Home › Recipes › Holiday Recipes
Cheese Broomsticks
By Snejana Andreeva
on Oct 09, 2022, Updated Oct 13, 2023
Get ready to whip up some Halloween magic 🎃✨ with my Cheese 🧹 Broomsticks . As we dive into this whimsical snack, you’ll discover it’s not only delicious but also incredibly easy to prepare, making it the perfect addition to your Halloween celebration. With just three simple ingredients, you’ll create a bewitching treat that’s sure to cast a spell on your taste buds and bring a smile to your face.
- Why You’ll Love Cheese Broomsticks
- How To Prepare Cheese Broomsticks
- Nonna’s Spooky Tip
- Substitutions and Variations
- Other Halloween Recipes
- Common Questions
- Cheese Broomsticks Recipe
Why You’ll Love Cheese Broomsticks
- Quick and Easy: This recipe is incredibly simple, requiring just three ingredients and minimal effort, making it perfect for busy schedules. Additionally, it’s a time-saver when you need a delightful treat in a pinch.
- Kid-Friendly: Engage your little ones in the kitchen, allowing them to create their own adorable witch broomsticks. It’s a creative, hands-on activity that’s sure to engage kids of all ages. Moreover, it’s a wonderful way to bond and spark their imagination.
- Ideal for Halloween Parties: These broomsticks make a charming and delicious addition to your Halloween gatherings because they combine great taste with a thematic presentation. Furthermore, they add a festive touch to your party decor, setting the Halloween mood for your guests.
How To Prepare Cheese Broomsticks
- Preparation: First, open the string cheese 🧀 packs and cut each piece into thirds with a serrated knife, ensuring a gentle touch to prevent breaking.
- Create the ‘Broom’: Next, make lengthwise cuts in the cheese sticks, about 3/4 of the way up. Rotate the cheese sticks and make additional cuts without cutting all the way to the top.
- Assemble: Insert a pretzel stick into the top of each cheese piece to create the broomstick handle, then secure the pretzel by cutting a piece of chive 🌿 to fit around the top of the cheese.
- Enjoy: Your Pretzel Broomsticks are now ready to enjoy.
Nonna’s Spooky Tip
These are best served fresh! Storing them in the fridge overnight may cause the pretzel to become soft and mushy, thus affecting the texture.
Substitutions and Variations
Embrace the creative possibilities and make it your own while accommodating dietary needs and thematic preferences.
- Cheese Varieties: Instead of marbled cheddar cheese, try other cheese varieties like mozzarella, Colby jack, or pepper jack for a different flavor profile.
- Gluten-Free Option: If you or your guests have dietary restrictions, you can use gluten-free pretzel sticks instead, to make the broomsticks suitable for a gluten-free diet.
- Vegan Options: Try vegan cheese sticks and vegan pretzel sticks so you can create a dairy-free and vegan version of these broomsticks.
Other Halloween Recipes
- Mummy Hot Dogs
- Frankenstein Kiwis
- Witch Finger Cookies
- Chocolate Bats
- Halloween Cheese Board
- Halloween Cocktails
Common Questions
Yes, you can experiment with different cheese varieties, but it’s recommended to use firmer cheese to prevent the strands from breaking and sticking to the knife during preparation.
I do not recommend this, because it is best to enjoy these broomsticks on the same day you make them. Storing them in the fridge overnight may cause the pretzel to become soft and mushy, thus affecting the texture.
Absolutely, these broomsticks are the perfect addition to your kids’ lunchboxes. You can insert the pretzel into the cheese in the morning so that it keeps fresh for school.
A New Recipe Card!!
- Check off each step in instructions!
- Add ingredients to your shopping list!
Video
Ingredients
- ▢ 15 pretzel sticks
- ▢ 5 marbled cheddar string cheese , each string cheese cut into thirds
- ▢ 15 chive strings , I cut mine to fit around the broomstick
Instructions
- ▢ I open each pack of string cheese and cut that one piece into thirds. Use a thin serated knife and gently cut the cheese so that it doesn’t break or stick to the knife.
- ▢ I make a few lengthwise cuts 3/4 of the way up, flip or rotate the cheese on its side, and make a few more cuts making sure you don’t cut all the way to the top.
- ▢ Take a pretzel stick and gently insert it at the top of the cheese. Cut a piece of chive to fit around the top of the cheese and enjoy.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cheese Broomsticks
Ingredients
- 15 pretzel sticks
- 5 marbled cheddar string cheese each string cheese cut into thirds
- 15 chive strings I cut mine to fit around the broomstick
Instructions
- I open each pack of string cheese and cut that one piece into thirds. Use a thin serated knife and gently cut the cheese so that it doesn’t break or stick to the knife.
- I make a few lengthwise cuts 3/4 of the way up, flip or rotate the cheese on its side, and make a few more cuts making sure you don’t cut all the way to the top.
