Looking for a buttery, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth treat? These Farmer’s Cheese Cookies (also known as Гусиные Лапки or Geese Feet) are the perfect bite-sized sweet treat. Soft, tender, and golden on the outside, they’re a nostalgic family recipe you’ll want to bake again and again.
There's something irresistible about cookies that are both crispy and tender—Farmer’s Cheese Cookies are the perfect example. Inspired by a beloved family recipe passed down through generations, these cookies have a rich, flaky texture that’s both delicate and satisfying.
Made with just a handful of simple ingredients like farmer's cheese (or ricotta/cottage cheese), butter, flour, and eggs, they come together in no time. You can use store bought or homemade ricotta instead of the farmer's cheese. What makes them even more special is the way they puff up into layers of golden, crispy goodness, thanks to the secret ingredient—cold butter. These little "Geese Feet" will quickly become a favorite in your home, just as they have in ours for years.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Video of How To Make Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies
- Ingredients
- What is Farmer's Cheese and Where Is It Sold?
- What Can Be Used To Substitute For Farmer's Cheese?
- How To Make Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies
- Assembling and Baking the Cookies
- Helpful Tips
- Storing the Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Farmer's Cheese Recipes
- Soft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Flaky dough that’s a shortcut DIY “puff pastry”: This dough gives you that delicious, buttery, flaky texture of puff pastry without the hassle. Cold butter and farmer's cheese create layers that crisp up beautifully in the oven.
Dough can be made ahead of time and even frozen: You can prepare the dough in advance, so it’s perfect for busy days. Check out more Freezer Meal Prep ideas.
Fun to make with kids: The simple, hands-on process of shaping these cookies makes them an enjoyable activity for little ones. Kids will love helping roll out the dough and shaping them into little "Geese Feet."
Not too sweet, simple and satisfying: These cookies strike the perfect balance—just sweet enough with a simple, comforting flavor. Another easy cookie recipe that's not too sweet are my Apple Cookies.
Video of How To Make Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients and their exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- All purpose flour: I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour or any alternative flours
- Butter: The butter needs to be really cold—preferably frozen. This is essential for creating those flaky layers that puff up in the oven, giving the cookies their signature crispiness.
- Farmer's cheese or ricotta cheese: This is the heart of the dough! While farmer’s cheese is traditional, you can easily swap it with ricotta or cottage cheese. Just make sure to drain it well before using—this helps to maintain the perfect dough consistency. (I love this easy recipe for homemade ricotta in the Instant Pot just drain it well before using)
- Egg yolks: Using only egg yolks in this recipe creates a richer, more tender texture and a buttery flavor, while keeping the cookies light and flaky instead of dense.
- Water: Chilled or ice water works best here! The cold water helps keep the dough cool, which is key to achieving that flaky texture.
- Granulated sugar: You’ll use granulated sugar in two ways: to dip the cookies before folding and to sprinkle on top for that perfect, delicate sweetness and golden finish.
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 homemade ricotta cheese in the Instant Pot and then using it in this recipe, 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 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.
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
Before you begin, it's essential to use cold butter and chilled water (or ice water) for the best results. I recommend placing the butter in the freezer before starting.
- Prepare the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, add the flour and salt. Grate the cold butter into the flour using a box grater. Try to work quickly to keep the butter from melting. Pause occasionally to coat the butter flakes with flour.
2. Add the farmer's cheese to the bowl and mix until combined. At this stage, the mixture will be dry and crumbly.
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.
5. Chill the dough: Once the dough is combined, shape it into a disc and wrap it tightly in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least an hour. This allows the dough to chill and firm up. You can also store the dough in the fridge for a few days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Assembling and Baking the Cookies
After the cookie dough has chilled and you are ready to start making the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Roll out the dough: Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each portion thinly on a floured surface. Use a biscuit cutter (about 3 inches in diameter), a cup, or a glass to cut out as many circles as you can from the dough. Keep the remaining dough covered and refrigerated when not in use.
7. Assemble the cookies: Dip each dough circle into a bowl of sugar.
8. Then, fold it in half to form a half-moon shape and press one side into the sugar again.
9. Fold it in half once more and dip the top in sugar. Repeat this process for all the dough circles.
10. Bake the cookies: Place the sugar-coated cookies, sugar side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press down on the top of each cookie to help the layers stick together. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up and golden brown.
