Cheese Straws

My mother in law LOVES cheese straws. If there was an expert on them she would be the person to talk to. I‘ve never made them and when I saw this recipe I thought OMG there’s nothing to it I can do this! They do make a lot so I might be saving this to make again for my Christmas baskets next year. Last Thursday we hosted an After Christmas Christmas Party. December is the worst month ever with so many parties and events I thought it would be fun to host a party kicking off the New Year and incorporate all my Christmas décor. It was a lot of fun and I admit I went a little overboard on the food. Ummm yeah….I started off with 3 things I wanted to make that turned into 10 items! I made Boudain Balls, Sushi, Avocado Ranch Dip, Crab Stuffing in Puff Pastry, Stuffed Mushrooms, Cheese Straws, Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip (store bought), Cupcakes, Cookies, Raspberry Chipotle Sauce over Cream Cheese. Here’s a sneak peek at my 8 foot island full of food.

I love throwing parties, what can I say!

Cheese Straws
(Adapted from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours by Trisha Yearwood)

Printer Friendly Version

3 (10-ounce) bricks of sharp Cheddar cheese, room temperature
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dash garlic powder
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Put softened cheese and butter in bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer.

Using heaviest mixer attachment, beat cheese and butter until mixture has consistency of whipped cream, about 30 minutes.

On a sheet of waxed paper, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.

Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition.

Add the unseasoned flour until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed though a cookie press; you may not need to add all the flour. (I added it and it, you could taste the flour and it was almost too stiff to pipe out so I would say don’t add it.)

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto a cookie sheet in long strips.

If you don’t have a cookie press or a piping bag then you can roll them into balls and lightly press a fork in the middle.

Bake for 20 minutes. The cheese straws should be golden brown and crisp.

With a sharp knife, cut the long strips into 3-inch lengths. (I didn’t do this I just piped them in smaller sizes.) Use a flat, thin spatula or an egg turner to remove the cheese strips from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack.

When they are completely cool, store in a tightly covered container.