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!
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:
- 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:
- 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 1/4 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.
STEP 4: Brush the egg white over the surface of the hearts. Sprinkle some of them with whole caraway seeds, others with poppy seeds.
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!
➜ 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! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Flaky Cheese Hearts
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
aketch
Lovely, flaky, delicious cracker! Dobrou chut!
Petra Kupská
Thank you very much and dobrou chuť for you, too!
DCP
Oh, my gosh these crackers were delicious and additive.
Petra Kupská
Thank you very much!