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This recipe for Cheddar Cheese Straws has a little bit of a bite due to the red pepper flakes that are included in the ingredients. They are easy to make, take few ingredients and travel well. Served warm or cold, they are usually a hit whenever you need a cheesy snack.

Ingredients

• 1½ c of softened butter (margarine may not produce the same results)
• 1 lb of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 to 2 tsp ground red pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• 4 c of all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl or measuring cup, measure 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Remember to scoop the flour into the cup and then scrape a knife across the cup to level it. Don’t shake the flour or you’ll end up with too much. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the softened butter.

Then add the cheese. You can purchase a block of cheese and shred it yourself, but using the pre-shredded cheese is so much easier.

Next add the salt, red pepper flakes and paprika.

This is the ingredients before being mixed.

Beat these ingredients together using a mixer.

Add the flour a little at a time so it incorporates well with the other ingredients. This dough becomes very thick so do not all it all at once!

Load the mixture into a cookie press. This recipe made enough to use the cookie press three times. If you don’t have a cookie press, you can use a spoon to make ‘drop’ straws or press them into medallion shapes.

To get the standard shape, you will want to use the star-shaped disk/tip in the cookie press.

Squeeze the cheese mixture into long ribbons. You can break the pieces after they are baked if you prefer shorter ones or simply squeeze out shorter ribbons before baking.

While many recipes suggest using parchment paper when baking, we have found that a well-used baking sheet works just as well. It’s your choice which way to do it.

Important! Do not try to use a piping bag to make the Cheese straws. The dough is too thick to go through a piping tip. We’ve demonstrated this in the image below as well as shown the dough pressed into medallions.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake them for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. (We found the recipe took closer to 20 minutes to bake, so you will want to check them as they are baking to avoid burning them.)

Remove them from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool.

Cut them into two-inch pieces and serve while warm. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.