These Farmer's Cheese Cookies are tender and flaky. The dough is made with cold butter and farmer's cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can also be used), which results in a texture that resembles puff pastry - crisp and golden on the outside with a multitude of thin layers inside.
These farmer's cheese cookies have been in our family for many years. My Mom used to make them all the time, especially when I was a little girl. In our family we use farmer's cheese in so many different ways. This is one of the perfect examples of combining such simple ingredients for an amazingly delicious treat. They are still one of my favorite cookies.
These cookies are often known by the very uniques name "Гусиные Лапки" (Geese Feet, pronounced gusinie lapki), because of their shape. They sure do look like tiny little webbed geese feet! The dough is based on farmer's cheese, butter, flour and eggs. How simple is that? It comes together in minutes and can be made ahead of time, since it needs time in the refrigerator to chill.
A perfect mouthful of flaky and tender dough, these cookies are crunchy on the outside from being baked into gorgeous golden crispness, but also from being dipped in sugar. Fill your cookie jars with these dainty, delicate darlings. They don't usually last long at my house!
Video of How To Make Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
all purpose flour
I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour or any alternative flours
salt
butter
the butter needs to be really cold, preferably frozen
instead of farmer's cheese, you can use ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, but it needs to be drained
egg yolks
I use large eggs in baking
water
use chilled water, or ice water, if possible
granulated sugar
What is Farmer's Cheese and Where Is It Sold?
Farmer's cheese is a very popular soft cheese in the Slavic cuisine. It's called tvorog (творог), in Russian. It has a similar taste and texture of ricotta and/or cottage cheese. It is used in many, many recipes. I use farmer's cheese interchangeably with ricotta cheese. I like making my own farmer's cheese in the Instant Pot, using the same method as for ricotta cheese, just drain it really well before using it in the cookies.
You can also find it sold in some grocery stores. I often buy it at I bought in Publix, and the farmer's cheese is usually located next to the cream cheese. It can also be found in many European stores, such as Russian/Ukrainian or Polish stores.
What Can Be Used To Substitute For Farmer's Cheese?
You can substitute ricotta or cottage cheese instead. Farmer's cheese is much more dense and has hardly any liquid in it, so if you are using ricotta/cottage cheese, use a cheesecloth to strain it and squeeze out the moisture before using it in the recipe.
For this recipe, it's very important to use very cold butter, preferably frozen, so before you start making the dough, place the butter into the freezer until it's frozen solid.
Although the recipe will still work if you use cold butter from the refrigerator, you will have better results and flakier cookies if you use frozen butter.
How To Make Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies
First, add the flour and salt to a large bowl and then grate the butter on a box grater into the flour.
Try to do this as quickly as possible to prevent the butter from melting.
Stop every so often to coat the butter flakes in the flour.
Add the farmer's cheese to the bowl and mix to combine. It will be a very dry and crumbly texture.
Whisk the egg yolks and water together slightly, then add to the dough.
Mix the dough until it starts to come together.
Keep kneading it very quickly so that it comes together better. Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Refrigerate for at least an hour, giving the dough plenty of time to chill.
You can store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Finally, roll out the dough.
Divide the dough into quarters and roll out each portion thinly on a well floured surface.
Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated when you're not using it.
Use a biscuit cutter (about 3 inches), or a cup or glass to cut through the dough and press out as much circles from the dough as possible.
Now, assemble the cookies.
Dip each circle of of dough into a bowl of sugar.
Then, fold the circle in half, into a half moon shape, press one side of it in the sugar again.
Fold it in half one last time, dipping the top in sugar also.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Lastly, bake the cookies.
Place the cookies sugar side up on the prepared baking sheet.
Use your fingers to press down gently on top of the cookies so the layers stick together better.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the cookies are puffed up and golden brown.
Storing the Cookies
Store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Store the baked cookies at room temperature for 2-3 days in a closed box or container, or freeze up to 3 months in a freezer ziplock bag or an airtight container.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Keep the ingredients as cold as possible.
You need little pieces of cold butter throughout the dough, which will make the cookies rise and form many layers of flaky dough by melting as the cookies bake. - Start with frozen butter. - Use egg yolks right out of the refrigerator. - Use cold water too, or even add ice to the water before measuring.
It's also important to keep the dough cold.
- Chill the dough first before rolling it out for at least an hour. If you're in a hurry, you can place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You can make the dough in advance. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (Double wrap the dough and store in a freezer bag.)
When rolling out the dough, place the dough you are not using back in the refrigerator to keep cold while you assemble the cookies.
