Cheese Straws

Updated June 26, 2024

Cheese Straws
Tara Donne for The New York Times. Food Styling: Liza Jernow.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Rating
5(636)
Comments
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You need something to put out when people come over for a drink. Or when you need something savory in the afternoon when you wish someone was coming over for a drink. You can roll the batch into a couple of logs, freeze and slice and bake off a dozen or so at a time.

Featured in: Southern Flavors Sure to Delight

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Ingredients

Yield:About five dozen
  • cups flour
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½pound sharp orange Cheddar, room temperature
  • ½cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (60 servings)

40 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 25 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. Grate cheese.

  2. Step 2

    In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients until combined, then add cheese and butter. Process until dough becomes smooth and has the texture of Play-Doh. Alternately, make the dough in a stand mixer by creaming cheese and butter until smooth. Then combine dry ingredients in a bowl and combine with butter mixture at low speed until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap or parchment and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Or store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

  4. Step 4

    Bring dough to room temperature and pack it into a cookie press fitted with a star disk. Pipe long ribbons of dough across the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, about an inch apart. Then cut into six-inch lengths. Repeat with remaining dough. Dough may also be hand-rolled into long ropes and cut to size, or shaped into a cylinder and sliced into rounds and baked.

  5. Step 5

    Bake for about 13 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Store between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container. Will keep for up to three weeks.

Ratings

5 out of 5
636 user ratings
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Comments

Every week Friday cocktails? I wish I were your friend!

I make this once a week for Friday cocktails. I often use a gruyere in place of the cheddar.

I have celiac disease, and I make these gluten free for my goldfish-starved kids using garbanzo or garbanzo/fava flour—still delicious and lots of free protein! I also don't bother with the pastry bag. I mold the dough into rectangles and refrigerate wrapped in parchment. Then I just slice and bake. Easy cheese crackers!

Made these according to recipe but handling the dough, I couldn't see how it would do in a cookie press because the dough was a bit crumbly. I rolled half of it flat and cut into 1/4 inch strips, then twisted them a bit to add a little flair. That worked out pretty well. They turned out crispy cheesy good. I made a few "pennies" just for kicks, but will stick with the strips next time. Quick and easy last minute cocktail snack.

Has anyone tried making these and forming them. Followed by cooking from frozen. Looking to have them on standby at anytime for a dinner.

In case any of you are not typically bakers (like me), the "room temperature" part is very important. The first cheese straw recipe I made I had forgotten to take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time and tried to soften it on the stove...but of course it melted...texture was all wrong. They were delicious but not the right texture at all. I did it the right way this time (sliced not rolled or pressed) and they were super easy & good. Could use a bit more salt & cayenne.

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