These Baked Cheesy Bites or Cheese Biscuits need just three ingredients, are simple and quick to make, and guaranteed to impress. Flavoured with cheddar cheese, they have a light slightly flaky texture, can be served warm or cold and you can add in a variety of herbs or spices.
I made these as I had some leftover pastry from my Cheese Flan recipe. I then simplified the pastry recipe slightly and added some chives. They are perfect as a snack and make an impressive plastic-free alternative to shop-bought cheese biscuits or crackers on a cheese board. They are also a handy way to use up smaller pieces of leftover cheese.
For more cheese-based recipes, try my Lighter Quiche recipe, or for a quick version, my Crustless Quiche. If it's toasted cheese you're after, then Welsh Rarebit is the ultimate in melted cheese.
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Ingredients
These Cheddar Cheese Biscuits need just three ingredients.
- Mature Cheddar Cheese - use mature or sharp cheddar cheese for the strongest flavour.
- Plain Flour - also known as All Purpose Flour.
- Butter - use a salted butter
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Cheesy Bites
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Sieve the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in some herbs if you like. (see suggestions under Variations)
Add in the grated or shredded cheese and form the dough into a ball. The moisture from the butter and cheese is enough to make the dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm or beeswax wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Dust a surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry to ½cm thickness. Cut out circles using a pastry cutter.
Lay the pastry circles on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes.
Leave to cool and transfer to a wire rack.
Hint: You can divide your dough up and make variations with different herbs.
Variations
- Other Cheeses - I've made these Cheesy Bites with Cheddar cheese but you can use another hard-grated cheese. Try to use one that has a strong flavour such as Red Leicester or Double Gloucester. Parmesan cheese will also give a nice strong flavour or try a Gouda or Comte. Always grate the cheese yourself rather than use packaged pre-grated cheese for the best results.
- Spicy - if you want to spice them up a little, add ½ teaspoon of paprika or mustard powder to the flour. You can also add a few chilli flakes or some cracked black pepper.
- Herbs - instead of chives, you could use rosemary or thyme. Remember dried herbs are more potent than fresh so use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for a tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Equipment
All you need for this recipe are :-
- Weighing Scales
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Cutters
Serving Suggestion
These cheddar cheesy bites look impressive on a cheese board or grazing platter. Sprinkle with fresh chives or sesame seeds and serve with a selection of cheeses and your favourite chutney.
They are also great for an after-school snack or with packed lunches as an alternative to sweet biscuits.
Serve as a side to homemade soups such as this Carrot and Courgette, Roasted Red Pepper and Lentil. or this slightly spicy Sweet Potato Chilli and Ginger soup.
For Christmas or the Holiday season, why not use seasonal shape cutters such as stars or Christmas Trees?
Finally, Cheesy Bites make impressive-looking homemade gifts, particularly as part of a homemade hamper. I've lots more ideas for Zero Waste gifts on my eco living blog page.
Storage
Store the cheese biscuits in an airtight container for 4 - 5 days.
The uncooked cheesy dough can be stored in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. Be sure to wrap it carefully in clingfilm or beeswax wraps to stop it from drying out.
You can also freeze the pastry dough for up to 6 months. Defrost it fully at room temperature before rolling it out.
Baked cheese biscuits can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Top tip
These Baked Cheesy Bites are so delicious, why not double or treble the recipe and make a batch? You can even store the dough in the freezer. Just defrost fully at room temperature and roll it out.
Don't overcook them as they can become bitter if allowed to darken.
Sustainability
Cheese biscuits are perfect for using up smaller amounts of leftover cheese. They are also a good plastic-free alternative to shop bought cheese crackers.
Related
Looking for other Cheesy Recipes? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Easy Cheesy Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 115 g Plain Flour or All Purpose
- 70 g Butter
- 60 g Mature Cheddar Cheese grated or shredded
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Herbs chives, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Sieve the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in some herbs if you like. (see suggestions under Variations)115 g Plain Flour, 70 g Butter, 1 tablespoon Fresh Herbs
- Add in the grated or shredded cheese and form the dough into a ball. The moisture from the butter and cheese is enough to make the dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm or beeswax wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.60 g Mature Cheddar Cheese
- Dust a surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry to ½cm thickness. Cut out circles using a pastry cutter
- Lay the pastry circles on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. Leave to cool and transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
-
- Mature Cheddar Cheese - use mature or sharp cheddar cheese for the strongest flavour.
-
- Plain Flour - also known as All Purpose Flour.
-
- Butter - use a salted butter
Variations
-
- Other Cheeses - I've made these with Cheddar cheese but you can use another hard grated cheese. Try to use one that has a strong flavour such as Red Leicester or Double Gloucester. Parmesan cheese will also give a nice strong flavour or try a Gouda or Comte.
-
- Spicy - if you want to spice them up a little, add ½ teaspoon of paprika or mustard powder to the flour. You can also add a few chilli flakes or some cracked black pepper.
-
- Herbs - instead of chives, you could use rosemary or thyme. Remember dried herbs are more potent than fresh so use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for a tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Storage
Store the biscuits in an airtight container for 4 - 5 days. The uncooked cheesy dough can be stored in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. Be sure to wrap it carefully in clingfilm or beeswax wraps to stop it from drying out. You can also freeze the cheesy pastry dough for up to 6 months. Defrost it fully at room temperature before rolling it out. Cooked biscuits can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
Bren
These are absolute winners. Run out of cream crackers? In a short time you can have something even better !
Splendid !