Mississippi Cheese Straws Recipe From The Southern Comfort Family Cookbook

CHEDDAR CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, beating just until combined.
• Use a cookie press with a star-shaped disk to shape mixture into long ribbons, following manufacturer's instructions, on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Cut ribbons into 2-inch pieces.
• Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Cheese Wafers: Combine ingredients as directed; chill dough 2 hours. Shape dough into 4 (8-inch-long) logs; wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill 8 hours. Cut each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container 1 week.

SOUTHERN CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grate cheese.
• In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients until combined, then add cheese and butter. Process until dough becomes smooth and has the texture of Play-Doh. Alternately, make the dough in a stand mixer by creaming cheese and butter until smooth. Then combine dry ingredients in a bowl and combine with butter mixture at low speed until smooth.
• Shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap or parchment and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Or store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• Bring dough to room temperature and pack it into a cookie press fitted with a star disk. Pipe long ribbons of dough across the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, about an inch apart. Then cut into six-inch lengths. Repeat with remaining dough. Dough may also be hand-rolled into long ropes and cut to size, or shaped into a cylinder and sliced into rounds and baked.
• Bake for about 13 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Store between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container. Will keep for up to three weeks.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter with the cheese and the seasonings in a large bowl. Add the flour and knead into a smooth dough.
• Pack the dough in batches into a cookie press and press through the flat, ridged-line opening onto an ungreased cookie sheet to form ''straws'' of about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in length.
• Bake until golden (do not let them brown) and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the pan with a metal spatula and let cool. Serve or store in an airtight container. (The straws are very fragile.)