Cheese Straws
Updated June 26, 2024

- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1½cups flour
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½pound sharp orange Cheddar, room temperature
- ½cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grate cheese.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
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 tonight and they came out pretty good. Mine took 15 minutes in the oven. I feel like they could use more flavor, even after I doubled the spices. They also need a dipping sauce - maybe a ranch or BBQ sauce? I will make them again and play with the flavors next time.
Fresh toasted pecans from Mississippi took these over the top.
I make these every couple of weeks. I grate the cheese in the food processor, change to the blade, add all the ingredients and blend until it makes a ball. I substitute a half a cup of almond flour, and I do not chill the dough. It presses through a cookie press easily. Yum.
