Friday
Dec182009
By Request... Cheese Straws!
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 2:26PM A quick share of one of my all time faves for the holidays.
Cheese Straws
1 lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I only use Cabot Yellow Extra Sharp these days. Good cheese makes a huge difference)
1 1/2 sticks butter (no margarine, please)
3 cups all-purpose flour (save your White Lilly for biscuits... it's too tender for this)
Cayenne/Ground Red Pepper (to taste... we like 'em hot)
Salt (to taste)
Garlic powder (optional and to taste)
Dash of Worcestershire & Tabasco
Shred your cheese; allow to come to room temperature (This is important. Really cold cheese/dough is HARD to press out even in a good cookie press). Cream with butter (I use my heavy duty Kitchen Aid stand mixer for all of this).
Once creamed, add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Next, mix in seasonings. (Here's where the "tricky" part comes in. When I used to make these in FL, there was plenty of moisture in the air and I usually didn't add any water. Here in TX, I have to add a tablespoon of water or more to get the dough smooth enough to press out with my cookie press. Also, if your kitchen is cold/cool, you might have to microwave the dough just a LITTLE bit... don't want the butter/cheese to melt, but you need it warm enough to be able to press it out through the cookie press.)
Press dough out into straws on baking sheets using a good, strong cookie press (the one I bought from Williams Sonoma was WELL worth every penny I paid for it).
Bake at 325 for 10-15 or until just lightly browned on the bottom.
Then... and don't be tempted to skip this step... turn oven off and allow to cool slightly; put all the straws back in a warm oven to "dry out" (much like curing shortbread) (I typically do this overnight.) The flavor won't change, but they'll stay crisp much longer.
Enjoy!
1 lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I only use Cabot Yellow Extra Sharp these days. Good cheese makes a huge difference)
1 1/2 sticks butter (no margarine, please)
3 cups all-purpose flour (save your White Lilly for biscuits... it's too tender for this)
Cayenne/Ground Red Pepper (to taste... we like 'em hot)
Salt (to taste)
Garlic powder (optional and to taste)
Dash of Worcestershire & Tabasco
Shred your cheese; allow to come to room temperature (This is important. Really cold cheese/dough is HARD to press out even in a good cookie press). Cream with butter (I use my heavy duty Kitchen Aid stand mixer for all of this).
Once creamed, add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Next, mix in seasonings. (Here's where the "tricky" part comes in. When I used to make these in FL, there was plenty of moisture in the air and I usually didn't add any water. Here in TX, I have to add a tablespoon of water or more to get the dough smooth enough to press out with my cookie press. Also, if your kitchen is cold/cool, you might have to microwave the dough just a LITTLE bit... don't want the butter/cheese to melt, but you need it warm enough to be able to press it out through the cookie press.)
Press dough out into straws on baking sheets using a good, strong cookie press (the one I bought from Williams Sonoma was WELL worth every penny I paid for it).
Bake at 325 for 10-15 or until just lightly browned on the bottom.
Then... and don't be tempted to skip this step... turn oven off and allow to cool slightly; put all the straws back in a warm oven to "dry out" (much like curing shortbread) (I typically do this overnight.) The flavor won't change, but they'll stay crisp much longer.
Enjoy!
