Cheesewafersstrawscookies Recipes

CHEESE STRAWS AND WAFERS

Steps:

• Cream cheese and margarine; add flour and Rice Krispies.
• For Cheese Straws, roll out on floured cloth; cut in 2 1/2 x 1/2-inch sticks.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
• For Cheese Wafers: Form into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet; mash lightly with fork.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

CHEESE WAFERS OR STRAWS

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in mixing bowl. With fingers, work half the butter into the flour until it resembles damp, crumbly sand. Add the remaining cold butter chunks and the cheese and stir with a fork to distribute. Stir in milk and quickly gather dough into a ball with floured hands. (There should be visible butter chunks in the dough.) Squash dough into a rough rectangle about 1 inch thick.
• Dust dough with flour and roll to a long rectangle about 8 by 14 inches and about 1/2-inch thick, with the longer side facing you. Fold dough into thirds: first fold in right side, then left side on top of it, making a nearly square package three layers high. Dust again with flour and roll out to make same size rectangle, then fold it again. Dust and repeat once more. Wrap well in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day in advance.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut dough in half. Refrigerate half the dough and roll the other piece out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. (Do not roll too thin or pastry will not puff.) To make wafers, cut dough into 2-inch rounds with a sharp cookie cutter (or cut into diamonds with a knife). To make straws, cut dough in strips 1/2-inch by 5 inches. Twist strips 2 or 3 times and press down ends to prevent unfurling.
• Place wafers or straws on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Paint lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Add sprinklings of cumin seed, black pepper, rosemary or smoked paprika if desired, and a little more grated cheese. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until well browned and crisp. Let cool before serving. Repeat process with remaining half of dough.
• Note: To make heart-shaped palmiers, cut dough in half as above. Working with one dough half (and refrigerating the other), roll dough to a rectangle about 12 by 8 inches and 1/8-inch thick, with the longer side facing you. Paint entire sheet of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with cheese. Tightly roll each of the long edges toward the center so you have a long, somewhat narrow log consisting of 2 connected side-by-side cylinders. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Pinch the round side of each slice to form a heart shape. Flatten each heart-shaped slice with rolling pin and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Dab each heart with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until well browned.

CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, cayenne, and salt in a large shallow bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add the cheese and rub into the flour-butter mixture gently with your fingertips until a small bit of dough, when pinched together, will hold its shape. Roll into 3/4-inch balls, place 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets, then flatten into rounds 1/4-inch thick by pressing with a flat-bottomed glass that has been dipped into flour. (You'll have to keep dipping the glass into flour to keep the dough from sticking to it.) Bake uncovered 10 to 12 minutes until pale tan. Transfer the wafers at once to wire racks to cool, then store airtight.

CHEESE WAFERS (STRAWS, COOKIES)

Steps:

• Blend softened butter with grated cheese.
• Add salt, garlic powder, cayenne powder and worcestershire.
• Stir in flour and rice krispies.
• For wafers: Form by hand into balls and flatten with fork.
• For straws: Flatten pieces of dough by hand on parchment paper and cut into 4 x 6 inch straws and separate.
• Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 17 minutes. Watch carefully and do not overbake. Let cool slightly and place on paper towels. Store in an air tight container.