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 10-12 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 this be made without a food processor?
Yes, Nancy — You can mix the flour/cheese mixture by hand (use finely grated cheese); then cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives. Please LMK how they turn out!
Jenn,
Can these be made in advance or should they be served warm?
Hi Felice, they can definitely be made in advance! 🙂
Just made these for a pot luck tomorrow night. My biggest issue is not eating them all before then! They’re great, easy and don’t take too long to make. For sure this recipe is a keeper and will be made often.
Omg! These are delicious and highly addictive! I used cheap mild cheddar that I had on hand and 4 Tbsp sour cream and 2 Tbsp milk as a substitute for the cream plus rosemary and lemon thyme from the garden… the width of my slices was pretty inconsistent. The thin sliced ones definitely crisped up better but all were great. And the recipe came together really easily. Another keeper… Jenn, I am such a super fan of your recipes!
These are easy to make and addictive! A definite hit for our group that went wine tasting! A keeper for sure!
These are AMAZING. I made them to go with Easter dinner and they were a hit. They’re addictive little suckers too! My mom told me they’re so good I could sell them. Ha!
I was a little apprehensive to make these along with everything else I was doing in the kitchen that day, but they’re really not too difficult.
The only issue I had was that mine didn’t brown on the bottom (my parchment paper is pretty thick) and they took longer to bake. A couple of them got too done because i kept waiting for that brown speckling on the bottoms, but they were still delicious! Even better the next day I thought.
These are sooo good. I have brought these to many parties and am always asked for the recipe.
I have made these for three different parties using thyme and rosemary as the herbs and each time there has not been one left. At a recent baby shower, people were grabbing another breadstick as they left! Admittedly, I always hesitate to make them because I struggle to cut the dough into straight, consistently wide strips. No one enjoying them seems to mind!
I wanted to make something different appetizer-wise for thanksgiving. When my daughter came home from college for thanksgiving, I put her in charge of making this. It was sooo good and made so many that we froze half and then ate them again on new years. LOVED them. Thank you!
Cheese straws are one of my favorite snacks, and most friends love them as well. I used to add cayenne pepper to mine but really like using the red pepper flakes. Rather than cutting the dough into straws I fill my old Mirro cookie press and use the star disc. Works great!
Jenn, how far in advance can I make these and keep them in a sealed container without refrigerating?
They’ll keep well in a sealed container for 2 – 3 days. Hope you enjoy!