What is it?

I meant cheese STRAWS ... my memory is going ...

Paula's [the butter Paula] recipe got pulled, but I found another. I was trying to remember the cayenne pepper amounts ... but it seems small.

Is anybody still making these for family gatherings, or is it anti-healthy now in this brave new PC wannabe world.

Oh! Thanks. I haven't made cheese straws, but I know what they are. :) Don't worry about the typo. Autopilot and skip ahead errors are common. And proofreading one's own errors is often not fully productive.

I doubt healthy killed them. The hipsters are really into things like bacon crusted bacon on bacon bread and deep fried candy bars. Unless they're raw vegans and think if their food doesn't feel like a punishment they're doing it wrong.

Trader Joe's sells sinfully good cheese straws in a twist-stick shape. Same flavor that I recall from my Mother's cheese straws (Southern).

I've used this version many times. The straws are nice but using cookie cutters is kind of fun. I used a star shape recently for July 4th.

Cheese Straws

Note: Adding fresh or dried herbs of choice is a nice option.

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine and pulse in bowl of food processor:
1 stick butter, room temperature
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese "regular or white), cut into chunks

Add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Process until mixture comes together, then press dough together. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece out between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 6 x 1/2 strips. Twist, if desired, or roll out to cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Arrange on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake until crisp and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove sheet to rack and let cool completely before serving. (Can store in air-tight container for up to one week or frozen up to 2 months.)

Wow. That sounds great, chloebud. Thanks for posting.

WalnutCreek, I hope you try them sometime. :-)

The cookie cutter part made me think of another recipe...more for blue cheese fans. This one's a little more involved but good. I make this in the fall with the leaf-shaped cookie cutters. Got the recipe from Bon Appetit long ago. These are tasty with or without the Roulade.

Instead of rolling jelly roll style...and to make things easier... I've used an oversize leaf-shaped cookie cutter (such as 6"x 6") as a 'mold' for the cream cheese. I press it into the cookie cutter (on the serving plate you'll be using), chill well, lift the cookie cutter straight up from the cold cream cheese, then smooth over with a small knife/spatula, if necessary. Spoon the chutney and green onion over the cream cheese leaf.

Blue Cheese Shortbread Leaves With Cream Cheese Roulade

Shortbread Ingredients:
3 1/2 oz. crumbled blue cheese (about 1/2 cup)
3 T. unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Roulade Ingredients:
1 8-oz. pkg. chilled cream cheese
2/3 cup purchased spiced cranberry-apple chutney (or other favorite chutney)
1/2 cup very thinly sliced green onions

For Shortbread:
Blend blue cheese and butter in processor until creamy. Add flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add walnuts and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top sheet. Using 2 1/2 x 1-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out leaves. Transfer leaves to prepared baking sheets. Gather dough scraps and reroll; cut out additional leaves. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer leaves to rack and cool.

For Roulade:
Using rolling pin, flatten cream cheese between sheets of plastic wrap; roll into 10x8-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Spread 1/3 cup chutney atop cream cheese rectangle, leaving 1-inch plain border. Sprinkle chutney with 2 tablespoons green onions. Using plastic as aid and starting at 1 long side, roll up cream cheese, jelly-roll style, into log. Gently press remaining green onions onto roulade. Wrap roulade tightly with plastic. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Place roulade on platter. Surround with shortbread leaves. Top roulade with remaining 1/3 cup chutney and serve.

I don't even know what the question is? Are you looking for recipes?

Man, that Worcestershire one sounds great.

Was really looking for one with vanilla yogurt *grin* so I could give Lars some more grief ... ^_^

I remember these as a kid as snacks after school.

Oh my, chloebud. That one sounds delicious, too.

Being honest, bragu, saw cheese "strings" and was a bit hesitant to open post HA! You're talking to a certified Cheez-It lover (you know, just one small bowl) so these ideas all resonate.

Chloebud -- whenever I see 1 stick of butter and 1 Cup of cheese as the first two ingredients, I'm all in.

CathyinSWPA

That recipe from Chloebud with the Worcestershire and cayenne looks like my mother's recipe. She used a cookie press to make long wavy 1" wide strips that got cut into 1" pieces.

And the Trader Joe's sticks taste the same. YUM.

"...whenever I see 1 stick of butter and 1 Cup of cheese as the first two ingredients, I'm all in."

And in deep! :-)

Cheese "straws" are my New Years tradition = )

I could eat them all day, every day, so I only make them once a year = )

I use a recipe like the ones above w/ cheddar and the wafer disc on my cooky press to make long wafers, which I break into pieces. It looks like this:

That's a great idea, Carol. I once started a thread on GW "Spritz -- My Nemesis, What's Yours?" or something like that. Maybe all this time I should have been making cheese straws:)

CathyinSWPA