Mini Cheese Biscuits Recipe for Kids

Easy Cheesy Biscuits (Perfect for Lunchboxes & Little Hands)

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This is an old favourite in our house, but one I keep coming back to; especially when we’re in need of simple, homemade lunchbox fillers that don’t feel like hard work.

I’m making these again this week and realised the original post was long overdue an update. They’re quick, forgiving, and brilliant for baking with children. The dough comes together much like play dough, which makes it especially satisfying for little hands.

This recipe uses a mix of spelt flour and plain flour, but you can easily adapt it depending on what you’ve got in the cupboard. The spelt (or wholemeal) just adds a little extra fibre, without changing the taste too much.

Teddy and I were pretty pleased with this batch and all of them were very happy taste-testing warm biscuits straight from the oven. The rest made it safely into lunchboxes… just.

Why I Love This Recipe

• ✔ Easy enough for children to help with
• ✔ Minimal ingredients
• ✔ No fuss, no proving, no waiting around
• ✔ Great for lunchboxes, snacks, or alongside soup

Tips

• A stand mixer makes this dough quick and easy to bring together. If mixing by hand, handle the dough lightly to avoid warming it too much.
• Using a food chopper or processor for the cheese is much quicker than a hand grater and gives a finer, more even result.
• The dough is similar to play dough, making it ideal for baking with children.
• Leftover dough can be wrapped and kept in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen.
• Store baked biscuits in an airtight tin for lunchboxes and snacks.

Ingredients

• 50g plain flour
• 50g spelt flour
  (or use 100g plain white flour / 100g wholemeal flour)
• 50g unsalted butter
• 180g mature strong cheddar
• A pinch of salt
• A good pinch of paprika
• 1–2 tbsp cold water (just enough to bring the dough together)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C) and line a baking tray.
2. Blitz the cheddar in a food processor or blender until finely grated.
3. Add the flours, butter, salt and paprika, and pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
4. Add 1–2 tablespoons of cold water and blitz again until the dough comes together into a soft ball.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 3mm thick.
6. Cut into shapes using small cookie cutters (the smaller the better for lunchboxes).
7. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes, depending on size, until lightly golden.
8. Leave to cool slightly — or enjoy one warm if you must (we always do).

Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

• Any leftover dough can be wrapped and kept in the fridge for a couple of days.
• You can also freeze the dough to use at a later date.
• Once baked, the biscuits keep well in an airtight tin for a few days, ideal for packed lunches.

It’s the kind of baking that fits neatly into family life ; done while dinner cooks, cleared away quickly, and enjoyed slowly over the next few days.