Step 1

Shred the cheddar cheese using a grater (large grater holes are ideal).

Step 2

Place the butter, shredded cheese, black pepper, salt and thyme in a bowl and mix with a hand-held beater on medium speed. Mix for a few minutes until the butter is creamy and the cheese gets mixed in with the butter.

Step 3

Add the flour, and mix on low speed until the flour forms wet clumps (and there are no dry spots in the dough).

Step 4

Bring the dough together to form a dough ball. Knead it a little if needed (to bring it together). But don't knead too much.

Step 5

Form an evenly shaped dough log that's about 6-7 inches long. Wrap it in plastic wrap. Knot the two ends to form a tightly wrapped dough “sausage”. Refrigerate until the dough has chilled - about 30 min to 1 hour. You can also let it chill for up to 5 days in the fridge, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Step 6

When you're ready to bake - remove the log from the fridge (or freezer). If the dough is too hard to cut through, let it thaw a little (so that it's still chilled, but easier to cut). Unwrap the dough when you’re ready to slice it.

Step 7

With a sharp knife, cut ¼ inch thick discs from the dough log. Use your fingers to shape the cookies into nice round shapes, if they lose their shape a bit.

Step 8

Place the sliced cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and let the tray chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Step 9

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step 10

Place the chilled cheese cookies on the parchment paper-lined half sheet pan, with about an inch of space between each cookie.

Step 11

Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes for a soft cheese cookie - remove the cookies from the oven when the bottom edges of the cookie are starting to color.

Step 12

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes for a crispy cheese cookie - remove from the oven when the cookies start turning golden in color on top.

Step 13

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Repeat with the remaining sliced cookies (make sure the half sheet pan is at room temperature for this second batch of cookies - so either use a new half sheet pan, or cool down the previous one to room temp. first).

Step 14

Place the cooled cookies in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. OR wrap them in plastic wrap, and then in foil, and store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Step 15

Serve at room temperature.