If you’re looking for a nostalgic treat from Eastern Europe, these Farmer’s Cheese Cookies — known in Lithuania as Varškės Sausainiai or Skarelės (meaning “little scarves”) - are a must-try. These flaky, golden Lithuanian cookies are full of old-world charm, with a lightly tangy dough and a sweet cinnamon sugar crunch.
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Lithuanian Cookies For Any Occasion
These Farmer’s Cheese Cookies were hands-down my favourite treat growing up. And honestly, they might still be my favourite Lithuanian cookies today. Every Saturday, we’d visit the local farmer’s market, and I’d make a beeline for the baked goods stall while my parents picked out vegetables. I’d be halfway through the paper bag of cookies before we even got back to the car.
Sometimes called skarelės (little scarves — don’t ask why?), I always thought they looked more like little geese feet. They’re beautifully flaky on the outside like puff pastry, but have a slightly chewy texture and soft tender dough inside. There are many different ways to shape or finish them, but one thing’s for sure—they never lasted long in our house.
TIP: If you are ever in Lithuania, visit RIMI (one of the major supermarkets in Lithuania) early in the morning - they sell the best freshly-baked Farmer's cheese cookies!
Ingredients and Substitutes
Here's everything you will need to make these sweet cheese cookies from Lithuania:
- farmers cheese (varškė): use full-fat farmer's cheese if you can. Note that different brands may be different in moisture content, so you may need to add more or less sour cream.
- unsalted butter: fridge cold.
- all-purpose flour: a.k.a. plain flour.
- egg: we used a large egg.
- sour cream: or creme fraiche, or Greek yogurt.
- baking powder: if you want to, you can replace it with ¾ teaspoon of baking soda, but instead of mixing it with flour, mix it with sour cream before adding to the dough. Acidity in the sour cream will mellow down the strong flavor of baking soda.
- salt.
- granulated sugar: or demerara sugar.
- cinnamon: optional, you can make delicious Farmer's cheese cookies without it as well.
Find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
2. Mash the farmer's cheese very well (we like to push it through a fine mesh sieve to ensure no large lumps remain). Alternatively, blitz it with a stick blender.
3. Spread the flour mixture onto a large cutting board or a cut-poof kitchen surface. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture, and using a long-bladed knife chop the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
TIP: It is best to make this dough in cold conditions (and with cold hands) to ensure the butter stays cold.
4. Scatter the farmer's cheese on top, and chop and cut the mixture to incorporate.
CHOPPED PASTRY: This unique chopping method — often used in Lithuanian baking — helps create a rough puff pastry style dough by keeping everything cool and preventing the butter from melting into the flour too soon. It evenly distributes the fats for that perfectly crumbly texture and contributes to the flaky dough in the end result. It’s the same technique used for the beloved Lithuanian Napoleon torte and Lithuanian Cheese Straws, and it works just as brilliantly here.
5. Add the sour cream and chop and cut again until it starts coming together into a dough. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more sour cream.
6. Bring the dough together into a circle, kneading just enough for it to come together - don't overwork the dough.
7. Wrap it in a large piece of plastic wrap (cling film) and roll it to flatten it further - it will make it easier to roll out thinly later. Place it in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
8. When ready to shape the cookies, beat an egg in a small bowl.
9. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
10. At this point, preheat the oven to 220°C (420°F). Line a couple of large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
11. Divide the chilled dough into 2-4 portions (this will make it more manageable to roll out). Place the portions of dough that you are not immediately using back in the fridge.
12. Using a rolling pin, roll the cookie dough out thinly (no more than ⅛ inch) on a lightly floured surface.
13. Using a 3-inch (8 cm) round cookie cutter (or a thin rimmed cup or glass), stamp out the circles of dough. The scraps can be rerolled (but aim to cut the circles close to each other to avoid much rerolling - these cookies will be tougher).
14. Brush each circle with a little beaten egg. Scatter cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the egg-washed side of the circle, then fold it in half (into a half moon shape). Brush the surface with egg and sprinkle more cinnamon sugar. Then fold it over again. You should now have a folded triangle (ish).
15. Brush the top of the cookie with more egg and sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar.
16. As you go, arrange the farmer's cheese cookies sugar side up on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them out (about 1.5 inches apart).
17. Place the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up slightly.
TIP: It is best to keep the dough cold before it goes into the oven - this creates the flakiest cookies. We, therefore, recommend baking the prepared cookies whilst you roll out the rest of the dough and shape the next batch of cookies.
18. Place the baked cookies on a wire rack to cool down!
Variations
The flavor of these Lithuanian cookies can be adapted based on the time of the year, you're making them. Whilst cinnamon is great in autumn and winter, in summer may add lemon zest to sugar instead.
If you're making these for Christmas, consider mixing in some cloves and nutmeg into the cinnamon sugar, or add a little orange zest.
And if you're not a fan of spices, next time, simply skip them altogether - these Farmer's cheese cookies are delicious plain as well!
Storage
Store the Farmer’s Cheese Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2–3 days. They’re best enjoyed fresh on the day they're baked, but still tasty a day or two later with a cup of tea.
TIP: You can store well-wrapped cookie dough in the fridge for up to 2 days, and bake a fresh batch for the next 3 days!
More Lithuanian Dessert Recipes
Explore more Traditional Lithuanian Desserts You Can Make At Home!
Farmer's Cheese Cookies (Traditional Lithuanian Cookies)
Equipment
- Large Long-Bladed Knife
- Plastic Wrap
- Baking Sheets/ Cookie Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 250 g (~2 cups) all-purpose flour a.k.a. plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g (7 oz) farmer’s cheese
- 200 g (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, fridge cold
- 2 tablespoon sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 egg large
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar or demerara sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Mash the farmer's cheese very well (we like to push it through a fine mesh sieve to ensure no large lumps remain). Alternatively, blitz it with a stick blender.
- Place the flour mixture on a large cutting board or a cut-proof kitchen surface. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture, and using a long-bladed knife, chop the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Scatter the farmer's cheese on top, and chop and cut the mixture to incorporate.
- Add the sour cream and chop and cut again until it starts coming together into a dough. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more sour cream.
- Bring the dough together into a circle, kneading just enough for it to come together - don't overwork the dough. Wrap it in a large piece of plastic wrap (cling film) and roll it to flatten it further - it will make it easier to roll out thinly later. Place it in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
- When ready to shape the cookies, beat an egg in a small bowl.
- In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
- At this point, preheat the oven to 220°C (420°F). Line a couple of large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 2-4 portions (this will make it more manageable to roll out). Place the portions of dough that you are not immediately using back in the fridge.
- Roll the dough out thinly (no more than ⅛ inch) on a lightly floured work surface.
- Using a 3-inch (8 cm) cookie cutter (or a thin rimmed cup or glass), stamp out the circles of dough. The scraps can be rerolled (but aim to cut the circles close to each other to avoid much rerolling - these cookies will be tougher).
- Brush each circle with a little beaten egg. Scatter cinnamon sugar on top of the egg-washed side of the circle, then fold it in half. Brush the surface with egg and sprinkle more cinnamon sugar. Then fold it over again. You should now have a folded triangle (ish).
- Brush the top of the cookie with more egg and sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar.
- As you go, arrange the farmer's cheese cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them out (about 1.5 inches apart).
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up slightly.
- TIP: It is best to keep the dough cold before it goes into the oven - this creates the flakiest cookies. We, therefore, recommend baking the prepared cookies whilst you roll out the other portion of the dough and shape the next batch of cookies.
- Once baked, place them on a wire rack to cool down!
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