Cheese Dreams

By Melissa Knific

Published Nov. 5, 2024

Cheese Dreams
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(642)
Comments
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Perfectly poppable and cheesy inside and out, these two-bite snacks can shift from a dream to reality — and feed a crowd — in well under an hour. The early American grilled cheese sandwich was perhaps first called a cheese dream in Marion Harris Neil’s 1916 cookbook, “Salad, Sandwiches and Chafing Dish Recipes.” Here, this appetizer cousin borrows the original name, but instead of being toasted only in butter, these small snacks are slathered in a spreadable mixture of sharp Cheddar, softened butter, Worcestershire sauce and garlic and mustard powders. An egg binds everything together, and the end results are slightly crispy, golden-brown squares that are perfect as is, or they can be dipped in marinara or a comforting bowl of tomato soup.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 36 mini sandwiches
  • 1(16-ounce) loaf sturdy white sandwich bread (such as Pepperidge Farm)
  • 2cups (8 ounces) finely shredded sharp Cheddar
  • 1cup (8 ounces) salted butter, softened
  • 1large egg
  • ¼cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1½teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½teaspoon mustard powder
  • Salt
  • 1 to 2teaspoons hot sauce, to taste (optional)
  • Marinara sauce, for dipping (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)

114 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 3 grams protein; 152 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Trim the crust off the bread. Cut each slice into 4 squares. In a medium bowl, beat Cheddar and butter with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add the egg; beat until combined. Add the heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, mustard powder, ¼ teaspoon salt and hot sauce (if using) and beat until combined.

  3. Step 3

    Spread about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture on one side of a bread square. Top with a second bread square so it looks like a sandwich. Spread the cheese mixture on the top and sides (not the bottom) of the sandwich and place on the baking sheet, cheese-side up. Repeat with the remaining bread and cheese mixture, arranging them about 1 inch apart. (You will have about 36 sandwiches.)

  4. Step 4

    Bake until the sandwiches are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, fully prep the sandwiches and refrigerate until they’re ready to bake, up to a day ahead, adding an extra minute or two in the oven since they’ll be chilled.) Serve immediately, with marinara sauce for dipping, if desired.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
642 user ratings
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Comments

FitlerSquareDad

Your prep time is laughable. In what universe can ANYONE make the spread, trim the crust from an entire loaf of bread, cut each slice into 4, apply spread to one piece and then cover the 5 outside surfaces of 36 ‘sandwiches’ in 10 minutes?

Lapwinga

Guys, guys, guys. “Prep time” in NYT recipes is aspirational. For a realistic estimate of an actual person’s prep time, just multiply NYT’s prep time by 3.

Sigma Theta

I would speed it up a little by spreading the filling on whole slices of bread then cut into four then spread the outsides. The whole thing seems a little fiddly though

Virginia

Cute but must be eaten shortly after coming out of oven, or rewarmed before serving. Mine got hard and flavors did not meld at room temp. Won’t make again.

Nancy Chakravarty.

I don’t pay much attention to the prep & cook times, but if I had, I’d have been confused & thrown off. To me, prep means getting everything ready, mixing & assembling. Cook time to me means the actual time needed to cook/braise/ bake whatever - the actual cooking. Sounds like a lot of folks here think the same. The dreams are very tasty but they are a bit like making finger sandwiches- too time consuming & too fiddly. I think I’ll try using the spread for an open face grilled cheese.

Diana

I made these and found the assembly pretty excruciating as written. Eventually I gave up on spreading the cheese on the cut sides, and it made no difference in the finished product. Guests gobbled these up. I’ll make again but streamline the prep.

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