Looking for an easy homemade snack to have with a glass of wine or to serve with cocktails before dinner? Your search has ended; these crispy, addictive cheese straws fit the bill exactly!
My original recipe for these cheese straws calls for Gorgonzola cheese and, as is the case with anything using that creamy Italian blue cheese, it is absolutely delicious. When I made this for a Young Chefs’ Camp at the cooking school, however, I substituted sharp Cheddar cheese for the Gorgonzola for a slightly milder and more kid-friendly version of the recipe. The kids could not get enough of them. When I make them at home, I switch back and forth between the Gorgonzola cheese straws and the Cheddar cheese straws; both are equally delectable.
The dough comes together really fast in a food processor and it is very easy to work with. Just roll out the dough on your countertop and cut it into strips with a decorative pastry cutter or a simple pizza cutter. You can form the straws short or long, and, you can even make them a day ahead of time and store them. The recipe makes two baking sheets filled with straws, which might sound like a lot, but do bake the whole recipe and you won’t regret it — they disappear very fast!
- 1½ cups extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated and kept cold
- 1 cup AP four
- 6 TBSP. cold butter, cut into pieces
- ½ tsp. salt
- ⅛-¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1½ TBSP. milk
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- Place the cheese, flour, butter, salt and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12x10” rectangle, about ⅛” thick. Using a lightly floured pizza wheel, (or a lightly floured sharp knife), cut the dough into ½” wide strips.
- Carefully transfer the strips to two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (if the strips tear don't panic; just pinch them back together.)
- Bake, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheets on top of racks.
Adjust the cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you want the cheese straws to be. For kids, I use the smallest quantity, for adults I would definitely increase it.
These cheese straws can be made a day ahead. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Here are a few other suggestions of what to have with cocktails or just a glass of wine:
Gorgonzola, Peach Jam and Almond Tartlets
Potted Port Wine Cheese Spread
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Please Can you let me know the equivalent in ozs of 6 Tablespoons of butter?
Certainly!
8 TBSP. = 4 oz. (or half a cup), so, 6 TBSP. = 3 oz.!
I hope this helps!