Cheddar Cheese Straws
I made us yummy snacks!
And guess what? They’re super easy to make, and way too addictive—bet’cha can’t just have one!
Actually, I hadn’t even planned to make these. I was going to share with you some black pepper shortbread cookies today, but they turned out way too ugly. I was trying to make them into cute little cubes (for the pop factor…aka the ability to just pop them in your mouth, haha), but they turned into horrible, little puddles in the oven.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re still delicious…but they look like this, so obviously the recipe could use some work…
But, I guess it was a happy accident, because then my brain turned to another savory cracker thing and threw together these cheese straws. And they are awesome.
They’re buttery, a bit nutty from aged cheddar, and carry a slight kick in the form of a pinch of cayenne. There’s also a secret ingredient that gives these a really interesting and addictive flavor—nutmeg! It sounds a little strange, but it adds a slightly sweet and warm note.
These make awesome hors d’oeuvres for a party (it is that time of the year!), but they’re also just great to have around the house to snack on (or maybe not so great because of how easy it is to eat like 7 at once?).
I like eating ’em on their own, but I bet they’d be a ridiculously tasty accompaniment to a bowl of tomato soup. They’d also look pretty cool on a cheese platter!
Oh, and if you want some more tasty homemade cracker ideas, might I suggest these, these, or these?
PrintCheddar Cheese Straws
Yield: about 2 dozen cheese straws
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces aged cheddar, grated (I used a white aged cheddar, but you can use orange!)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into tablespoons
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp milk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure your oven racks are in the upper and lower third of the oven.
- Combine all of the ingredients, except the milk, in the bowl of your food processor, and pulse until crumbs form. Add in the milk and pulse until a ball forms.
- Roll the dough out into a 1/8"-thick rectangle, on a lightly floured surface. Using sharp knife, cut into 1/4" to 1/2"-wide strips. Place the strips onto unlined baking sheets, and use your fingers to bend them back and forth to create squiggles. (These won't get much wider, so you don't have to worry too much about leaving a whole lot of space between them, but I still used 2 baking sheets.)
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet prior to serving.
recipe adapted from here
