Cheese Straws
Are you young enough to have grown up with cheese straws? Or were you more of the breadstick era? My late Mum always used to make cheese straws. I recall helping her roll out the dough then cutting sticks and circles, and circles within circles to create rings. The aroma that filled the kitchen when cooking was so delicious, I’m sure it used to draw us all downstairs… just in time to help with the washing up! Mum would make tray after tray of cheese straws, as being a house of many, they never stayed around for long. Mum used to get me to arrange the straws inside the rings – I’m sure this was to make sure there would be some left!
Fast forward several years (okay, and a few more than that)! cheese straws fell off my radar as I struggled to find a dairy free cheese which I liked. I tried making them with various brands but after eating one or two, I could take them or leave them. However… I thought of a new idea! What if I tricked myself into thinking the cheese straws contained cheese and used the ingredients I would put in a cheese sauce? and so these cheese straws were created!
The Cheese Straws Recipe
I have tried to make this recipe easy for you to recreate. I have used oat flour (oats in a blender until you get a powder is fine), but the recipe works equally well with plain flour, or even gluten free flour. I have used half dairy free butter, and half cream cheese! Any soft, whipped, or spreadable cheese will work. Then for extra tastiness, I have added my favourite non dairy cheesy flavouring of nutritional yeast. The toppings are up to you – leave them plain, add sesame seeds, nigella seeds, or even crushed (or whole if you so wish) nuts such as pistachios or walnuts. Check out the recipe.
A non-dairy version of cheese straws, full of flavour.
- 100 g flour (plain, gluten free or oat)
- 25 g cream cheese (I used oat based cheese spread)
- 25 g butter
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- pinch of ground black pepper
- 25-50 ml water (or milk)
- *optional 25-50g grated cheese
- Toppings: Milk, sesame seeds, nigella seeds
Put the flour in a bowl, and rub in the cheese and butter with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and pepper and mix through.
Gradually add the water (or milk) and bring the mix together until you have a soft dough. If using grated cheese, add this in too.
Lightly flour your worktop (or a board) and press (or roll) the mixture out until about 0.5-1cm thick. Cut straw shapes (or use cutters to make stars, rounds etc.)
Brush the tops with milk and if using, sprinkle with sesame and or nigella seeds (or nuts).
Place on a non-stick (or greased) baking tray and bake at Gas Mark 5 (375f / 190c) for 12-15 minutes.
Enjoy!
What do I need?
You can (as with most of my recipes), make these as easy or complicated as you wish! I have created this recipe to be simple to make, but you can get all fancy and make them identical in size, shape and decoration, or just make them as they come!
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Serving
You can serve these on their own as snacks or make them as a selection of party food. Why not also make some mini quiches, some puff pastry savouries, or lentil pakoras and serve with some homemade bread, mixed salad and a quick and easy houmous.
Storage
These store quite well, in an airtight container for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months. If freezing, portion or separate with greaseproof paper, label and freeze. Defrost at room temperature.
Sharing
I hope you make these delicious cheese straws and see how easy they are to make! I love seeing your adaptions and interpretations of my recipes and I’d love to see your photos of these! Do you have any other ideas? What shall I make next?
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Leave me a comment below… I love to chat!
I hope to speak with you soon
Laurena x
Ooh, this looks like a really nice snack idea for nibbles- we normally have our next door neighbours round this time of year for drinks 👍 Can’t help thinking of the Mediterranean sesame seed bread sticks I ate growing up😊
Thanks Eva… we’ve been ‘nibbling’ all day! Ooo, sesame seed bread sticks sound good and you’ve reminded me of the ones they sell everywhere in Turkey… I’m going to see if I can find them here! What are you up to this weekend?
I’m sure I’d like those Turkish ones🙂
Our village Christmas market is due to take place this weekend, I’d love to go but not sure if it’s a good idea in the current climate with cases rising again and other places nearby cancelling theirs… Maybe I should make my own spiced apple mulled ‘wine’ and vegetarian Bratwurst lol xx
Ooo, love a Christmas market… but I’m still very wary about mixing with others. Had my booster today so hopefully that will help. Vegetarian bratwurst sounds like a good idea… I might play with that over the weekend!