sold in 7/5 oz packages, which is why I use this awkward amount in this recipe. When I use homemade farmer’s cheese or ricotta, I use 8 oz. It’s a very slight difference, and won’t matter in the recipe. It will all even out when you roll out the dough and you’ll use a bit more or less flour.

If you use ricotta or farmer’s cheese, be sure to drain it, even squeeze out all excess moisture before adding it to the dough.

Did you make this recipe?

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135 Comments

      • Paramitha Nasimova

        I’m eager to try your recipe, think will be good to eat with double cream and some fresh strawberry (yuuummm *drooling*) One question, can we use different cheese like ricotta?

        • olgak7

          Paramitha and Lena,
          I’m not sure if you can substitute ricotta in this recipe. I’ve never made it with anything other than farmer’s cheese. Ricotta is a lot more moist than farmer’s cheese, so I’m not sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out, I’m really curious.

          • Paramitha Nasimova

            Hai Olga,

            Because I couldn’t find farmer’s cheese in the place where I lived, so I decided to use ricotta instead. But when I went for shop, I changed my mind! 😀 I used cottage cheese for this recipe but before I use it, I threw the liquid that came up with cottage cheese using cheesecloth. I didn’t know exactly what the difference if I used farmer’s cheese, with mine it turned out like puff pastry, crispy outside and soft inside just like you said 😀 Only the problem when I made it, I didn’t read instruction very careful. I covered all cookies with sugar, so when I baked the sugar under cookies burnt! Hahhahahaa! I know, I shouldn’t cover all, but only one side! But then again I’m happy with the result, cos I made second batch after! (still curious :p) I really like this cookie! And yes I ate it with fresh strawberry and double cream, yum! Thank you Olga! 😉

          • olgak7

            Hi Paramitha!
            Thanks for writing to let me know the results! Next time I’ll know that cottage cheese or ricotta can be substituted for the farmer’s cheese:). It really sounds delicious to serve it with strawberries and cream. Yum!

          • iryna

            I made this today they turned out really good I didn’t have farmenrs cheese I’ve made the with cream cheese turned out just as good

  • Natalia

    I really liked those cookies when I was younger:) it reminds me of my childhood, I should make those pretty soon. 🙂 thanks Olga for all those great Russian receipts. When I read your receipts, it reminds me of my Belarus life. 🙂

    • olgak7

      Hi Natalia!
      I’m so glad you like the recipes! There is something so special about the recipes that have been made and enjoyed for generations. I especially love cooking food that is from my Slavic heritage:).

    • Maria Shevtsov

      Lenochka,
      Ricotta will not work for this recipe. My mom used to make these cookies for me all the time, so being home sick,I attempted to make them with ricotta. Not even close. Big dissappointment. Ricotta is a lot more moist than farmer’s cheese, so it will take up more flour making cookies doughy instead of light and puffy. 🙂 I hope this helps:)

  • Oksana

    These are so yummy! I just made some & ate about 10 with a cold glass of milk. Had to stop myself :). (They’re really good when they are still warm: crispy on the outside & soft on the inside). Thank you Olga!

    • olgak7

      My favorite part about these cookies is the texture – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Glad you liked them!

  • Lea's Cooking

    Yummy!!!!! These are awesome !!!!!! My kids would love these:))))
    ¸.•*❈*•.¸Thanks, Olga¸.•*❈*•.¸

  • Lilia

    I used to make similar cookies with cream cheese. I tried this recipe with ricotta cheese and they were also great! Will definitely try this recipe the next time I make farmer’s cheese. Thank you!

    • olgak7

      That’s awesome, Lilia! I’m glad ricotta works here too. I use a cream cheese dough to make Rugelach cookies. They turn out SO soft and tender.

  • victoria

    Hi Olga,
    I’m so happy I found your blog. So many days i just have no idea what to cook and wanted to find a good website to get ideas. Didn’t like any of them so i was so happy when i stumbled upon your blog. You make cooking and baking look really fun and easy so i just wanted to encourage you to keep doing what you are really good at! Today I tried making the chicken meatballs from your blog, and also the geese feet cookies. All of it turned out really good! My husband was very satisfied!
    Thank you for making my life a little bit easier by sharing your recipes!

