Cheese Straws

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups about 6 ounces grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
• 3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon half-and-half (i used cream, because i had it on hand, suspect milk would work just as well)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 in a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
• 3 on a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. with a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though i lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. the dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. the straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.
• 4 bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.
• 5 serve at room temperature. cheese straws will keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for two days. they will not last an hour at a party.