Textual Chef Textual Chef

Cheese Straws

Crispy, savory Southern baked snacks made with sharp cheddar, butter, and a touch of cayenne pepper.

32 minEasyServes 8180 cal/serving

AmericanAppetizerOvenVegetarianLow CarbHalal-friendlyKosher-styleNut-FreeEgg-FreeSoy-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeLow-SodiumCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 375F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. 2

    In a bowl, beat 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter together until smooth.

  3. 3

    Stir in 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika until a cohesive dough forms.

  4. 4

    Transfer dough to a cookie press fitted with a star tip and press 3-inch strips onto parchment.

  5. 5

    Bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown and firm, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

What is Cheese Straws?

Crispy, savory Southern baked snacks made with sharp cheddar, butter, and a touch of cayenne pepper. This reference files it under American appetizer: made in the oven, rated easy and about 32 minutes start to finish.

What oven temperature does Cheese Straws need?

For Cheese Straws, the oven is set to 375 F (about 190 C) in step 1. The longest stretch at that heat is 12 minutes, in step 5.

What should Cheese Straws look like when it is ready?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 5: cook until light golden brown and firm.

What can I use instead of smoked paprika in Cheese Straws?

The entry for Cheese Straws calls for 1/4 tsp smoked paprika. In its place: Sweet paprika with a small pinch of cumin, or a few drops of liquid smoke. Chipotle powder works if you want heat as well.

Is Cheese Straws spicy?

Moderately. The heat in Cheese Straws comes from 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. For a milder plate, halve the cayenne; nothing else in the method changes. For more, add it at the table rather than in the pot, so everyone sets their own level.

Can I make Cheese Straws dairy-free?

Not cleanly. Here the dairy (2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened) is the backbone of the dish, and plant-based substitutes change both its texture and its flavor. If you need strictly dairy-free, start from the dairy-free appetizer collection instead.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More American entries

All American recipes · All Appetizer recipes · All Cheddar Cheese recipes