    • olgak7

      Welcome Victoria!
      Thank you for your kind words:). I’m so glad you likes the cookies and the chicken meatballs. Hope you’ll enjoy more meals!

  • Casey

    I came across this website while searching if I could substitute ricotta cheese for farmers cheese while making blintz-like pancakes. The picture and description brought up a very very vague memory of cookies that I used to have at my grandmother’s house. She was born in the USA, but her parents and older siblings moved here from Russia/Belarus. My father always said that his mother’s mother taught him how to make these when he was a young child…I think I’m going to make these next time I go home and surprise him with them! Thank you for posting this! 🙂

    • olgak7

      Welcome Casey,
      Wow, sounds like you have the same heritage that I do. That’s awesome! These are definitely a very common recipe for Russians/Belarussians. I hope you like how they turn out:), and find some other recipes from your Slavic roots.

  • Tanya Shubin

    These were fantastic! They came out perfect and my family loved them! Great recipe and the pictures were super helpful!

  • Elena

    My kids love these cookies, i have too triple the recipe to make enough cookies for my family. I do use cottage cheese if i don’t have farmers cheese handy. With cottage cheese i just rinse it and run it through the blender turns out almost like farmers cheese and the cookies taste the same.

  • Olga

    Hello Olya! I’ve been eyeing this recepe for quite some time now and finally today had some farmers cheese leftover and was able to bake these delicious cookies. They taste great plus my entire house smells like a Giant Cookie. Thanks for your work on this blog. God bless.

    • olgak7

      That’s great, Olga.
      I usually have a recipe that I want to try in my mind’s list for a LONG time before I get around to actually doing it. Thanks for letting me know that you liked them. They do make the house smell so cozy and yummy.

  • Kate

    So good.
    No farmers cheese available here so used cottage cheese but squeezed out some of the whey in cheesecloth.
    Worked to perfection.
    Made half dipping in sugar, added some cinnamon to the sugar for the other half. All going down fast in this house.
    I am inspired by the ease of the pastry. So easy.
    Thought I might try a savoury variety using parmesan cheese and/or some herbs next time.

  • Theresa

    Love the looks and sound of this recipe. could possibly try yogurt cheese if drained overnight in fridge. any way I will try these with the farmers cheese. keep up the great work.

  • Nina

    I bought two gallons of milk last week for farmer cheese. I don’t know why but cheese became too sour. I was looking for good recipe with farmer’s cheese. I made double the recipe and its turned SO-O-O-O GOOD. Everyone loved them so much. It’s has just a little ( кислинка) but its even better. Thans much for great recipe and wonderful blog.

  • Irina k

    Just made these, they came out amazing!!! My boys literally aight the first batch!! Thank you so much for sharing, I was always intimidated by slayonka. It was very easy and delicious!

  • irina

    I made these geese feet cookies and they are delicious, I also pierced them with a fork so they can look like geese feet and they look really cute. Thanks for this recipe its very delicious.

  • Yelena

    Olga thank you so much for such a great recipe. Just made them for the Labor Day family get together and everyone loved them 🙂

  • Adelina

    I am making these cookies as I write and I must say they are awesome!!!!! The recipe is perfect. My kids can’t stop eating them. I doubled the recipe knowing that one would not be enough and I’m glad I did, were not having much leftovers. I learned that there are key words that you mention but I didn’t pay much attention to them till an issue came up, you must work fast to prevent the dough from warming up or the cookies would not rise. I made some with cold dough and they were rising perfectly, but then I started working with the scraps that were sitting on the counted for 5-7 min while I was sugaring the cold cookies and the cookies from that particular dough did not rise. Then I took cold dough from the fridge again and those did rise. Just a tip, keep the dough as cold as possible. I give this recipe 5 STARS!!!!!

    • olgak7

      I’m so glad you liked these cookies, Adelina:).
      I just made a double batch this weekend and it was gone within a few days.
      Absolutely, the dough needs to stay cold. As I mentioned in the instructions, that’s why you need to use frozen butter and also refrigerate the dough until it’s firm. Whenever I am making these cookies, I break off part of the dough that I’ll be rolling out and I keep the rest of it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to roll it out as well.

