MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Sky's Family Cheese Straws
Categories: Appetizers, Cheese
Yield: 1 Batch

1 lb Extra sharp cheddar cheese;
-cold and shredded
2 c All purpose flour
1 c Butter; cold
3/4 ts Cayenne; to taste
Salt; to sprinkle before
-cooking

Note: Recipe can be halved for convenience.

Add cayenne pepper to flour and sift together, about 3 or 4 times.
Reserve about a 1/2-cup of the flour-cayenne mixture in a separate
container for later use. Add the remaining flour-cayenne mixture to
stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Do not use a hand mixer.

Cut the cold butter into many small pieces (pats) and add to stand
mixer bowl with the sifted flour-cayenne. Use lowest speed setting on
stand mixer to combine the butter with the flour-cayenne until small
or tiny "pebbles" are formed, as if preparing pastry or pie dough.
About 2 or 3 minutes (if even that long).

Shred/grate the cold extra sharp cheddar cheese and add the reserved
1/2-cup of flour-cayenne in intervals to mix/shake with and "coat" the
separate cheese "shreds". With stand mixer turned on lowest speed
setting, add small handfuls of flour-coated grated cheese to the
butter-flour-cayenne mixture. Keep adding a small handful at a time
until the dough begins to form and ball-up on the mixer paddle. At
this point, change the mixer paddle for the dough hook. Continue
until all the grated cheese has been added and is thoroughly combined
and blended. This will take about 6 to 10 minutes.

Let the dough rest ** for about 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. The
purpose of the resting period is to allow the dough to fully come to
room temperature. It's much easier to work the dough from the cookie
press if it isn't cold. If the dough is still too cold and stiff,
then it will not extrude very well from the cookie press.

I use a battery-powered cookie press with a die that is flat on the
bottom and serrated on top. A manual cookie press works just as well.

Use a cookie press to extrude long ribbons of cheese straw dough onto
a cookie sheet, laying the ribbons closely next to each other. For
me, a batch of cheese straws uses three cookie sheets when I make
them. Shake salt (to taste) on top of cheese straw ribbons prior to
cooking.

Cook cheese straws in preheated 260°F degree oven for about 50 to 60
minutes (or more). Cooking time will vary depending the individual
oven, so keep an eye on the cheese straws. Every 15 minutes or so,
rotate the cookie sheets horizontally and vertically in the oven so
the cheese straws cook evenly.

Once cheese straws have become 'toasty' in color and are no longer
pale, remove from the oven and let cool. Be careful; it’s very easy
to over cook the cheese straws. Break cheese straws to preferred
size, and store at room temperature in a closed tin or plastic
container with cover.

* I use 1-1/4 ts of cayenne pepper for a rather hot and spicy
after-taste.

** If the cheese straw dough is to be cooked other than immediately
after the "resting" period, then do not rest. Instead, immediately
put the dough in the refrigerator for storage in a covered
bowl/container or wrapped in cellophane. However, the dough needs to
be removed from the fridge several hours before it's cooked to room
temperature.

Recipe by Skyhooks

Recipe FROM: <https://web.archive.org/web/20170328104912/
http://recfoodcooking.org/sigs/Skyhooks/
Sky's Family Cheese Straws.html>

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