Cheese Straws Recipe

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

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

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Cooling time 15

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 46kcal

3 cups shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (finely grated while cold then covered and brought to room temperature)
3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder

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.

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.