  • Marina

    Hi Olga,

    could you please just let me know how many grams has a stick of butter?
    I’d like to make this recipe for my transsiberian presentation 🙂 I was in Russia this summer and I’m looking for recipes to make for friends and family 🙂

  • Hasmik

    Hi Olga, I just baked this. They are delicious. I am making a note to myself that next time I mash the farmers cheese before I add it to the dough. The one I buy in Toronto has large pieces of curd. So you can see it in the dough. When it baked these specks darkened and hardened a bit. Otherwise very good. These days My favourite weekend pastime is testing your recipes.

    • olgak7

      Thank you for taking the time to write, Hasmik. I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies. You’re right, sometimes the farmer’s cheese can have big chunks in it and it would be best to break them up first. I’m lucky that the one I buy (or make myself) usually doesn’t need it.

  • Jan Murry

    Just made these yummy cookies – my husband can’t stop eating them. My first few were a little thick and popped open, but once I rolled them thinly enough, they turned out perfectly – definitely a new favorite! Happy Easter! (the thick ones tasted fine, just didn’t look as cute!)

  • Gaylene

    I just made these and they are amazing! As somebody mentioned above, I didn’t break up the farmer’s cheese very well & there are dark bits all throughout the cookies. My kitchen also filled with smoke. They still taste incredible, but next time I’ll mash the cheese up really well.

    I’m so glad I found your site, your recipes look fantastic and I can’t wait to try more of them. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

  • Christine Olenchuk

    I recently came upon your website and I am looking forward to trying many of your recipes.
    The first recipe I tried was for the Soft Farmer’s Cheese / Geese Feet Cookies.
    I have made them twice in the past two weeks and have passed your recipe on to a few people.
    It is mentioned in the recipe, that it is important to keep the dough cold so that the cookies puff up properly during baking.
    I thought I would mention what I did, in case someone elsd might find it helpfull.
    Once I had cut out and shaped a pan of cookies, I put the pan in the refrigerator for the cookies to chill (5-10 minutes), while I preheated the oven.

    • olgak7

      That’s a great point, Christine! I also keep the dough in the refrigerator while part of them are baking. I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies. They are one of my favorites:).

  • marianne

    I made the dough but found out i didnt need then for a week. Can the dough be frozen or will it be alright in the refrigerator that long.

    • olgak7

      I’ve never kept this dough refrigerated for more than a day, so I can’t really tell you from experience. I think it would still work, Marianne. Let me know what you find out.

  • ValentinaY

    Hi Olia! 🙂 Someone posted a link to your blog with this recepi on Facebook and that is how I found your blog. I am very excited to try to make these cookies. I also love the form of your blog because I am searching to create my own blog (not in cooking feild though). Would you mind to share with me what web you used for creating it, please? I appreciate!!

    Valia

  • Oksana

    I made these cookies today, they turned realy tasty, but the problem they were not puffy like yours, what seems like the problem? I did exactly by recepie.

  • Julie

    Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I am in no way a baker (out of a box all the way). Decided to try these out before a bake-sale at work and they turned out wonderful! By the third batch I was feeling quite comfortable and filled them with some preserves prior to covering in sugar. Turned out good, cannot wait to bring these to the bake-sale..if any are left.

    • olgak7

      Thank you for taking time to write, Julie! Your comment really made my day. I’m so happy that the cookies turned out so well. They are probably one of my favorite cookies.

  • Susan

    Olga, the cookies are delicious. I bought 2 packages of farmers cheese to make pierogi, but, I made these instead. Way easier than pierogi. Do you have a pierogi recipe?

    • olgak7

      That’s awesome, Susan! I’m thrilled that you liked these cookies. They are one of my favorites.
      I do have a pierogi recipe, but not on the blog yet. I’ll get around to it eventually:).

