Cooking web notes

Home-made Cheese Straws

Photo credit ~ Scott Rogers

Gainesville, GA Times

I love cheese and would take that over a piece of chocolate any day!  If you are a big fan of cheese like I am, you will love these cheese straws!  Should you have some leftover hard cheese in your refrigerator, this is a great way to put that cheese to good use.  I like sharp cheddar or Parmesan myself but, it really does not matter what type of cheese you use; any variety works well.  You can make them for a fraction of the price of store-bought, which are usually stale or have broken into pieces by the time you get them home. 

This is an easy recipe that young and old alike will savor.  The buttery dough filled with cheese and red pepper comes together easily with several methods of finishing them.  Some cooks pipe the cheese straws from a pastry bag, some use a cookie press with the star or serrated ribbon disc and still others roll the dough out and cut it into strips.  Then, just pop them in the oven!  They can be stored in an airtight container; actually, they improve in flavor when they are made the day before being served.  Cheese straws can also be frozen until you’re ready to enjoy them.

They are a staple in most southern homes and that is yet another reason why I love the South so much!  Cheese straws make a great appetizer and are so scrumptious with soups and salads or as a late night snack, just trot them out anytime you feel like it!  And with Super Bowl parties just around the corner, they would be perfect!

Home-made Cheese Straws

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups, flour sifted

½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper

¼ teaspoon paprika

 teaspoon salt

2 cups Parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:

In a bowl, cream butter well. 

Add sifted flour, salt and spices. Blend together.

Add cheese and combine thoroughly.

Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Place cheese mixture into a cookie press with the serrated ribbon disk or star disk. 

Press dough onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Pam’s note:  If you wish, instead of a cookie press:  Divide dough into 4 portions.  Shape each into a ball and roll out in a 7” x 5” rectangle.  Cut into 5” x 1/2” strips and bake.

There you have the temptation of crispy, salty, buttery, cheesy Cheese Straws!  They should have an addiction warning label!  Yum!

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 7:34 AM and is filed under Appetizers, Cheese. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.