Southern Cheese Straws Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Hopbell

I make this once a week for Friday co*cktails. I often use a gruyere in place of the cheddar.

Gail

Every week Friday co*cktails? I wish I were your friend!

JudyR

Made these as "Cheddar pennies" too - but beware over-salting them! The Cheddar I used first time was a bit salty and so was the butter. Next batch, with no added salt, was much better.

Beth

I have celiac disease, and I make these gluten free for my goldfish-starved kids using garbanzo or garbanzo/fava flour—still delicious and lots of free protein! I also don't bother with the pastry bag. I mold the dough into rectangles and refrigerate wrapped in parchment. Then I just slice and bake. Easy cheese crackers!

Juli S

Made these last night for a dinner party. Sliced into coins instead of piping - very easy. Did 1/2 inch slices but think would be much better if thinner. Will try 1/4 inch next time. I had made them ahead, and they lost a bit of their crispness after being in storage container for the day, so heated in toaster oven prior to serving - crisped right back up and provided nice cheesy aroma to greet my guests! Definitely a repeater.

sarah

Pursuant to my great-grandmother's recipe, I add 1 teaspoon of fresh baking powder. Cheers!

Carey Green

Although these cheese straws will keep up to three weeks, they're best eaten the same day they're baked. I roll them into two or more cylinders and keep them in the freezer to use as needed.

Cappie78

Delicious, pretty, and light using the cookie press. When I resorted to hand rolling them, they seemed much more pedestrian. Mine came out looking like kids had rolled out play doh snakes.

EAKavetas

I make them as cheddar pennies and add chopped chive
s for the flavor and green flecks.

scurbas@gmail.com

You should not as general rule use salted butter in any recipe unless it is specified. Salted butter is variable in saltiness so using unsalted butter gives you better control. Most professionally written recipes presume you know to use sweet butter

Randi

Used gluten-free flour, which is always much drier than all-purpose flour. Had to add water for the dough to come together but this wasn't unexpected. Rested for 20 mins at room temperature, packed into cookie press, baked. Perfect results.

juleezee

Used to make this eons ago as "Cheddar Pennies" and they were always a hit. As Carey Green notes, it's easy to keep them in the fridge, wrapped in plastic or foil and slice off and bake what you need. Maybe it's time to whip up another batch.

Lisa

I just roll mine like a square pie crust and then cut with a pizza cutter! Works great! Also use my Christmas cookie cutter for different shapes to give as gifts. This recipe works great every time.

Marilyn Johnson

add 2 Tbs of water to douh. Excellent recipe,

LE0805

The dough did not come together. I added two tablespoons more of butter and it was perfect.

so good

Made as written except I used Kerrygold Dubliner for the cheese and rolled them out. I cut them into tiny holiday shapes, baked for 9 minutes and they are perfect. I saved half the dough and may have to get it back out of the freezer because we have people coming over and my partner will NOT stop snacking on these! Lol

Mary

These are amazing but the yield is not anywhere near 5 dozen. It’s worth at least doubling the recipe if you’re serving at a party.

Rachel

These are delicious and definitely worth buying good-quality cheese. I have made them as written and with substitutions: omitting the salt and using salted butter as well as using King Arthur GF measure-for-measure flour. All turn out beautifully!

Amanda

Couldn’t find my my cookie press, so made half “pennies” and half hand rolled straws. Sliced the pennies thinly and pressed out on the silpat. I added 1 tsp baking powder, and the straws and pennies were nice and light.

Muffy O

I'm glad I read the notes before I made them. I ended up with two tablespoons of water to get the dough to come together. I made them into tubes and cut into coins. I found that cutting them thinner is better. Next time I'd add chives as suggested by someone. Very yummy and I'll do it again.

CitrusSandy

I used a cookie press to make wreath shapes was worried about sticking. I pressed my shapes directly onto aluminum cookie sheets, and the finished cheese wreaths came right off with a spatula after baking. No problem with sticking and no parchment necessary.

Lezlie

Made quickly into coins that were not misshapen by the knife by using the dental floss method (unwaxed, unflavoured). Rolled dough one inch in diameter and then easily made quarter-inch slices by sliding the floss under the roll, crossing the ends and gently pulling them. Flat round coins pop off. Used Gruyère which was delicious but will experiment with other cheeses.

Michael

Like Goldfish crackers for grownups! Made coins and used Vermont Farmstand Cheddy Topper (cheddar with Heady Topper IPA). Also added fresh thyme for color since our cheddar was more yellow than orange. Baked 14 minutes at 375. Delicious!

HSK

Can these go straight from the freezer into the oven?

Jo L.

OK, these are terrific--I have a log in the freezer right now. Minor beef--when offering alternative preparations, such as "roll the batch into a couple of logs..." it would be nice to offer necessary instructions for at least one alternative. What size log cut to what size penny takes how long to bake? So, from experience: a log about 1 inch in diameter, cut into 1/4"pennies, is just about perfect at 15 minutes @ 375 in my oven. Just saying...

EstherInMN

I used my cookie press, but instead of straws I made small ovals, figuring they'd be less fragile. They made the trip across the state without crumbling. Yay. And they were the perfect size to pop one in your mouth. One after another.

a secret dash of powdered mustard!

