Sunshine Cheese Straws Or Wafers Recipes

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.

SIMPLE CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese and butter. Blend in the flour and salt. Form the mixture into 6 balls. Roll the balls into slender "snakes." Cut each "snake" into 4 straws. Bake the straws for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

CAYENNE CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Grate the cheese on the medium holes of a grater to make 4 cups. Cover the grated cheese and leave out with the butter until at room temperature, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. (Note: You need to grate your own cheese here--no pre-grated.)
• When ready to make the cheese straws, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Mix the flour, salt, cayenne, mustard and black pepper in a medium bowl.
• Put the cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until fairly smooth. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Check the consistency; it should be just stiff enough to pipe. If not, add a little more flour.
• Scrape the dough into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag. Use a 1/4-inch tip or cut a 1/4-inch hole in the plastic bag. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 5- to 6-inch strips. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• In a medium size mixing bowl, blend together butter or margarine and flour. Mix in the Cheddar cheese, salt, red pepper, hot pepper sauce, and pecans. Form the dough into a roll, wrap in parchment paper, and refrigerate over night.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough into very thin wafers. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp.

SOUTHERN PECAN CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce until smooth and creamy.
• Add 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika, if you're using it. Beat well, scraping the sides.
• Add the cheddar cheese and beat well, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Cover the dough and chill well, at least 2 or 3 hours or up to 3 days.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Press the top of each ball with a fork (if the fork sticks, coat with flour).
• Place a pecan half on top of each wafer.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are quite brown.
• Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered on the counter. Best served within 2 days.
• Re-heating: I made these a day in advance as Thanksgiving appetizers. They lose a bit of their crunch by day 2, so I spread them out on baking sheets and baked at 350 for about 5 minutes until they got crispy again. Worked great!

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
• Sift together the flour, cayenne and salt and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cheese until blended. Add the flour mixture slowly, beating at low speed, then continue to beat for 5 minutes, until very creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.
• Using a cookie press with a star tip, make 3-inch-long cheese straws, leaving at least 1/2 inch between each on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool. Makes approximately 5 dozen cheese straws.

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.

SUNSHINE CHEESE STRAWS OR WAFERS

Steps:

• 1. Sift flour, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using) into a large bowl.
• 2. Cut cold butter into small pieces and blend into dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• 3. Add cheese and blend with your fingers, or the dough hook of an electric mixer, until the dough hangs together and is no longer crumbly.
• 4. Working with 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll out to a rectangle about 1/3 of an inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into strips 1/2-inch wide and about 5 inches long.
• 5. If you prefer a wafer shape, cut the dough with a small biscuit or cookie cutter that is about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
• 6. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375 F. for ten to 15 minutes until very lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake. (For a pretty effect, give the straws a half twist before baking.)
• 7. HINT: These will firm up as they cool. Carefully remove from the baking sheet with a spatula and let cool completely on a flat surface before storing.

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 STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put the softened cheese and butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Using the heaviest mixer paddle attachment, beat until the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream, 15 to 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining 1 cup unseasoned flour incrementally until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press; you may not need to add all the flour.
• Lightly spray 4 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto a cookie sheet in long strips that run the length of the pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Bake until straws are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
• With your hands or a sharp knife, break or cut the long strips into 3-inch lengths. Use a flat, thin spatula or an egg turner to remove the cheese strips from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, serve or store in a tightly covered container.

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.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Bring cheese and butter to room temperature; mix them together by hand. Add flour and cayenne; mix well. Use a cookie press with a star or zigzag end place to make strips on ungreased baking sheets., Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown and as crisp as desired.