Work quickly while working with the dough, so your warm hands don't melt the butter in the dough. Also, don't over work the dough. I often go one step further and place the baking sheet of cookie dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes so it's really cold before you bake the cookies. The warmer the dough gets, the more chance the cookies will ooze out a lot of butter while baking and the less flaky and puffy the cookies.
Save all the scraps of cookie dough and use it to make more cookies.
Save the scraps, scrunch them into a little ball and refrigerate until it's firm again. These cookies won't have as many layers or puff up as much, but they will still be delicious.
More Farmer's Cheese Recipes
I often use farmer's cheese and ricotta cheese interchangeably in many recipes. It's great in both savory and sweet recipes.
These popular Soft Farmer's Cheese Cookies are tender and flaky. The dough is made with cold butter and farmer's cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can also be used), which results in a texture that resembles puff pastry - crisp and golden on the outside with a multitude of thin layers inside.
Author:Olga's Flavor Factory
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Total Time:100 minutes
Yield:90 cookies 1x
Category:Dessert
Ingredients
Scale
1 cup butter (chilled)
7.5 - 8 oz farmer's cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese can be substituted)
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons water (cold or chilled)
½ - 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl.
Grate the chilled butter on a box grater, coating the butter flakes in the flour every so often, so it doesn't clump together.
Add the farmer's cheese and mix to combine.
Whisk the eggs yolks and water slightly, then add to the dough. Use your hands to quickly mix the ingredients together. Quickly knead it until it comes together.
Form the dough into a disc and wrap it up in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the dough into quarters, then, working with one portion at a time, roll it out thinly on a well floured surface. (Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator so it stays cold.)
Use a biscuit cutter (about 3 inches), or an overturned cup or glass (preferably with thin edge) to cut through the dough and press out as much circles from the dough as possible.
Save the scraps, scrunch them into a little ball and refrigerate until it's firm again.
Put the sugar into a bowl and press one side of the circle of dough into the sugar.
Fold it in half to form a half moon shape. Press one side into the sugar again, fold it in half and press one of the sides in the sugar.
Repeat with the rest of the dough. You will have 80-100 cookies, depending on the size that you make them.
Place the cookies sugar side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the cookies are puffed up and golden brown.
Notes
Storing the Cookies
Store the cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (If freezing, wrap the dough in parchment paper or foil and then also place in a freezer storage bag.) Store the baked cookies at room temperature for 2-3 days in a closed box or container, or freeze up to 3 months in a freezer ziplock bag or an airtight container.
Farmer's Cheese
Most store bought farmer's cheese is sold in 7/5 oz packages, which is why I use this awkward amount in this recipe. When I use homemade farmer's cheese or ricotta, I use 8 oz. It's a very slight difference, and won't matter in the recipe. It will all even out when you roll out the dough and you'll use a bit more or less flour.
If you use ricotta or farmer's cheese, be sure to drain it, even squeeze out all excess moisture before adding it to the dough.
So good.
No farmers cheese available here so used cottage cheese but squeezed out some of the whey in cheesecloth.
Worked to perfection.
Made half dipping in sugar, added some cinnamon to the sugar for the other half. All going down fast in this house.
I am inspired by the ease of the pastry. So easy.
Thought I might try a savoury variety using parmesan cheese and/or some herbs next time.
Hello Olya! I've been eyeing this recepe for quite some time now and finally today had some farmers cheese leftover and was able to bake these delicious cookies. They taste great plus my entire house smells like a Giant Cookie. Thanks for your work on this blog. God bless.
That's great, Olga.
I usually have a recipe that I want to try in my mind's list for a LONG time before I get around to actually doing it. Thanks for letting me know that you liked them. They do make the house smell so cozy and yummy.
My kids love these cookies, i have too triple the recipe to make enough cookies for my family. I do use cottage cheese if i don't have farmers cheese handy. With cottage cheese i just rinse it and run it through the blender turns out almost like farmers cheese and the cookies taste the same.
I came across this website while searching if I could substitute ricotta cheese for farmers cheese while making blintz-like pancakes. The picture and description brought up a very very vague memory of cookies that I used to have at my grandmother's house. She was born in the USA, but her parents and older siblings moved here from Russia/Belarus. My father always said that his mother's mother taught him how to make these when he was a young child...I think I'm going to make these next time I go home and surprise him with them! Thank you for posting this! 🙂
Welcome Casey,
Wow, sounds like you have the same heritage that I do. That's awesome! These are definitely a very common recipe for Russians/Belarussians. I hope you like how they turn out:), and find some other recipes from your Slavic roots.
