Cheese Straws Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

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.

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.

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.

If it's too cold, it'll be hard to squeeze out of the pres. If it's too warm, it'll be too soft, and it won't hold its shape when baked. Holding your hand on the tube will warm the dough, so try to use just one hand on the trigger – place your other hand on the cookie sheet to keep it from moving.

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

Cheese Straws aren't something I think keep for a long time. Once they're baked, they really are best eaten within two days. After this they will start to get a little softer and loose their crisp texture. Keeping them in an airtight container helps prevent this.

For straws: Place the dough into a cookie press or pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Push the dough into one corner of the bag and press the air out. Snip the tip and pipe them into 3” long strips about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom and edges.

Cheese straws are one of those classic Southern treats, something that no self-respecting hostess would be without in her culinary repertoire. They are usually served before a meal, though they are also delicious with soups, salads, wine, cheese and I have even been known to dip cheese straws into a bowl of queso.

For the best taste and quality, cheese should not be left out for longer than two hours at room temperature.

Why are my cheese straws soft? ›

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.

Pre-shredded cheese contains ingredients like potato starch and natamycin to keep the shreds from clumping together in the bag. That means that sometimes, pre-shredded cheese won't melt as easily as it would if you grated a cheese block yourself!

My mother bakes Southern cheese straws, which require pushing a very stiff dough through a cookie press using a star pattern. For texture reasons, the dough has to be stiff and they don't taste the same without the star pattern (she's tried).