Kue kastengel

Name: Kue kastengel
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 75 min
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 125 g butter; 75 g baking margarine; 2 egg yolks; 120 g aged edam cheese; 250 g plain flour; 20 g milk powder; 60 g mature cheddar; 2 egg yolks

Cheese biscuit sticks

Kastengel: Dutch-Indonesian cheese sticks baked by the jar for Lebaran

Features:Vegetarian Make ahead

Cuisine:

Indonesian

From Medan to Makassar, Lebaran open houses set out glass jars of kue kering, and kastengel (from the Dutch kaasstengels) are always among the first to go. These short, crumbly fingers are rich with butter and grated aged edam, glazed with yolk and topped with more cheese, so they bake into a salty, savoury biscuit that balances the sweet nastar and putri salju beside them. Chef's tip: don't overwork the dough once the flour goes in; kneading makes the sticks tough and they shrink in the oven instead of staying short and sandy.

Total time: 75 min
Difficulty: medium
Serves: 12

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Ingredients

Serves12

4 ½ oz buttersoft
2 ⅝ oz baking margarineor more butter
2 egg yolks
4 oz aged edam cheesefinely grated, vegetarian-rennet if needed
9 oz plain flour
⅔ oz milk powder
2 ⅛ oz mature cheddarfinely grated, for the tops
2 egg yolksbeaten with 1 tsp milk, for the glaze

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What you'll need

Rolling pin

Spices & pantry

Fresh ingredients (3)

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Method

0/7 done

Step 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan) and line two baking trays.
Step 2: Beat 4 ½ oz butter and 2 ⅝ oz baking margarine until creamy, then beat in 2 egg yolks and 4 oz aged edam cheese until evenly mixed.
3 min
Step 3: Sift in 9 oz plain flour and ⅔ oz milk powder and mix with a spatula only until a soft dough forms.
Step 4: Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper to 1 cm thick. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up, then cut into 1 x 4 cm sticks and lay them on the trays.
15 min
Step 5: Brush the sticks with 2 egg yolks and sprinkle with 2 ⅛ oz mature cheddar.
Step 6: Bake until golden and dry to the touch, swapping the trays halfway.
35 min
Step 7: Cool completely on the trays; they crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight jar for up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 260 kcal
Protein: 6 g
Carbs: 17 g
Fat: 19 g
Fibre: 1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does kue kastengel take?: About 75 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?: Yes. It has no meat or fish.
Can I make it ahead?: Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of butter?: The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
What can I use instead of plain flour?: Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).

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