Helpful Tips
- 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. When rolling out the dough, place the dough you are not using back in the refrigerator (covered) 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.
- 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. I do the same thing when I make Orange Scones or Blueberry Lemon Scones, and it makes a big difference.
- 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.
Storing the Cookies
You can store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap the dough tightly in parchment paper or plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer ziplock bag to protect it from drying out and freezer burn.
Once baked, the cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days in a closed box or airtight container. For longer storage, freeze the cookies for up to 3 months by placing them in a freezer ziplock bag or an airtight container. This will help keep them fresh and ready to enjoy whenever you like!
Frequently Asked Questions
It's very important to use cold butter when making the cookie dough. I have lots of tips in the recipe above how to keep it cold. If the flakes of butter melt or get worked into the dough, the cookies will be flat, will not have layers and not be puffy and light. 
If the cookie dough wasn't cold enough, the butter will ooze out while baking, instead of puffing up the cookies and creating flakes and layers.
Yes! This dough freezes so well. Wrap the cookie dough in parchment paper or foil, then place it into a freezer ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Farmer's cheese is usually sold in the dairy section of grocery stores. It is often next to cream cheese. It is also sold in european markets, like Russian, Ukrainian or Polish stores.
Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese can be used instead of farmer's cheese. Just be sure to drain all excess moisture first, before using it in the recipe. Here's a recipe for homemade ricotta cheese in the Instant Pot.
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.
- Chocolate Shortbread Bars With Cheese Filling
- Cheese Blintzes
- How To Make Homemade Farmer's Cheese
- Cheese Stuffed Mashed Potato Cakes
If you tried this Farmer's Cheese Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating or a comment below. I love hearing from you!
PrintSoft Farmer’s Cheese Cookies
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.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 100 minutes
- Yield: 90 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (chilled)
- 7.5 - 8 oz farmer's cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can be substituted)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 Tablespoons water (cold or chilled)
- ½ - 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl.
- Grate the chilled butter on a box grater, coating the butter flakes in the flour every so often, so it doesn't clump together.
- Add the farmer's cheese and mix to combine.
- 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.
- Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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.)
- 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.
- Save the scraps, scrunch them into a little ball and refrigerate until it's firm again.
- Put the sugar into a bowl and press one side of the circle of dough into the sugar.
- 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.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough. You will have 80-100 cookies, depending on the size that you make them.
- 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
Keep Ingredients Cold
Use frozen butter, cold egg yolks, and ice-cold water. The cold butter creates flaky layers as it melts during baking, giving the cookies their perfect texture.
Keep the Dough Cold
Work quickly to prevent the butter from melting with your warm hands. For extra flakiness, place the dough on a baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking. Cold dough ensures the cookies rise and stay puffed, without excess butter oozing out.
Don't Waste the Scraps
Save all the scraps of dough! Scrunch them into a ball and refrigerate until firm again. While these cookies may not puff up as much or have as many layers, they’ll still be delicious!
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, then place it 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 airtight container.
Farmer's Cheese
Most store-bought farmer's cheese comes in 7.5 oz packages, which is why this recipe calls for that amount. If using homemade farmer's cheese or ricotta, use 8 oz. It's a small difference and won’t affect the recipe. Just make sure to drain it well, squeezing out any excess moisture before adding it to the dough.
Your recipe says one cup of butter but I only see you use one brick which is 1/2 cup. Can you clearify please
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.
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
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.
Hi olga, I was wondering if you could use a gluten-free flour to make these cookies
I have never experimented with gluten free flour in this recipe. If you try it, let me know how they turn out:).
Have you tried gluten free flour? 1:1? I'm very curious if they will work!
Hi Casey, Sorry, I haven't tried gluten free flour, so I'm not sure if it works well in this recipe or not.
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
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.
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.
Wow! These turned out amazing! Thank you Olga!
Our family favorite! Made it dozen of times and we love it. Thank you Olga!
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
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Pat! Thank you for taking the time to write.