  • Olga

    Love your blog!!!
    I will try making these cookies tomorrow for a get together! They look delicious! Would you happen to know for how long I can keep the dough in the fridge? I’m not sure I will need that many cookies so I would like to save half of the dough and make the rest of the cookies later next week for Christmas. Would the dough hold up a few days in the fridge? Thanks!

    • olgak7

      They should be able to keep in the refrigerator for a few days, Olga. I’ve honestly never made them more than 2 days in advance though, so it’s hard for me to tell you for sure.

      • Olga

        I made these on Saturday and what a big hit they were!!! I ended up using up all the dough and I didn’t get nearly as many cookies as recipe calls for but I think that is because I didn’t roll my dough out thin enough (i’ll know better for next time). I did keep the dough in the fridge overnight and cookies came out great! Thanks so much for the recipe! I will be making these again for sure!

  • nedekcir

    thank you so much for the recipe. A friend of mine showed me a picture from her job but cannot remember the name. I’ve been looking online since then and today I found this. I can finally make it.

  • Maria

    Hi Olga, thank you so much for this recipe! I am a newbie in cooking and stumbled on similar recipes at other websites. Well, it did not work no matter which website recipe I used. The cookies lost their form. When I found your website and this recipe, I’ve decided to to try for the last time. It did work! They came up just like in your picture. Now I know how to make them. Your detailed description with step by step pictures is a great help for those of us who are newbies in cooking. Thank you again!!!!

  • Allie

    Olga, thank you so much for posting these wonderful recipes! These cookies are delicious! Very easy to make and not a fussy dough at all. I can cook, be with my children and make these cookies at the same time. Stay well, and God bless you!

  • jeanne

    have you every tried putting a little jam in the center? i am making them now and wonder if anyone ever tried put a filling in the middle

  • Emiliya

    Hi, Olga! Just made these.. so good as always… I followed your recipe the very first time but lately I make these with cottage cheese and not adding any water. My kids love them! Thank you for such great recipes!

  • Michele

    Hi Olga,
    I was searching for a kiflica recipe with farmers cheese used in the dough rather than a filling, and came across your recipe. I’m about to put some butter in the freezer so I can try your recipe later today. I am wondering whether you have made a salty / savoury version at all?
    Thank you so much for sharing.

  • dv8

    i made these today. could not be bothered with grating the butter so i just dumped all the ingredients into the food processor. they still came out super tasty and flaky but not as puffed as yours. partially because i squished them really tight and partially because the dough started to warm up during rolling and folding – i live in a tropical country. next time i will fold the cookies loosely and put them in a fridge for half an hour before baking.

  • Lena

    Hi Olga! I was wondering would it be ok to add some sugar into the dough to make them sweeter? My family likes their sweets pretty sweet 🙂 thank you!

  • Olga P

    This was a very easy dough to work with, very quick to make and turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe Olga! 🙂

  • Mary

    I am so anxious to try all of your Russian recipes. mm mm mm!!!! My Husband, Nick, who died 17 years ago, was
    Russian and so I try to make Russian things for our daughter in Pennsylvania.
    I m anxious to try these beautiful cookies. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us.
    How do you stay so thin? All of these delicious goodies.

  • Liliya

    This is such an easy and simple recipe, yet so delicious! Cookies were flying off the plate! My kids approved them and renamed them to “Mom’s Lips” lol

    • olgak7

      Hi Yvette,
      This recipe does not use baking powder. The cookies puff up from the cold bits of butter that melt while baking and creates pockets of air. This is the same concept as puff pastry and pie dough.
      If you used ricotta, it is much more wet than farmer’s cheese. Did you remove the extra liquid from the ricotta first before using in the dough like I specified in the recipe and in the video? This is really important, otherwise the dough will be more wet and the butter is more likely to completely mold into the flour instead of staying in cold pieces.
      It is also possible that the dough wasn’t cold enough or you may have rolled it out too thinly.
      I’m sorry the cookies did not turn out flaky for you. I hope the tips helped.

  • Susan

    Hi Olga,
    These look absolutely delicious. Have you added anything between the folds? I was thinking maybe some little pieces of crystallized ginger.

