Super light and crispy but packed with rich cheesy flavor, Gouda cheese straws are the party snack everyone craves. These are the perfect little bite with cocktails. The salty and smoky notes from the Gouda make these homemade snacks extra special.
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 6dozen
Ingredients
10Tbsalted butterroom temperature
¼lbsmoked gouda cheesegrated
¼lbextra sharp cheddargrated
1 ¾Call purpose flour
1tspWorcestershire sauce
½tspcayenneoptional
Instructions
Grate the cheese. Combine with remaining ingredients in a food processor.*
Once the dough is smooth, split the dough in two and place half on a Sil-Pat or a sheet of parchment paper.**
Place the other half of dough into the fridge while you work the first half.
I like to roll out on a nonstick surface so I don't have to add more flour to the dough. It can become too crumbly if you add too much flour.
Bring the dough together into a disc shape. Place another Sil-Pat or sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll out to about ⅛-inch thickness. Trim off the edges to give a straight edge.
Cut the dough into ½-inch strips. A ruler is quite handy for this task. I like my cheese straws anywhere between 4-6 inches long, but I really don't think it has to be exact. In fact, I love the look of all the different shapes and sizes so don't lose your mind trying for even strips.
Once the dough has been cut into strips. Take each one and rotate it to form a corkscrew shape. Do this gently or you can tear the dough. If you do, no worries, just pinch it back together. This is a time-consuming process but so worth it for the lovely brown ridges the corkscrew shape provides.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cheese straws on the baking sheet. You can put them close together since the straws don't contain any leavening ingredients.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
Notes
* I use my food processor for this entire recipe, but you can also grate the cheese with a box grater and combine with a mixer if you don't have one. Check out the link above if you're interested in purchasing a food processor. There one of my favorite kitchen tools. ** A Sil-Pat is the ultimate nonstick surface. Evenly melted sugar won't stick to it. It's also dishwasher safe so it's a breeze to cleanup. Check out the link above to buy one.