Traditional Southern Cheese Straws

Cheese straws are a Southern specialty that encourage fervent devotion. “Together with pecan tassies and pepper jelly with cream cheese,” crispy, buttery cheese straws are an absolute should at Southern vacation events,” says Severe Eats affiliate editorial director, Megan O. Steintrager, who grew up in North Carolina. Many households have their most popular type—some whisper-thin and delicate, others sturdy sufficient to outlive a picnic basket—and it is common for cooks to swear theirs is the one correct technique to make them. However the non-negotiables are common: They need to be boldly tacky, flippantly crisp, somewhat flaky, and simply spicy sufficient to maintain you reaching again into the tin. This recipe, developed by our Texas-raised colleague Jasmine Smith in our Birmingham, Alabama, take a look at kitchen, hit all these marks in a manner that feels traditional however not fussy.

Whereas it might be tempting to achieve for a field of frozen puff pastry for a simple shortcut, we needed a cheese straw that was crispier, crunchier, and unapologetically cheesier than something store-bought dough may ship. As an alternative, this model depends on an easier, extra dependable approach: a meals processor dough that rolls out simply and cuts cleanly into lengthy, swish strips. Buzzing the flour, finely shredded extra-sharp cheddar, seasonings, and chilly butter collectively provides you a dough that bakes up quick and tender—suppose the grown-up cousin of a Goldfish cracker, with a buttery snap and precise cheese taste. Twisting the strips earlier than baking provides somewhat visible flourish, however extra importantly, it creates crisp ridges and pockets the place the flavour concentrates.

A couple of rounds of testing dialed within the texture and form. Jasmine discovered that an excessive amount of baking powder brought on the straws to puff dramatically and lose their elegant strains, so the quantity is saved intentionally low. Strip width turned out to matter greater than anticipated: 1/2-inch twists tended to interrupt, and 1-inch items ballooned; 3/4inch was the candy spot for each construction and ease of dealing with. Finely shredding the cheese (quite than utilizing massive shreds) ensures it integrates easily into the dough with out disrupting the butter items which are key to flakiness.

With a contact of garlic powder to spice up the cheese and a whisper of cayenne for heat, these bake up deeply savory and onerous to cease consuming. Serve them with cocktails, candy tea, or simply straight off the rack—you may perceive why Southerners love their cheese straws so fiercely.