  • Tatyana

    Hello Olga Thank you for the recipe 😘 my mom use to make these when we are little.
    I want to make these cookies but I was wondering if it will they be ok with almond flour, instead of regular flour?






  • May

    Hi, I have a question regarding the butter amount specified in the recipe.
    1 cup of butter is around 225g but I’m not sure how to measure out a cup of hard butter…
    Could you please provide another measurement alternative for butter?
    The 225g seems a little much for the amount of flour used as the dough would turn out very sticky and oily when in the oven. How many grams was the butter stick you used in the video?
    Please let me know if I misunderstood or if 1 cup is the right amount.
    Thank you so much, I love the recipes here.

    • olgak7

      Most packages of butter specify the weight and measurement of the butter.
      1 cup of butter is equal to 8 oz, 1/2 lb, or 16 Tablespoons of butter. In America, the butter packages will have the measurements right on the wrapper. You need a significantly large amount of butter for these cookies.
      The cold grater butter needs to stay as cold as possible and when it bakes, they will melt, create pockets of air and make a really flaky cookie. The only way the cookies will be too sticky and “oily” is if the butter gets too cold before you bake them.

  • Olga

    Olga, I can’t wait to try and make these cookies with my 6 yr old grand daughter. Geese feet how cute is that. I wasn’t able to learn very much baking from my mother, because she was taken from her home to the work camps at a very young age of 12. She never returned home after that. So glad you’re able to bake with your mother. Enjoy and cherish every moment.






    • olgak7

      I hope you enjoy baking the cookies with your grand daughter. They are so tasty and so fun to make with little ones. They love cutting out the circles and dipping the cookie dough in the sugar:).
      I’m so sorry to hear about your mother – so sad. I feel so blessed to have many years of memories with my Mom and still enjoy cooking together today.

  • Pat Dabbert

    Hi, I made these tiny delicious morsels several days ago. I followed recipe,but used ricotta cheese. Had it on hand & I have several other recipes that say you can sub. My 1st cookie w/farmers cheese I actually made the cheese & loved it. The other was to use food processor.I put 1/2 flour & 1/2 cold butter =pulsed a couple times/ then added the remaining flour & butter. Pulsed 2 times. I then added eggs & cold water. In fridge it went till the next day. I needed to let a portion of dough out for just a few minutes (hard to roll). After shaping – sugaring & baking equaled 1 fantastic morsel that you could pot in your mouth and enjoy. I thank you for sharing & plan on going through your recipes. I see some others had questioned savory. I had the same thought,but I am on a mission now to see how can I achieve this. This recipe needs to be shared more. Hope I can do that.Left comment on pinterest. When I do come up with something hope okay to let you know. Sorry about lengthy comment. Sincerely Pat






  • Emily P.

    Can you use full fat/whole milk farmer’s cheese or does the recipe work better with low fat? I found Bandi brand at one of the markets and they sell it as 15% whole fat, 9% reduced fat.

    • olgak7

      I prefer using whole milk for most recipes. If you use reduced fat milk, you will not get as much farmer’s cheese and will get a lot more whey than using whole fat milk.

  • Chris M Coy

    Well made them my 1st time cut the recipe in half to see how i would like it and regret not making the full recipe couldnt find farmers cheese but still looking for it but used ricotta and came out delicious been trying to try new unique recipes

  • jessica

    Hi Olga, do you think I can make them slightly bigger than yours? and is it normal that butter leaks from the geese feet while baking? Thanks

    • olgak7

      You can make them whatever size you want, Jessica. If you make them bigger, you’ll have to bake them longer. If the butter leaks a lot, then most likely the dough was too warm. That’s why I like cutting off a small portion of the dough, put the rest of the dough back in the refrigerator while I’m rolling out the dough and shaping the cookies. Also, try to work as quickly as you can, so the dough doesn’t get too warm and don’t overwork it. When the dough gets too warm and the butter pieces melt, the cookies will leak more butter and they will be more flat and less flaky. Hope that helps.

    • olgak7

      Hi Viktoriya. The photo in the post is a process photo; I only grate I stick of butter at a time. You need two sticks of butter total for the cookie dough, 1 cup total.

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