- Take a pretzel stick and gently insert it at the top of the cheese. Cut a piece of chive to fit around the top of the cheese and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Cheese Broomsticks https://themodernnonna.com/cheese-broomsticks/ October 9, 2022
Home › Recipes › Cookies & Snacks
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
By Snejana Andreeva
on Dec 15, 2022, Updated Nov 08, 2023
My lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies melt in your mouth . This recipe is one of those recipes that you’ll need to triple, because it’s THAT good. 🍋Whether you’re a lemon lover or simply looking for a unique and delicious cookie, these Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies are a must-try. They’re perfect for any occasion, from a casual afternoon tea to a fancy dessert spread.
- Why You’ll Love Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
- How to Prepare
- Nonna’s Tip 🍋
- Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Other Holiday Recipes
- More Holiday Cookies
- Common Questions
- Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
These lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies are ideal for anyone who cannot tolerate 🥚 eggs as they are completely egg-free . The dough takes 5 minutes to whip up, so these cookies are easy enough for anyone who is not even a baker. They’re only 5 ingredients , which you probably already have on hand. I can honestly say that this is one of those cookie recipes that you cannot get enough of.
How to Prepare
🥣 Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer and bowl to cream butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes until smooth.
🍋 Add sugar and lemon extract and mix until smooth . Then add flour, and mix until a sticky dough forms. Scrape down the sides to fully incorporate any remaining flour.
🧊 Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
🥄 Remove dough from the refrigerator, use a small ice-cream scooper to portion the cookies, rolling each in a touch of flour to prevent sticking.
🍓 Place rolled cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper . Flatten each with your thumb, creating an indent, and add a teaspoon of preferred jam/preserve to the center.
🔥 Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are light and golden brown .
❄️ Allow the cookies to cool completely and optionally dust with icing sugar. They can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
Nonna’s Tip 🍋
You MUST refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour and you have to use a touch of flour to roll each one as they will stick.
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Try adding a decorative topping like chopped nuts or a sprinkle of coarse sugar for holiday decoration.
- I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour , but feel free to experiment with a gluten-free 1-1 replacement and let me know how it goes!
- Instead of lemon extract , you could try almond, vanilla, orange or another you have on hand.
- Feel free to experiment with different jams or preserves , for example, you could use strawberry, raspberry, apricot or even marmalade.
- You could try dairy-free or vegan alternatives to the butter and cream cheese if you or your guests have allergies.
Other Holiday Recipes
Antipasti Christmas Wreath
10 mins
Holiday Butter Board
20 mins
Holiday Candy Cane Prosecco
5 mins
Holiday Cheese Board
20 mins
More Holiday Cookies
Looking for an even fancier-looking cookie? Try my puff pastry cookies .
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
3 hrs 23 mins
Italian Amaretti Cookies
25 mins
3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
20 mins
Shortbread Butter Cookies
27 mins
Common Questions
Feel free to use any jam or preserve you enjoy. I love fig or apricot but you are more than welcome to use any you have on hand.
The lemon extract is optional so don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand. You can also use pure vanilla extract, or almond extract, or leave them plain. Or, if you don’t have pure lemon extract, but still want the flavor, you can also use the zest of a lemon in the recipe.
You MUST refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour and you have to use a touch of flour to roll each one as they will stick.
Feel free to freeze the cookie dough tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and shape as usual.
The cream cheese and butter must be softened in order for the cookies to bake correctly.
You can use salted or unsalted butter. I have made them with both and both results are delicious.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
A New Recipe Card!!
- Check off each step in instructions!
- Add ingredients to your shopping list!
Video
Equipment
- ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
- ▢ Mixing Bowls
- ▢ Baking Sheet
- ▢ Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- ▢ ½ cup cream cheese , softened
- ▢ ½ cup white sugar
- ▢ 1 stick softened salted butter
- ▢ 1.5 teaspoons lemon extract , optional if you don’t have any on hand
- ▢ 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour , + 2 extra tablespoons for rolling the balls
- ▢ 18 teaspoons jam , I used fig preserve
Instructions
- ▢ In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together for about 2 minutes or until smooth. You can also use a hand-held mixer and a bowl as well.
- ▢ Once creamy, add the sugar and lemon extract and mix until smooth. Add in the flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. If there’s any flour on the sides, you can scrape it down and mix again until fully incorporated.
- ▢ Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. After an hour, take out the dough, remove the plastic and use a small ice-cream scooper to scoop out the cookies. I scoop each cookie, roll it in a touch of flour as it will stick to your hands if you don’t.
- ▢ Repeat this step for all 18 cookies. Place each rolled cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each one down with your thumb to make an indent. Add a teaspoon of any jam/preserve you like to the middle.
- ▢ Preheat the oven to 350F and bake until the edges are light and golden brown. This should take 13-15 minutes depending on the oven.
- ▢ Let them cool completely and optionally dust with icing sugar. These are perfectly stored at room-temp for up to a week.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