Hi Olga,
I'm so happy I found your blog. So many days i just have no idea what to cook and wanted to find a good website to get ideas. Didn't like any of them so i was so happy when i stumbled upon your blog. You make cooking and baking look really fun and easy so i just wanted to encourage you to keep doing what you are really good at! Today I tried making the chicken meatballs from your blog, and also the geese feet cookies. All of it turned out really good! My husband was very satisfied!
Thank you for making my life a little bit easier by sharing your recipes!
I used to make similar cookies with cream cheese. I tried this recipe with ricotta cheese and they were also great! Will definitely try this recipe the next time I make farmer's cheese. Thank you!
These are so yummy! I just made some & ate about 10 with a cold glass of milk. Had to stop myself :). (They're really good when they are still warm: crispy on the outside & soft on the inside). Thank you Olga!
Lenochka,
Ricotta will not work for this recipe. My mom used to make these cookies for me all the time, so being home sick,I attempted to make them with ricotta. Not even close. Big dissappointment. Ricotta is a lot more moist than farmer's cheese, so it will take up more flour making cookies doughy instead of light and puffy. 🙂 I hope this helps:)
I really liked those cookies when I was younger:) it reminds me of my childhood, I should make those pretty soon. 🙂 thanks Olga for all those great Russian receipts. When I read your receipts, it reminds me of my Belarus life. 🙂
Hi Natalia!
I'm so glad you like the recipes! There is something so special about the recipes that have been made and enjoyed for generations. I especially love cooking food that is from my Slavic heritage:).
I'm eager to try your recipe, think will be good to eat with double cream and some fresh strawberry (yuuummm *drooling*) One question, can we use different cheese like ricotta?
Paramitha and Lena,
I'm not sure if you can substitute ricotta in this recipe. I've never made it with anything other than farmer's cheese. Ricotta is a lot more moist than farmer's cheese, so I'm not sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out, I'm really curious.
Because I couldn't find farmer's cheese in the place where I lived, so I decided to use ricotta instead. But when I went for shop, I changed my mind! 😀 I used cottage cheese for this recipe but before I use it, I threw the liquid that came up with cottage cheese using cheesecloth. I didn't know exactly what the difference if I used farmer's cheese, with mine it turned out like puff pastry, crispy outside and soft inside just like you said 😀 Only the problem when I made it, I didn't read instruction very careful. I covered all cookies with sugar, so when I baked the sugar under cookies burnt! Hahhahahaa! I know, I shouldn't cover all, but only one side! But then again I'm happy with the result, cos I made second batch after! (still curious :p) I really like this cookie! And yes I ate it with fresh strawberry and double cream, yum! Thank you Olga! 😉
olgak7says
Hi Paramitha!
Thanks for writing to let me know the results! Next time I'll know that cottage cheese or ricotta can be substituted for the farmer's cheese:). It really sounds delicious to serve it with strawberries and cream. Yum!
irynasays
I made this today they turned out really good I didn't have farmenrs cheese I've made the with cream cheese turned out just as good
olgak7says
That's great, Iryna! I'm glad it worked out for you.
So good.
No farmers cheese available here so used cottage cheese but squeezed out some of the whey in cheesecloth.
Worked to perfection.
Made half dipping in sugar, added some cinnamon to the sugar for the other half. All going down fast in this house.
I am inspired by the ease of the pastry. So easy.
Thought I might try a savoury variety using parmesan cheese and/or some herbs next time.
That's a great idea, Kate!
Hello Olya! I've been eyeing this recepe for quite some time now and finally today had some farmers cheese leftover and was able to bake these delicious cookies. They taste great plus my entire house smells like a Giant Cookie. Thanks for your work on this blog. God bless.
That's great, Olga.
I usually have a recipe that I want to try in my mind's list for a LONG time before I get around to actually doing it. Thanks for letting me know that you liked them. They do make the house smell so cozy and yummy.
My kids love these cookies, i have too triple the recipe to make enough cookies for my family. I do use cottage cheese if i don't have farmers cheese handy. With cottage cheese i just rinse it and run it through the blender turns out almost like farmers cheese and the cookies taste the same.
These were fantastic! They came out perfect and my family loved them! Great recipe and the pictures were super helpful!
How many parts of a cup is 7.5 oz of cottage cheese?
Victoria,
I've never measured how many cups that would be and I don't have a package handy. Sorry. Next time I buy it, I'll measure it.
