Photo: Cheese Straws Recipe
Ingredients
- Three 10-ounce bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded cold then left at room temperature
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Dash of garlic powder
- Cooking spray
- Special equipment: cookie press with a star tip
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Put the softened cheese and butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Using the heaviest mixer paddle attachment, beat until the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream, 15 to 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining 1 cup unseasoned flour incrementally until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press; you may not need to add all the flour.
Lightly spray 4 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto a cookie sheet in long strips that run the length of the pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Bake until straws are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
With your hands or a sharp knife, break or cut the long strips into 3-inch lengths. Use a flat, thin spatula or an egg turner to remove the cheese strips from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, serve or store in a tightly covered container.
Cook's Note: If you don't have a cookie press, form the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten them with a fork.
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By schmelzle
Missouri
on April 04, 2013
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Wow oh Wow these are so good! I have the heavy duty 6qt Kithen Aide mixer and it worked fine. I could tell it's something that a smaller motor would really stuggle with. I did add a bit more pepper after reading the other posts. I took the dough and rolled by hand into long ropes on the counter and baked them that way. Kids can roll into letters and spell their names. I even thought you could use a cookie cutter and make seasonal shapes, press them a tad thinner once on the cookie sheet and make like a snack cracker for dips and toppings for partys. I'm thinking superbowl would be awesome! Anywhoo, I highly recommend this recipe!
By jmyron1_9770662
Carrollton, TX
on March 31, 2013
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There are a couple of tips to make these come out right. After grating the cheese put it in a ziploc bag and leave until very soft at room temp. Same with the butter- has to be very soft. Don't add the flour all at once. I find the best way to mix everything is with the food processor. Once you have baked these you can freeze for several months. They are DEFINITELY WORTH THE EFFORT!
By VictoriousCooker85
Rochester, NY
on February 25, 2013
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Ok, I was so excited to try these... BUT, it wasn't that "great" recipe that I really thought it was going to be. First, I have a Kitchen Aid mixer and it was struggling with the dough. Second, it was a huge amount and this should be cut in 1/2 unless you're feeding an entire Wedding. Third, using the cookie press added about 20 minutes extra to the preparation time, which was already taking forever - just roll them into balls!
I'm giving it 3 stars because it did taste good... not great, but I don't know that I would make them again.
Read all 18 reviews