Biscoito de queijo

Cheese biscuits

Ingredients

  • 250g polvilho doce
  • 220g cheese of your choice (parmesan, canastra, meia-cura, or a mix like queijo minas + parmesan)
  • 1 egg
  • 50g butter
  • About ½ cup milk
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • Chives (cebolinha) to taste

Preparation

Preparing the Dough

  1. Mix the Egg: Beat the egg lightly in a small bowl.
  2. Chop the Chives: Finely chop the chives, or adjust the size to your preference.
  3. Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 220°C and allow it to preheat while you prepare the dough.
  4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, add polvilho, cheese, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Add Butter and Egg: Add the butter and beaten egg to the dry mixture.
    • The butter should ideally be cold.
    • Mix until the butter breaks into small pieces, forming a crumbly texture similar to coarse sand or thick farofa.
  6. Incorporate Chives: Add chives in small portions, mixing until you achieve the desired amount and distribution.
  7. Adjust with Milk: Gradually add milk in small portions, mixing after each addition.
    • The dough should be moldable but slightly crumbly.
    • If too dry and sandy, add more milk. If too wet, add more polvilho.
  8. Final Texture: The dough should come together into a large ball without sticking to your hands.

Shaping the Biscuits

  1. Shape the Dough: Grab pieces of the dough and form into cylinder-shaped biscuits, about 4–7 cm in length with rounded edges.
  2. Prepare the Baking Pan:
    • No greasing or parchment paper is necessary as the polvilho prevents sticking.
    • However, using parchment paper may result in more evenly cooked biscuits (optional).
  3. Optional Freezing Step:
    • Freeze the shaped biscuits for 5 minutes before transferring to a ziplock bag for storage in the freezer.
    • Alternatively, bake directly after shaping.

Baking the Biscuits

  1. Preheat Reminder: Ensure your oven has preheated for at least 15 minutes.
  2. Bake: Place the biscuits on the baking pan.
    • No need to space them far apart, as they do not expand significantly during baking.
    • Bake for around 20 minutes (fresh) or up to 40 minutes (frozen).
  3. Check for Doneness: The biscuits are ready when the tops turn a light golden color.

Extra observations:

Chives are just one flavor option! Consider, Leeks, Garlic, Pimenta calabresa, Chili flakes. I only tried chives so far, but these variations are worth exploring.