Easy Appetizer – Cheese Straws
Who doesn’t love appetizers and finger food?! Cheese straws are so easy to make. They also happen to be amazing! You can make them completely from scratch, or take a few short cuts and they will be ready in no time!
This recipe is a favourite of everyone in my house. They are always one of the first to go when we are serving appetizers.
Cheese straws are perfect just as they are, but you can also serve them with a simple tomato sauce as a dip.
Old-Fashioned cheese straws
This appetizer was a delicious treat in the 1800’s. It was a quick and easy way to use up left over pie crust dough! With variations using different spices, types of cheese, and how to form the dough.
Making cheese straws ahead of time
If you are having a get together where you are making different appetizers, it is a good idea to get as much done in advance as possible. That way you can relax and enjoy yourself!
To make cheese straws in advance:
- Make the pastry up to a week in advance. Store it, wrapped, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
- Make and form the cheese straws on the tray you will be baking them.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator.
- Bake them fresh right before you want to serve them.
Storage
If you have any leftover cheese straws (this very rarely happens!), store them covered, or in an airtight container. In the refrigerator, they last 7 days. Store them in the freezer, for up to 3 months.
Reheating cheese straws
To reheat your cheese straws and give them that fresh crisp taste, place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 300 ºF (150 ºC) oven for 5 minutes. If you are reheating them from frozen, you may need to increase the time to 8 minutes until they are warmed through. If you find they are becoming too dark, cover with a piece of aluminum foil.
Quick Tip!
Make this recipe quick and easy with store bought dough and pre shredded cheese!
What type of pastry to use for cheese straws
To make these delicious cheese straws you can use puff pastry, pastry dough, or pie dough.
For this recipe we are going to stick to the old-fashioned version. Use the same type of dough you would for a pie crust. If you have one of the other doughs on hand, they are easily interchangeable. If you are using puff pastry, since it is made with yeast, before going into the oven allow the cheese straws to rise 30 minutes.
What type of cheese is best for cheese straws
The short answer is your favourite type of cheese! However, you will probably want a hard cheese that melts well but will not become too runny. In this recipe I used an aged cheddar cheese. Some great cheese choices for cheese straws are:
- Gruyère– This cheese is slightly sweet, nutty, and salty. An amazing choice for cheese straws.
- Aged or sharp Cheddar– This is, perhaps, the most popular choice for cheese straws. There are many varieties of this popular cheese marble, mild, sharp, and aged cheddars. All would be ideal choices for cheese sticks.
- Asiago– Asiago is a delicious hard cheese, similar to parmesan. It is frequently used in bread baking, usually melted on top.
- Mozzarella – This, very mild flavoured cheese, is perfect if you are wanting a very subtle flavour added to your cheese straws. You know it’s going to be good, I mean pizza and mozzarella go hand in hand. So cheese straws with mozzarella, seems like a no-brainer!
- Gouda– This cheese’s sweet, light, buttery flavour is an excellent choice in baking, as it melts well. Try smoked gouda for a slightly different flavour.
- Provolone – This is a great semi-hard cheese. It has buttery, nutty flavours and can range from sharp to mild depending on the variety you choose.
- Parmesan – Another extremely popular hard cheese. This cheese melts and holds it’s shape extremely well. This cheese has a bold tangy flavour, meaning the cheese will not get lost in the pastry.
- Romano – This cheese is similar in it’s melting style and taste to parmesan cheese. Both are an excellent choice for adding to pastry due to their bold, nutty, and slightly tangy taste.
Cheese Straws and Dip
A chunky rustic tomato dip is my absolute favourite to serve on the side of these little cheesy appetizers. But you could serve it with any of your favourite dippers, like garlic aioli, spicy cheese, or even pesto!
To make my favourite chunky warm tomato dip:
Ingredients for Fresh tomato garlic dip
3 cloves garlic
8-10 larger cherry tomatoes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Method
- Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic.
- Preheat a pan to medium heat and add the oil.
- Add the garlic to the skillet. Cook until soft and just starting to colour.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Cook everything down until it is a chunky sauce, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Serve warm.
Ingredients for Cheese Straws
½ recipe for pie crust dough (I use this one from the recipe in this post but feel free to use your favourite pie dough recipe!)
2-4 cups aged cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice). The amount depends on how many you would like to make
Salt
Spices (optional) – When I make straws using mozzarella, I add garlic powder and oregano. For the aged cheddar I sprinkle over paprika.
Method
- Make your pie crust dough. (Depending on how many straws you want to have) I use my big batch pie crust dough but cut the recipe in half for about 35 straws.
- Preheat oven to 425 ºF (220 ºC).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough. Turn and reapply the flour as needed to stop the dough from sticking to the counter or your rolling pin. Roll into a large rectangular shape.
- Sprinkle the cheese over one half of the dough. Fold the rectangle in half to enclose the cheese. Pinch the edges together.
- Fold the dough in half the opposite way and pinch the edges together.
- Reroll the dough out to about ¼ inch (½ cm) thickness.
- Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch (2 cm) wide.
- Onto a lined baking tray twist each strip of dough and press either side down to the tray to hold it in place.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and any spices, if desired.
- Bake in a preheated oven 8-10 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
- Serve as they are, or with your favourite dip!
Cheese Straws – Easy appetizer
Ingredients
- ½ recipe for pie crust dough
- 2-4 cups shredded aged cheddar cheese or cheese of choice. The amount depends on how many you would like to make
- pinch Salt
- Spices optional – When I make straws using mozzarella, I add garlic powder and oregano. For the aged cheddar I sprinkle over paprika.
Instructions
- Make your pie crust dough. (Depending on how many straws you want to have) I use my big batch pie crust dough but cut the recipe in half for about 35 straws.
- Preheat oven to 425 ºF (220 ºC).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough. Turn and reapply the flour as needed to stop the dough from sticking to the counter or your rolling pin. Roll into a large rectangular shape.
- Sprinkle the cheese over one half of the dough. Fold the rectangle in half to enclose the cheese. Pinch the edges together.
- Fold the dough in half the opposite way and pinch the edges together.
- Reroll the dough out to about ¼ inch (½ cm) thickness.
- Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch (2 cm) wide.
- Onto a lined baking tray twist each strip of dough and press either side down to the tray to hold it in place.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and any spices, if desired.
- Bake in a preheated oven 8-10 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
- Serve as they are, or with your favourite dip!
Fresh Tomato Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 8-10 larger cherry tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic.
- Preheat a pan to medium heat and add the oil.
- Add the garlic to the skillet. Cook until soft and just starting to colour.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Cook everything down until it is a chunky sauce, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Serve warm.
Big Batch Holiday Pie dough
Ingredients
- 5½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cups cold butter cubed
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- ⅔-¾ cups cold water
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and brown sugar.
- Cut the cold butter into little cubes, about 1cm x 1cm.
- Mix the cubes into the flour mixture, then with your finger tips, rub the butter and flour through your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. (You can also use a pastry blender for this. If you are doing a smaller batch, you can pulse it in the food processor)
- Add the beaten egg.
- Mix the vinegar into the cold water and add it a little at a time, while you are mixing with your hands, until the dough holds together. (You may not need all of the water)
- Split the dough into portions (one for each pie), form each into a disk.
- Wrap each in cling-film and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
- Roll out and line pie plates. Chill in the fridge or freezer until ready for use. Then cook according to your pie recipe.
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