I know, I know, these really are not a traditional cookie. They are savory, but crackers… really are just savory cookies. I have been making sweets all month so a savory cookie is not going to kill you. In fact, these tasty straws will make a great go to appetizer for your next impromptu get together. The key to cheese straws isn’t the dough. It’s not the seasoning. It is all about the cheese. If you use crappy mild cheddar cheese… they won’t taste very good. Now of course, do not use a 6 year aged cheddar, you’re just wasting really good cheese. But a nice sharp 6-12 month aged cheddar really makes the straws pop. You can choose to pipe your straws with a star tip but it is not an easy pipe so I chose to roll and cut my straws.

Cheese straws (about 60)

• 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 2/3 cups flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Beat the butter and cheese until light and fluffy. The fat in the butter combined with the heat from the mixer will help incorporate the cheese evenly throughout the dough (isn’t physical chemistry awesome?). Sift the dry ingredients into the cheese and butter. Stir on low until a ball of dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a couple minutes (this is also to help the cheese evenly spread through the dough). On a sheet of parchment paper, roll the dough out to approximately 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate it until just firm (about 20 minutes). Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into 1/3 inch x 6 inch strips. Place them on a cookie sheet so they aren’t touching but don’t worry much about spacing they do not expand much. Be careful not to overload the sheet because the straws will unevenly cook if there are too many on the sheet. Bake the trays one at a time for about 11 minutes, until the straws take on a golden brown color. Remove the straws from the baking sheet to a cooling rack immediately. Allow the straws to cool and enjoy!