Hi,
7.5 oz is 213 grams, one cup is 236.6 grams so it is almost a cup. I hope this helps:)
I came across this website while searching if I could substitute ricotta cheese for farmers cheese while making blintz-like pancakes. The picture and description brought up a very very vague memory of cookies that I used to have at my grandmother's house. She was born in the USA, but her parents and older siblings moved here from Russia/Belarus. My father always said that his mother's mother taught him how to make these when he was a young child...I think I'm going to make these next time I go home and surprise him with them! Thank you for posting this! 🙂
Welcome Casey,
Wow, sounds like you have the same heritage that I do. That's awesome! These are definitely a very common recipe for Russians/Belarussians. I hope you like how they turn out:), and find some other recipes from your Slavic roots.
I did. Delicious! Yours 🙂
Hi Olga,
I'm so happy I found your blog. So many days i just have no idea what to cook and wanted to find a good website to get ideas. Didn't like any of them so i was so happy when i stumbled upon your blog. You make cooking and baking look really fun and easy so i just wanted to encourage you to keep doing what you are really good at! Today I tried making the chicken meatballs from your blog, and also the geese feet cookies. All of it turned out really good! My husband was very satisfied!
Thank you for making my life a little bit easier by sharing your recipes!
Welcome Victoria!
Thank you for your kind words:). I'm so glad you likes the cookies and the chicken meatballs. Hope you'll enjoy more meals!
We did those last week and they were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!
Thank u Olga! 😉
I used to make similar cookies with cream cheese. I tried this recipe with ricotta cheese and they were also great! Will definitely try this recipe the next time I make farmer's cheese. Thank you!
That's awesome, Lilia! I'm glad ricotta works here too. I use a cream cheese dough to make Rugelach cookies. They turn out SO soft and tender.
Yummy!!!!! These are awesome !!!!!! My kids would love these:))))
¸.•*❈*•.¸Thanks, Olga¸.•*❈*•.¸
These are so yummy! I just made some & ate about 10 with a cold glass of milk. Had to stop myself :). (They're really good when they are still warm: crispy on the outside & soft on the inside). Thank you Olga!
My favorite part about these cookies is the texture - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Glad you liked them!
This looks delish! Will ricotta work just as well, if I don't have any farmer's cheese? Thanks!
Lenochka,
Ricotta will not work for this recipe. My mom used to make these cookies for me all the time, so being home sick,I attempted to make them with ricotta. Not even close. Big dissappointment. Ricotta is a lot more moist than farmer's cheese, so it will take up more flour making cookies doughy instead of light and puffy. 🙂 I hope this helps:)
I really liked those cookies when I was younger:) it reminds me of my childhood, I should make those pretty soon. 🙂 thanks Olga for all those great Russian receipts. When I read your receipts, it reminds me of my Belarus life. 🙂
Hi Natalia!
I'm so glad you like the recipes! There is something so special about the recipes that have been made and enjoyed for generations. I especially love cooking food that is from my Slavic heritage:).
Wow! It's turned out like puff pastry. Looks yuuummm!!! 😀
Yep! I definitely reminds me of puff pastry. Except it's 100 times easier to make:).
I'm eager to try your recipe, think will be good to eat with double cream and some fresh strawberry (yuuummm *drooling*) One question, can we use different cheese like ricotta?
Paramitha and Lena,
I'm not sure if you can substitute ricotta in this recipe. I've never made it with anything other than farmer's cheese. Ricotta is a lot more moist than farmer's cheese, so I'm not sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out, I'm really curious.
Hai Olga,
Because I couldn't find farmer's cheese in the place where I lived, so I decided to use ricotta instead. But when I went for shop, I changed my mind! 😀 I used cottage cheese for this recipe but before I use it, I threw the liquid that came up with cottage cheese using cheesecloth. I didn't know exactly what the difference if I used farmer's cheese, with mine it turned out like puff pastry, crispy outside and soft inside just like you said 😀 Only the problem when I made it, I didn't read instruction very careful. I covered all cookies with sugar, so when I baked the sugar under cookies burnt! Hahhahahaa! I know, I shouldn't cover all, but only one side! But then again I'm happy with the result, cos I made second batch after! (still curious :p) I really like this cookie! And yes I ate it with fresh strawberry and double cream, yum! Thank you Olga! 😉
Hi Paramitha!
Thanks for writing to let me know the results! Next time I'll know that cottage cheese or ricotta can be substituted for the farmer's cheese:). It really sounds delicious to serve it with strawberries and cream. Yum!
I made this today they turned out really good I didn't have farmenrs cheese I've made the with cream cheese turned out just as good
That's great, Iryna! I'm glad it worked out for you.