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    Home » Appetizers

    Flaky Cheese Hearts

    Published: Feb 13, 2022 · Modified: May 5, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    These homemade flaky crackers are great to nibble on with a glass of wine or as a savory snack for treating your guests. Bake them with this easy recipe as well!

    Savory heart-shaped cheese crackers served on a plate.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Useful tips
    Flaky Cheese Hearts

    The recipe originates in the Czech Republic, where it is quite popular among home bakers. Just five ingredients create a pliable, buttery dough from which you can cut out any shape you like. Before baking the crackers, sprinkle the surface with poppy or caraway seeds, whose aroma makes them a real Czech thing.

    MY TIP: If you're looking for ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day, these heart-shaped crackers are a nice inspiration!

    A fan of Czech recipes? Try out bramboraky, garlicky potato pancakes (they taste so good!)

    ➜ Ingredients

    To make flaky cheese hearts, you will need:

    BUTTERY DOUGH:

    Ingredients for heart-shaped cheesy hearts with description.
    • Unsalted butter; take it out of the fridge about half an hour in advance
    • All-purpose flour
    • Egg yolk; reserve the egg white for brushing later
    • Semi-hard cheese; grated. Get a fattier one with about 40-45% fat content. The type of cheese will affect the final taste and saltiness of the pastry. In this recipe, I used an Italian cheese called Provolone.
    • Salt

    TOPPING:

    Topping for heart crackers.
    • Egg white; which you have leftover from the yolk. You won't use the whole of it; you'll just need it to brush the surface of the shapes before you sprinkle and pop it in the oven.
    • Sprinkles; to taste. I used whole caraway seeds and poppy seeds. Coarse salt is another option.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions

    STEP 1: Put the butter cut into pieces in a bowl. Add the egg yolk, finely grated cheese, flour, and salt. Make a fine, smooth dough out of the ingredients. Wrap it in cling film and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

    STEP 2: In the meantime, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Dust the working surface with a bit of flour and get a rolling pin.

    STEP 3: Roll out the rested dough to a thickness of about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) – not too thin! Use a cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Using a flat knife, transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.

    Cutting hear-shaped crackers out of the rolled dough.

    STEP 4: Brush the egg white over the surface of the hearts. Sprinkle some of them with whole caraway seeds, others with poppy seeds.

    Brushing the surfaces of hearts with egg-white.

    STEP 5: Bake the hearts in a preheated oven at 356°F / 180°C (upper and lower heating) for 20 minutes until the surface is golden.

    ➜ Serving

    Arrange the baked heart crackers in a bowl or on a platter and serve as a savory treat. They are excellent with a glass of wine or a beer.

    MY TIP: Browse the category with delicious Czech appetizers as well!

    Flaky heart crackers.

    ➜ Useful tips

    • In addition to the poppy and caraway seeds, sprinkle the hearts with sesame seeds, sweet ground paprika, or any good spice mix you have tried.
    • During baking, the hearts will puff up and become fluffy. They are soft and kind of fragile. And dangerously addictive!
    • Store baked cheese hearts in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. They'll keep for about a week.

    More tasty recipes:

    • Pork schnitzel – breaded & fried cutlets
    • Homemade ham spread
    • Czech open-faced sandwiches
    • Shredded cheese biscuits

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Savory cheese hearts recipe.

    Flaky Cheese Hearts

    These homemade flaky crackers are great to nibble on with a glass of wine or as a savory snack for treating your guests. Bake them with this easy recipe as well!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Resting time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 40
    Calories: 45kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Cheese recipes

    Ingredients

    Dough:

    • 1 stick unsalted butter (112 g) take it out of fridge around 30 minutes before baking
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1 cup grated cheese (120 g) fat content 40-45%, e.g. Italian cheese Provolone
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Topping:

    • 1 egg white
    • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds whole
    • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds whole

    Instructions

    • Put the butter cut into pieces in a bowl. Add the egg yolk, finely grated cheese, flour, and salt. Make a fine, smooth dough out of the ingredients. Wrap it in cling film and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
    • In the meantime, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Dust the working surface with a bit of flour and get a rolling pin.
    • Roll out the rested dough to a thickness of about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) – not too thin! Use a cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Using a flat knife, transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
    • Brush the egg white over the surface of the hearts. Sprinkle some of them with whole caraway seeds, others with poppy seeds.
    • Bake the hearts in a preheated oven at 356°F / 180°C (upper and lower heating) for 20 minutes until the surface is golden.

    Notes

    • Makes about 40 heart-shaped crackers.
    • SERVING: Arrange the baked heart crackers in a bowl or on a platter and serve as a savory treat. They are excellent with a glass of wine or a beer.
    • In addition to the poppy and caraway seeds, sprinkle the hearts with sesame seeds, sweet ground paprika, or any good spice mix you have tried.
    • During baking, the hearts will puff up and become fluffy. They are soft and kind of fragile. 
    •  STORAGE: Store baked cheese hearts in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. They'll keep for about a week.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 106IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    More Appetizer Recipes

    • Roasted Cheese Carrot Sandwiches
    • Homemade Dill Pickles (Czech Recipe)
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    • Pickled Sausages (Czech Utopenci)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. aketch

      February 13, 2022 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      Lovely, flaky, delicious cracker! Dobrou chut!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        February 15, 2022 at 1:07 am

        Thank you very much and dobrou chuť for you, too!

        Reply
    2. DCP

      February 14, 2022 at 8:04 pm

      5 stars
      Oh, my gosh these crackers were delicious and additive.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        February 15, 2022 at 1:02 am

        Thank you very much!

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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