Cheese Straws Recipe

This Cheddar Cheese Straws Recipe is quick and easy made with everyday ingredients. They're a delicious little savory snack for serving at parties and casual get togethers.

Easy Cheese Straws Recipe

Cheese straws are a super popular appetizer in the South. In fact, I can't remember a holiday season when they didn't make an appearance with our other favorite holiday snacks. They're a sort of savory shortbread a cross between a cheese stick and a cracker. How do you make cheese straws? Using a mixer you'll cream together softened butter and finely shredded cheddar cheese. Add flour with salt cayenne, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder to form a stiff dough. Load the dough into a cookie press with the star dish attached and pipe straws onto a pan around 3 inches long. Bake and cool then enjoy!

How to Make the Best Cheese Straws Recipe

• Ingredients you'll need to make homemade Cheese Straws Recipe: Shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (freshly grated by hand), unsalted butter, all purpose flour, salt, cayenne pepper or chili powder, granulated garlic, onion powder and paprika.
• Kitchen gadgets you'll need: A stand mixer or a hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, medium bowl and large bowl, a pastry bag with a jumbo open star tip or a cookie press with the star disc attachment, a wire rack for cooling, a spatula, sharp knife and baking sheet for baking.
• This is one of those recipes where shredding your own cheese by hand is required. Grate the cheese while it's cold using the fine grate side of a box grater, a rotary cheese grater or with a food processor. After grating the cheese, cover it and let it come to room temperature. This will ensure it combines with the butter properly and only takes 30-45 minutes or so of stand time to do.
• When creaming together the butter and shredded cheese the cheese mixture should literally become more like whipped cheese butter and have a smooth and creamy texture. That's why it's important to use freshly grated room temperature cheddar cheese as it will break down and form the cheesy butter mixture much more effectively than pre-shredded cheese purchased at the grocery store.
• If the cookie press you're using doesn't have a star disc, you can make this cheese straw dough into any shape you like. You can make them square, round or oval in the shape of a cracker. You may also be able to attach an open star pastry tip to some cookie presses that are made to be fitted with that attachment.
• Please note: Depending on how the dough is divided, the yield may be greater. Likewise, when using a pastry bag that's fitted with a tip that's larger than a cookie press,  it may be less. I've made this recipe using both techniques and find that a cookie press is easier and makes light work of piping the cheese straws dough.
• How do you serve Cheese Straws? These can be added to your appetizer menu, served with dip or packaged and given as a delicious homemade gift for friends and neighbors.
• Store baked Cheese Straws in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

More Easy Appetizers and Snacks to Make

These Southern cheese straws are guaranteed to become a family favorite. More snacks and appetizer recipes you may also like to try:

• Homemade Breadsticks are ready for dipping in cheese fondue or pizza sauce.
• Shrimp Cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce and lemon dill sauce.
• Easy Italian Meatball Bites.
• Cheese Stuffed Pretzel Bites are ready for dipping in mustard or warm cheese sauce.
• Candied Bacon Breadsticks are always the hit of the party.
• Loaded Mashed Potato Spring Rolls are crispy handheld delights.
• Simple to make Garlic Cheese Rolls.
• Chili Lime Shrimp Bites from Barefeet in the Kitchen.

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Cheese Straws Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Cooling time15 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheddar-cheese-straws-recipe, cheese-straws-recipe, easy-cheese-straws

Servings: 80 servings

Calories: 46kcal

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (finely grated while cold then covered and brought to room temperature)
• ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ½ teaspoon onion powder

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat together shredded cheese and butter. Beat for 10-15 minutes OR until creamy, fluffy and fully combined.
• In a separate bowl, use a whisk to sift together flour, salt, cayenne, paprika, garlic and onion powder.
• Lower the speed of the mixer gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Beat until fully combined.
• Using a cookie press with the star attachment OR a pastry bag with a jumbo open star tip, pipe into long strips on a piece of wax paper. Use a sharp knife to cut the stirps into 3 inch pieces and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough is used.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes then carefully remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

• This recipe requires shredding your own cheese by hand. Grate the cheese while it's cold using the fine grate side of a box grater or with a food processor, then cover it and let it come to room temperature. This will ensure it will break down and combine with the butter properly.
• If the cookie press you're using doesn't have a star disc, you can make this cheese straw dough into any shape you like. You can make them square, round or oval in the shape of a cracker. You may also be able to attach an open star pastry tip to some cookie presses that are made to be fitted with that attachment.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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