Everyone in the family has struggled to reproduce my cousin Judit’s cheesy, two-bite Hungarian biscuits. She tells people the ingredients, but the biscuits never turn out. I suspect she is being coy. However, I have foiled her. After tinkering and even using less butter than she recommended, I came up with these facsimiles. Don’t buy creamed cottage cheese in a tub. I used pressed cottage cheese with 0.5% milk fat and 78% moisture. It’s sold in supermarkets. You can choose other types of smoked cheese.
For biscuits, stir together flour, salt and baking powder in medium bowl.
Using large holes of box grater, quickly shred butter. Add to flour mixture. Rub in with fingers just until butter is coated and no longer clumpy. Do not overmix. Add cottage cheese. Mix with hands just until dough comes together. Sprinkle in gouda. Knead lightly and form ball.
Press dough into disc. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place 2 racks close to centre of oven.
For egg wash, use fork to whisk egg and milk in small bowl.
On lightly floured surface, roll dough into an oval 1-inch thick. Punch out rounds with floured, 1-3/8 inch (3 cm), non-serrated cookie/biscuit cutter. Place on prepared sheets 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Re-roll scraps, punch out circles and add to baking sheet.
Brush tops lightly with egg wash without letting it drip down sides. (You will have some left over.)
Bake on 2 racks closest to the centre in preheated 325F oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes, switching racks at halftime.
