How To Make Cheese Straws -Guyanese Recipe

Cheese Straws Recipe: spicy and savoury cheese shortbread straws, perfect for gift giving or as part of a charcuterie board.

I first tried cheese straws one day when I was at a West Indian bakery.  My husband is from Guyana, and we would sometimes go there for some Guyanese treats. Guyanese cheese straws are like a savoury, spicy cheese shortbread.  They are buttery and crisp like the best shortbread, but also cheesy tasting, and then they have a little heat to them too.  

They're like a savoury cookie.  These cheese straws are kind of perfect.  They're basically cheese crackers, only better.  They often make an appearance at family gatherings, and if you're Guyanese they bring the best childhood memories.

The Perfect Homemade Gift

If you're looking for a savoury home made gift for someone special, these spicy cheese straws are perfect.   A home made food treat is the great gift -since lots of people don't have time to cook or bake these days, it doesn't add clutter to anyone's house, and tastes delicious!  I love cheese straws as part of a cheese board or charcuterie platter around the holidays, or even served with a soup.  These crunchy snacks are also great for snacking.  I think we could eat an entire batch without much trouble.  They'd be a great addition to your next party.

Ingredients

Sharp Cheddar

This recipe is best with a sharp cheddar.  It helps create the best cheese flavor.  You want the sharpness of an old cheddar for the very best flavor.  If you don't use a sharp cheddar you run the danger of the cheese flavor getting lost and not standing out.

Real Butter

Since these crackers are very much like a shortbread cookie, real butter works best. The taste of the butter really comes through, so I won't recommend using margarine for this recipe. We make these with salted butter. If you are using unsalted butter for this recipe, increase the salt.

Cayenne Pepper

This is my mother-in-law's traditional Guyanese cheese straw recipe.  They always make them spicy.  The spice works so well with the cheese for this little crunchy snack.  I won't recommend leaving the cayenne pepper out of this recipe, because they might be bland without it.  You can reduce the pepper if you want to make a mild version. And if you like things really spicy you can up the cayenne pepper to suit your taste.

Variations

Herbs

You can add some fresh herbs to your cheese straws. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs like rosemary and thyme to your dough for herbed cheese straws.

Cookie Press

I used a cookie press to make my cheese straws.  I think this is the easiest way, since the dough is quite thick.  You can also try using a piping bag to create the long strips.  Fit your cookie press or your pastry bag with a open star tip to create the cheese straws.  This pastry tip helps create the crunchy edges of the traditional star tube straw shapes.

If you don't have a cookie press or pipping bag you can alternatively roll out the dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Roll to about ⅛" thick and cut into long strips. Adjust your baking time to about 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown on the edges.

Storage

Be sure to store your cheese straws in airtight container to keep them nice and crisp. Store the cheese straws at room temperature, for 2-3 weeks.

Or freeze the cheese straws for up to 3 months. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container. When you're ready to make them thaw the dough, form into straws and bake.

Serving

I used some of my cheese straws for a beautiful charcuterie board.  I love this style of entertaining over the holidays.  Create an amazing cheese board with something for everyone, and let guests help themselves throughout the whole party.

Top Tip

These cheese straws make a lovely homemade gift. Wrap them in clear cello bags with some ribbon and add to a bottle of wine for a wonderful hostess gift, or thoughtful homemade Christmas gift.

Recipe

Cheese Straws

Crisp and spicy savoury shortbread cheese straws.

4.77 from 13 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Guyanese

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 48

Calories: 72kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup butter
• ▢ ½ lb sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Grate cheese with the fine side of a box grater.
  In a stand mixer or using an electric mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and grated cheese, until the mixture is well mixed and fluffy.
• In a another large bowl combine the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper -¼ teaspoon if you don't like it too spicy, or up to a ½ teaspoon if you like a lot of heat. Using a whisk, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper to remove any lumps. Then slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and cheese mixture in the stand mixer.
• Beat the dough on high for about 5 min. until the dough is very creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally.
• Put your dough in a cookie press, and pipe about 3 inch long straws onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven, until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Servings | Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 73mg

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I hope you enjoy these delicious cheese straws. Spicy or not so spicy they're the best cheese straws for all your holiday home made gift giving, and entertaining. If you do like some spice another great homemade gift, also from my Guyanese mother-in-law is this amazing no-cook hot sauce recipe.

With this Easy Cheese Straw Recipe, life really is a party!