Spicy Southern Cheese Straws

These spicy and delicious Southern Cheese straws are ideal for a party snack. You’ll only need 6 ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen and it takes just about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Lately, I have been baking a lot of savory bakes. Our house is evenly split into sweet and savory lovers. My younger son likes to eat savory snacks and if eating a sweet snack, he likes it moderately sweet. This is totally in contrast to my husband and our older son who love really sweet desserts.

So after my Cream cheese spirals, I chose to make this very easy cheese straw which is a great party snack. Serve it with drinks and it will disappear in no time. And the best part is, they are so easy to make and also make a lot to feed a crowd.

All we need is a food processor and some basic ingredients to make these delicious Southern Cheese Straws. I have used different spices and cheese in the past and everything has worked. If you have a block of jalapeno cheddar cheese or Monterey jack cheese, just grate it and use it. The only cheese that I won't recommend using is the kind that melts to become gooey, like mozzarella.

What is a Cheese Straw?

I have talked enough about how delicious these spicy cheese straws are, but what are cheese straws?

When reading about the recipe, I saw that this is a traditional food in the Southern United States. So, I first made it when we moved to Oklahoma to celebrate our move to the South (kind of South).

People eat this as a snack or an appetizer. Traditionally, these straws are made using cheddar cheese. We can use any other cheese to make variations to the flavors. When these cheese straws are baking, also make up some delicious whipped feta dip to serve with the savory cheese straws. They pair perfectly and I love the flavors together.

I have used Monterey Jack cheese with Jalapeno and Habanero peppers in the past and this made the straws really spicy and tasty. If using plain cheese, I would highly recommend adding some heat to the dough with crushed red peppers like I did this time.

The dough is cut using a fluted pastry wheel to create a beautiful pattern. When I first made it, I did not own one and I was thinking of just using my pizza cutter when my awesome husband came up with the idea of using our kid’s play dough set wheel. This time though I own a little fluted wheel that I used. This is a great recipe to make with kids as they would love to slice the dough.

Why make this cheese straw?

• I love making this as a starter to serve at parties. Instead of cheese and crackers, this is a one-piece snack that everyone enjoys with drinks.
• A great savory snack for evenings to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
• Very easy to make with just a handful of basic ingredients.
• An adaptable recipe where flavors can be mixed and matched.
• Fun to make with kids.

Ingredients needed

• Cheese - The highlight ingredient of the cheese straw is cheese. We have many options to choose from for the cheese, but just make sure you don't use any that melts and becomes gooey. We can use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or any hard cheese. I have made these with Jalapeno and Habanero Monterey Jack and plain cheddar as well. I have also used Mexican blend cheese that has a mix of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Queso, and Asadero cheeses. If using spicy cheese, skip the crushed red pepper we are using in the recipe.

• All-purpose flour - I use unbleached flour for all my baking recipes.

• Butter - I have used unsalted butter. We can use salted butter as well. Just make sure to add salt to the dough carefully.

• Crushed red pepper flakes - We will be using this only if using plain cheese. If using spicy cheese, skip the pepper flakes.

• Italian seasoning - This time I have used a little Italian seasoning to make it a herbed cheese straw. This is optional and we can skip the seasoning.

• Cold milk - We need just a little milk to make the dough. We could use cream or even a splash of cold water instead.

• Salt - Be very careful when adding salt as the cheese is quite salty. Just add a little and taste the dough and then add more if needed.

Step-by-step process

Layer two baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper and keep them ready.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In the food processor bowl, add the flour, cheese, salt, and butter (1).

Pulse the processor a few times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (2).

Now add 1 tablespoon of milk and run the processor for about 5-10 seconds until the mixture forms a soft dough (3).

Gather the ball and knead it again gently. If the dough feels too soft, then refrigerate it for 10 minutes before rolling.

Divide the dough into two (4) and roll it into a rectangle (5). Make sure to liberally dust the rolling surface with flour.

Keep the width of the rectangle to the size you want the straws to measure. My straws were about 6 inches long. Roll the dough keeping the thickness to about 1 cm.

Using a pizza cutter or a fluted pastry wheel cut the rolled-out dough into 1 cm wide straws (6). This is a wonderful task for kids.

Transfer the cut dough carefully to a parchment-lined cookie sheet (7).

Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until the straws are golden brown (8).

Cool entirely in a rack and then store in an air-tight container.

Storage instructions

Cheese straws can stay outside in an air-tight container for up to a week. It could become a little soft but we could crisp it up again in the oven.

Leftover cheese straws can be stored in the freezer for 3 months but they do lose a little bit of their flavor and texture. It is better to freeze the dough instead of baked cheese straws. So if making a large batch, make sure to bake just enough and then freeze the dough to bake as needed.

Expert Tips

• Use hard cheese to make the best cheese straws. Soft cheese does not work as well.
• Use different flavored cheeses to make variations of Southern cheese straws. We love the jalapeno cheese or the habanero cheese.
• If making a large batch of cheese straws for later, make the dough, freeze it, and bake as needed. Baked cheese straws do not freeze as well.
• Cheese straws can be made as straws or can be made as crackers as well. Instead of cutting them as straws, we can roll and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and bake.

Frequently asked questions

More cheesy snacks

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