Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws

No Southern celebration would be complete without the ubiquitous cheese straw. Whether it’s a tea party, wedding reception, or awards luncheon, the cheese straw will usually make a fashionable appearance. While many old-fashioned recipes have fallen out of vogue in recent years, the simple yet sophisticated cheese straw has surprisingly managed to grow in popularity, and we’re all the better for it, in my opinion.

Now that we’re in the midst of the holiday season, I felt compelled to create a batch of these savory delights and share my recipe with you. If you perform enough research, you will find that practically every family in the South possesses their own cheese straw recipe that has been handed down for generations, and a simple Google search will reveal that modern cooks have tweaked and refined the basic cheese straw in a multitude of ways to suit their own tastes. I choose to keep my recipe very simple and straightforward, allowing anyone to put his or her own individual touch on it. If you like a spicy cheese straw, feel free to add cayenne pepper or Creole seasoning. Want a zestier cheese straw? Go wild with Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder! As long as you keep the basic components of this recipe, you can tweak the seasoning in any way you desire.

Here are a few additional tips: I use a cookie press to create my cheese straws, but if you don’t own one, then please don’t feel as if you have to rush out and purchase one for this recipe. You can also pipe your cheese straws using a pastry bag or free form them by hand. Using a sharp cheddar will impart a more full-bodied flavor, and grating your own cheese (as opposed to purchasing the pre-grated stuff) will yield a more uniform dough, as cheese that has been freshly-grated by hand will be much more pliable. Happy holiday cooking!

Old-Fashioned Cheese Straws

3 cups grated cheddar cheese*

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups self-rising flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. paprika

*I recommend using a sharp cheddar. Not only is it the traditional cheese of choice, but it also imparts a fuller, bolder flavor.

**If you prefer a spicy cheese straw, you can add ½ tsp. of cayenne pepper or Creole seasoning.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine cheese, butter, salt, and paprika in a large mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Continue to beat the mixture, adding flour gradually until all of it has been thoroughly incorporated.

There are multiple options for preparing the straws. If you have a cookie press, prepare the press with a star disc, fill the canister with dough, and press the straws in roughly three-inch strips. You can also fit a pastry bag with a large star tip to create the straws. Additionally, you can free form the straws by hand. If you wish to roll out the dough and cut strips, make sure to chill it beforehand so that it is easier to work with.

Place the straws on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes or until the straws are light and crispy. This recipe makes many cheese straws, so you will probably have to bake them in several batches. If upon cooling you find that the straws are underdone or not crispy enough for your liking, you can place them back on the parchment-lined baking sheet and continue to bake them until they are fully done, checking on their progress every two or three minutes. 

(Elegant cheesy goodness, served on my mom's Christmas china that we've been using as far back as I can remember!)

 

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!