Cheesy Cookies & Easy Chicken Pie

 I went Foodgawking and came across these from Food-4-Tots. Tqvm.

Simple & easy..  will be trying 'em soon.

RECIPE FOR CHEESY COOKIES

Makes 30-40 cookies (depending on the size and shape of the cookies)

Ingredients:
175g unsalted butter (chilled)
250g plain flour, plus extra for kneading
175g Cheddar cheese – grated (¾ or 130g for cookies and 1/4 or 45g for garnishing)
2 egg yolks
Dash of salt and pepper

Egg wash – 1 whole egg (beaten)

Methods:

Preheat oven at 200°C.

Cut the butter into pieces and add to the large mixing bowl with the flour and salt and pepper.

Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.

Grate the cheese, and then stir ¾ into the bowl with the egg yolks. Mix with the fork, and then shape the dough into a ball with your hands.

Sprinkle the work surface with a little flour. Knead the ball of dough until it is smooth, and then roll it out until it is 5mm (1/4 inch) thick.

Cut out hearts or other shapes and put the cookies spaced slightly apart on the (ungreased) baking sheets.

Squeeze all the trimmings together, then roll out and continue stamping and kneading until all the mixture is used up.

Brush the cookies with egg wash using the pastry brush.

Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. (refer to tip no. 1)

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool on the sheets and store in an air-tight container.

Tips:

The cookies could be sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds before baking or left plain if preferred.

If you don’t have any cookies cutters, cut squares, triangles or strings instead using a small knife.

It will taste better and more economical to grate the cheese yourself than buying those pre-packed grated cheese.

RECIPE FOR CHICKEN PIE WITH CHEESY MASH TOPPING

Ingredients (modified):
3 chicken breasts (390g total weight)
1 carrot (130g), roughly chopped
1 celery (60g), roughly chopped
½ white onion (70g), finely chopped

Seasonings (modified):
30g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp lemon juice
1½ tbsp white wine vinegar
1¼ cup milk
½ cup chicken stock
1 tbsp parsley, chopped (I used dried parsley)
55-60g Cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the topping (modified):
3 Russet potatoes (570g total weight), peeled and chopped into large pieces
3 tbsp milk

Methods:
1. Poach the chicken with either one of the following methods:
-Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the chicken into an oven-proof dish, season and cover with boiling water. Cover the dish with foil and poach the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes or until just cooked. (original)
-Wash, rinse and pat dry the chicken. In a medium pot, add the chicken and fill with water or broth 1 inch above the chicken. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt to the water. Bring the pot to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cover. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Save the poaching liquid for cooking later.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for about 7-10 minutes until just softened.
3. Add the vinegar and cook until it has evaporated, then add the flour and cook for a further minute.
4. Add the lemon juice, then gradually add the milk and stock, stirring all the time until the sauce is thick and simmering.
5. Add ½ of the cheese and the parsley, then season well.
6. Chop the poached chicken into small cubes and stir into the mixture, then pour it all into a 2-pint oven-proof dish or divide the portions between 4-5 ramekins.
7. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and mash with the milk, then spoon over the top of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown on the top and hot in the middle.