I add a dash of mustard powder and it really rounds out the flavor. I snagged that hint from a gougere recipe that has a similar flavor palette. The cookie gun is great but it can be a mess to clean all the parts. Rolling out long snakes and then twisting them together takes a little more time but a lot less cleanup.

cheri P

Given that these are too spicy for my tum, I am going to modify the recipe by adding pimentos and cutting the cayenne, maybe adding a bit of tabasco. My husband loved these so I know I will be makingthem again.

cheri P

Don't over cook this. I did it in two batches and learned from the first batch that waiting for them to brown up made them too dry. The second batch was far nicer if somewhat lighter. They worked out well hand rolled , but twisting them was not the best approach, just nice little snake rolls, 4 inches long. Also I need to use less cayenne.

Elizabeth

Delicious. I found it a bit difficult to press out of the cannister. I may add some cream to the dough next time. Wreaths sound like a great idea.

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Southern Cheese Straws Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my cheese straws not crispy? ›

It can be hard to tell when cheese straws are perfectly baked, but underbaking can lead to soft straws instead of crisp ones.

How long will homemade cheese straws last? ›

Cheese straws are best the first day or two after they are made, but will stay fresh in an airtight container on the counter for about 1 week. You can also freeze any uneaten cheese straws in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

What are cheese straws made of? ›

Cheese straws are a traditional food of England and the Southern United States. They are eaten as an appetizer or snack. They are made as cut strips, or by using a cookie press, from dough made with butter, flour, salt, cheddar cheese and cayenne pepper. Variations use different types of cheese, spices and nuts.

What is the history of Southern cheese straws? ›

One of the earliest recipes for the South's cheese straws showed up in 1861 in Isabella Beeton's “The Book of Household Management,” printed in London. Another appeared just after the Civil War in “Mrs. Hill's New Cookbook” published in New York. No matter where cheese straws were born, the American South claims them.

How do you keep cheese straws crisp? ›

Cheese straws can be a bit brittle when they're warm, so handle them gently to avoid breaking them in half. Cool completely before serving. Store for up to a week in an airtight container. If your cheese straws lose some of their crispness, re-crisp them briefly in a toaster oven and cool before serving.

What makes some cheese crunchy? ›

In cheeses like Cheddars, those crunchy bits are more commonly calcium lactate. This is where lactic acid and calcium combine to form calcium lactate crystals. Whilst this crystalline texture is not historically found in cheddars, there has definitely been a rise in its popularity.

What kind of press do you use for cheese straws? ›

Fill a cookie press with the dough according to the manufacturer's instructions and fit with the star-shaped disk. Holding the cookie press at an angle on an ungreased or Silpat-lined cookie sheet, press the trigger twice, dragging the press away to make straws 3 inches long.

Do cheese straws go bad? ›

Most recipes make it a point to share that these treats can be kept for up to a week, when sealed in an airtight container.

Why are my cheese straws soft? ›

Bake until browning.

To ensure the straws are crispy, bake them until you see them browning on the bottom. Otherwise, the straws will get soft when storing and even have a taste of flour.

What pastry are cheese straws made from? ›

What Are Puff Pastry Cheese Straws? Our cheese straws are made with puff pastry, which is cut into strips and then twisted into “straws.” Puff pastry is made of hundreds upon hundreds of thin layers of dough and butter. In the heat of the oven, these layers puff dramatically and become incredibly crispy.

Can you freeze home made cheese straws? ›

Bake and cool as directed. Freeze baked cheese straws or rounds in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Who invented the cheese straw? ›

The history of southern cheese straws is a subject for debate. Some say that it can be traced back to the British “biscuit.” While others say the biscotti and hard breads of Italy and Spain regions of Europe. No matter where they originated, the cheese straw has found its home in the kitchens of the south.

What is Southern cheese? ›

The best known "types" of traditional Southern cheese are pimento cheese (which is a dip, not a cheese itself), and hoop cheese, which is now a relative rarity, but was ubiquitous before the 1960s in local stores.

What kind of cheese did the government give out? ›

Government cheese is "pasteurized process American cheese", a term with a standard of identity. It is produced from a variety of cheese (Cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, cheese curd, or granular cheese), made meltable using emulsifiers and blended.

What was the government cheese in the 1970s? ›

Well, it started in the 1970s, during former President Jimmy Carter's era and his promise of giving farmers a break. He wanted to raise the price of milk, but the government couldn't just buy milk and store it, so it started buying as much cheese as people wanted to sell, according to Pacific Standard Magazine.

Why are my cheese crisps not crispy? ›

If you find your cheese crisps are soggy once they've cooled, you likely didn't bake them enough. The edges should be brown before they are removed from the oven. Alternatively, you may have used a soft cheese that won't harden properly when it cools.

Why are cheese sticks rubbery? ›

If your mozzarella sticks are rubbery it's probably because they are starting to cool down. Once the cheese melts and then starts to recongeal, the mozzarella sticks can get rubbery instead of stretchy and molten.

Why is my cheese ball too soft? ›

Remove cheese ball from the fridge 30 minutes before serving so the cheese has time to soften and become more spreadable. Why is my cheese ball too soft? A cheese ball can be too soft if reduced fat or nonfat cream cheese is used. Stick to regular, full fat block-style cream cheese.

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