This treasured Cheddar Cheese Pastries recipe has been passed down through generations of my spouse’s family. From the first time I baked these pastries, they’ve been a delectable success. Time-tested (literally!), scrumptious and unbelievably addictive, these golden treats make a perfect holiday pastry. With only a few ingredients, the Cheddar Cheese Pastries are so simple to prepare.
I adopted this recipe from my sister-in-law Kim, the granddaughter of a lovely lady, Gertrude Hiscocks (neé Burgher, 1905 – 1996). She was an avid baker since childhood so she would have started baking in the early 1900’s. She lived in Nova Scotia and was a survivor of the Halifax Disaster in 1917, managing to climb her way out of the rubble that was her schoolhouse. Her grandchildren called her Nanny and her friends called her Truda or Trudy.
I made these pastries exactly according to Trudy’s recipe. There are only 4 main ingredients: cheese, butter, flour and apricot jam.
Cheese
Trudy liked to use a good old and sharp cheddar cheese. However, cream cheese or cottage cheese would be acceptable substitutes.
Butter
Since pastry dough is savoury, you can use either salted or unsalted butter.
Flour
You will need 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour can be used as well.
Jam
Trudy used to prefer using apricot jam. If not available, she liked a good raspberry jam because of the pop and texture from the seeds.
I think fig jam can be a good modern option due to its thick consistency. Or, use a little bit of hot pepper jelly (one of Kim ‘s multiple option suggestions) and make your pastries almost flat.
Make savory pastries if desired
To switch your appeal from sweet to savory, you could add thyme or rosemary in the crust and use cream cheese inside for the filling. You can also use spinach filling or caramelized onions or chopped ham/bacon/shrimp, etc. Variations are endless – just use your imagination.
Need more festive recipes? Check these out:
Gingersnap Cookies with Fresh Ginger
Festive Kale & Goji Salad with Lemon Dressing
Cheddar Cheese Pastries
Course: Appetizers, DessertsDifficulty: Medium30
pastries25
minutes15
minutes56
kcal40
minutesTime-tested, scrumptious and unbelievably addictive, these Cheddar Cheese Pastries with old-fashioned flair make a perfect holiday baked treat.
Ingredients
3/4 cup 3/4 cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup 1/2 unsalted butter (right out of the fridge), shaved or grated
1 cup 1 all-purpose flour
1/3 cup 1/3 apricot jam
3 tbsp 3 milk
3/4 tsp 3/4 salt
1 1 egg white
2 tsp 2 sugar
Directions
- Prepare the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, shaved butter, grated cheese and salt together.
- Cut with pastry blender until well blended as in making a pie crust. Or simply blend by pressing the coarse ingredients with a large spoon and kneading roughly by hand.
- Stir in milk to make a stiff dough.
- Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured board, knead moderately and roll out to 3/8-inch thickness. Cut into 25-30 large rounds.
- Place a small dollop of apricot jam in the middle of each round. Moisten edges with water or milk. Fold to make semi-circle. Press edges together with a fork.
- Transfer the pastries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, spacing them at least an inch apart.
- Make an egg wash by lightly beating a single egg white with 1 tsp of sugar. Brush the tops of the pastries lightly with your egg wash. Sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top.
- Bake at 450°F for 11-12 minutes until golden-brown.
Notes
- If you prefer savory pastries, instead of jam you could add thyme or rosemary in the crust and use cream cheese inside for the filling. You can also use spinach filling or caramelized onions or chopped ham/bacon/shrimp, etc.
Nutrition Facts
30 servings per container
Serving Size1 pastries
- Amount Per ServingCalories56
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
3.27g
6%
- Saturated Fat 1.955g 10%
- Trans Fat 0.039g
- Cholesterol 7mg 3%
- Sodium 83mg 4%
- Potassium 15mg 1%
- Total Carbohydrate
5.19g
2%
- Dietary Fiber 0.2g 1%
- Sugars 1.42g
- Protein 1.53g 4%
- Vitamin A 4%
- Calcium 3%
- Iron 1%
- Vitamin E 1%
- Thiamin 3%
- Riboflavin 4%
- Niacin 2%
- Vitamin B12 2%
- Folate 3%
- Phosphorus 3%
- Magnesium 1%
- Zinc 2%
- Selenium 5%
- Copper 1%
- Manganese 2%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is estimated. It is calculated using an online nutrition calculator based on recipe ingredients as inputs. Accuracy is dependent on the calculator. It is not intended as a professional nutritionist’s advice.
