Great For Snacks And Parties

Cheese straws can be purchased from gourmet snack suppliers or can be made at home; cheese straws are considered easy to make at home.  Cheese straws resemble a butter cookie, but are savory rather than sweet and can be made any flavor of cheese desired; they are also available in many flavors for purchase as well.

Cheese straws were originated in southern America as a snack for parties, special occasions, and anywhere cheesy snacks are appreciated.  The snacks are light, crisp, buttery, and of course cheesy; these have a similar taste to cheese crackers but a have a cookie like texture and are traditionally slightly spicy.

To make cheese straws at home, they are made of a simple batter consisting of butter, flour, salt, and cayenne pepper to taste, oh yes and cheese; the batter is often mixed in a food processor and the batter is then put into a cookie press.  To make the proper shape a star tip is used on the cookie press, then press out about three inch length of batter on a cookie sheet; the snacks are then baked at a until a pale golden color much the shade of straw.

 Cheese Straw Recipe

To make these simple snacks simply combine one pound of shredded cheese (cheddar is traditional), three cups of all-purpose flower, two sticks of softened butter, one teaspoon of paprika, half of a teaspoon of salt, and a quarter of a teaspoon ground red pepper in a large bowl.  Knead the dough until a soft dough forms; roll the cheese straw dough into approximately a quarter inch thickness, and cut into one half inch by three inch pieces. Bake these pieces on a greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about ten to twelve minutes or until a light golden brown.

The recipe can be modified to fit most anyone’s taste or a party theme for example replace the teaspoon of paprika for smoked paprika to give the cheese straws a completely different taste.  The cheese straws could also be made milder by omitting the red pepper; or the snacks could be made spicier by using pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar.

The recipe could also substitute dried basil or other Italian spices and shredded Romano cheese to make them Italian style; the cheese straws could also be made more kid friendly by using a mild Colby cheese and omitting the red pepper.

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