Cheddar & Herb Cheese Straws
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Crisp, flaky cheese straws dotted with herbs and pepper flakes make a perfect party starter, or enjoy them as a delicious nibble alongside a comforting bowl of soup.
These crisp and flaky cheese straws, speckled with fresh herbs and crushed red chili flakes, make a fantastic hors d’oeuvre for wine and cocktails. They also pair wonderfully with a comforting bowl of tomato soup. While they may resemble breadsticks, their texture is closer to that of a savory pie crust or pastry. They are wildly addictive and simply fun to serve. Special thanks to my dear friend Kelly Santoro for sharing the recipe!
Table of Contents
“These are easy to make and addictive! A definite hit for our group that went wine tasting!”
What You’ll Need To Make Cheese Straws
- Extra-sharp cheddar cheese: Provides the primary flavor base and creates the rich, cheesy taste that is essential to the straws. No need to spend a lot on a fancy cheese; a good supermarket brand like Cabot or Tillamook works well here.
- All-purpose flour: Serves as the structural base of the straws, giving them form and texture.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: Add a spicy kick to balance the richness of the cheese and butter.
- Fresh herbs: Make the straws taste even better and giving them a lovely, herby aroma. I like a combination of rosemary and thyme, but any fresh herbs will work.
- Cold unsalted butter: Contributes to the flaky, tender texture of the pastry by creating layers in the dough.
- Heavy cream: Adds moisture and richness to the dough, helping to bind the ingredients together and contribute to the flakiness of the baked straws.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the grated cheese, flour, salt, red chili flakes and herbs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
Process until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
Add the cold butter.
Process until the mixture is crumbly with pea-size bits of butter within. Then add the cream.
Pulse until the dough clumps together in a mass.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and dust the dough with flour. Knead the dough until it comes together and shape into a rectangle about an inch high; then, cut in half.
Roll each block of dough into an 8×10-inch rectangle.
Trim the edges, then use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Try to be fairly accurate: if they are too thick, they won’t crisp up; if they are too thin, they’ll break.
Transfer the dough strips to a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about a 1/4-inch between them.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and a rich golden color on the bottom.
Let cool on a rack, then transfer to a plate or jar to serve.
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Cheddar & Herb Cheese Straws
Crisp, flaky cheese straws dotted with herbs and pepper flakes make a perfect party starter, or enjoy them as a delicious nibble alongside a comforting bowl of soup.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (2 packed cups) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with knife, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Scant teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ tablespoons roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary and/or thyme
- 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set two oven racks in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cheese, flour, salt, red pepper flakes and herbs. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Cut the butter into ½-inch chunks and add to the flour/cheese mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some pea-size clumps of butter within. Add the heavy cream and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together into a mass.
- Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough on top. Dust the top of the dough with flour and use your hands to shape into a rectangle about 1-inch high. Cut the rectangle in half.
- Dust the work surface with more flour and roll each block of dough into a 8 x 10-inch rectangle about ⅛-inch thick (turn the dough as you go and add more flour as necessary so it doesn't stick). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, trim the edges straight without sacrificing too much dough, then cut the dough into thin strips about ¼-inch wide. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about a ¼-inch of space between them. Bake the straws for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and a rich golden color on the bottom, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through. Remove from the pans from the oven and set on a rack to cool. Carefully transfer the cheese straws to a plate and serve.
- Note: The cheese straws will keep well in a covered container for a few days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze the dough: Shape the dough into 2 rectangles, about 1 inch thick, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, place them in a sealable bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the freezer, thaw it until pliable, and then proceed with recipe. To freeze after baking: let the cheese straws cool completely and store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cheese straw
- Calories: 50
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Sodium: 69mg
- Cholesterol: 11mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can these be made with GF flour? Thanks.
Hi Karen, I haven’t made these with gluten-free flour, but I suspect it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Jenn – do you have a suggestion for something that could be served along with these before Thanksgiving dinner is served?
Hi Carol, I think these would be good with store-bought cheeses, cured meats, olives, marinated veggies, etc. Hope that helps!
Rather than rolling the dough and cutting into straws I use an old Mirro cookie press with the star disc. Newer cookies presses don’t work well.
I live in Berlin, Germany. What type of cheese could I use to replace cheddar. My daughter has a craving for these and I would like to make them for her.
Hi Laura, I think Parmesan or Gouda would work nicely here too. Hope your daughter enjoys!
I don’t have a food processor. Can you cut the ingredients in together by hand with a good pastry blender?
Yes, Levian, that will work. (Make sure to use finely grated cheese.) I’d love to hear how they turn out! 🙂
Love these – the texture and taste are amazing. The only problem I had is the sticks would break, easily. I like the long look but they are a bit delicate. Maybe I am not handling the dough correctly?
Hi Dabney, Yes they are a bit delicate. You can try cutting them a bit thicker to see if that helps. Glad you like them!
Hi Jen. Could I twist these so that my unevenness with cutting isn’t so noticeable?
Sure!
Has anyone tried substituting the cheddar with parmesan? Just wondering if it would work.
You mention in one of your answers that the addition of cream makes them tender. I was looking for something crisp – are these straws crisp or more like eating crust?
Hi Sandy, They have the texture of crisp/flaky pie crust.
We made these for Thanksgiving. They were a huge hit and were all gone after the happy hour. We will definitely make again and again. Thanks Jenn, I always know I can trust your recipes to be winners! Happy Holidays.
I have been making cheese straw for years. I learned from generations in my past, good southern women all.
This is a nice twist, but instead of making long straws I rolled the dough into logs and sliced them thin. Easy snacking and convenient to store, of course I doubled the recipe because they are addictive!!
Thanks to you the emails are great.
Looking for a savory to bake for a fund raising tea and thought perhaps something w/cheese. Would you recommend the cheese straws or do you perhaps have another suggestion? Thanks. Blessings!
Yes I think they’d be wonderful!
I made these for Christmas Eve brunch. They are so good they may not make it until then – tomorrow! Mine did take longer in the oven, but it was so worth it. Cannot wait to serve these tomorrow! Thanks, Jenn! Another new “go to” recipe!