In this post I’m sharing a wonderful Southern Cheese Straws Recipe.

You’ll find cheese straws at parties, luncheons, weddings & almost any other kind of social event. They’ve been a favorite in the south for centuries. They’re a little bit addicting, so expect them to disappear.

An old story tells us that a waste-not cook mixed leftover biscuit dough with cheese and rolled it into long “straws” and baked them.

It helps if you have a cookie press to use when piping out the straws but don’t fret if you don’t have one. Today you’ll find these treats in strips, twists, and flat cracker shapes too. The cookie press ‘star tip’ shape is probably the most popular however.

Ingredients

2 lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated and let come to room temperature
2 Sticks of Butter, softened
4 1/4 c All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Dash of Garlic Powder

In a stand mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add cheese and mix until the cheese and butter come to a creamy consistency.

In a bowl, sift flour and seasonings together.

Add flour in small batches to the mixer and combine with the butter/cheese mixture until all of the flour is incorporated well.

The dough will be a bit stiff.

Add to a cookie press fitted with a star piping tip. Pipe onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in 3-4″ strips.

Refrigerate sheet pans of cheese straws for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to prevent spreading.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake cheese straws for 20 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Classic Cheese Straws Recipe

Do Cheese Straws Need To Be Refrigerated?

Cheese straws do not require refrigeration. Just store in an air tight container and they’ll last up to a week.

Let’s make this Southern Cheese Straws Recipe.

Yield: 36 Servings

Southern Cheese Straws

Name: Southern Cheese Straws
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 36
Cuisine: Southern United States
Ingredients: 2 lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated and let come to room temperature; 2 Sticks of Butter, softened; 4 1/4 c All Purpose Flour; 2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper; 1/8 tsp Black Pepper; Dash of Garlic Powder

Classic Southern cheese straws are a delicious treat or party appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 lb Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated and let come to room temperature
2 Sticks of Butter, softened
4 1/4 c All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Dash of Garlic Powder

Instructions

In a stand mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add cheese and mix until the cheese and butter come to a creamy consistency.
In a bowl, sift flour and seasonings together.
Add flour in small batches to the mixer and combine with the butter/cheese mixture until all of the flour is incorporated well.
The dough will be a bit stiff.
Add to a cookie press fitted with a star piping tip. Pipe onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in 3-4" strips.
Refrigerate sheet pans of cheese straws for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to prevent spreading.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake cheese straws for 20 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Meet Julia

Author of Julia's Simply Southern

About Julia

Hey Y'all! I'm Julia, the cook and writer behind the recipes here at Julia's Simply Southern. I began my website so that I could share easy to follow recipes that anyone can use to put a home cooked meal on the dinner table. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Lisa

Thursday 13th of July 2023

Could you use a piping bag and tip instead of a cookie press? Maybe it would be too stiff to pipe out?

Julia Jordan

Yes, you could use a piping bag. It honestly doesn't matter what shape or how they look as long as they are some sort of "straw" form.

Michelle

Monday 27th of February 2023

I've been looking for this recipe for soooo long. This reminds me of the lady that use to take care of me when I was little, she made these for me and I've been wanting to eat them for so long but didn't know how to make them, so thank you♥

Virginia

Tuesday 31st of August 2021

Honestly, this recipe is different every time I read someone's post! I was always taught 2:2:2 -- two cups room-temp shredded cheese, two cups flour and 2 sticks of softened butter; then, add chopped pecans, cayenne pepper, whatever. Never have I seen where you add 4.5 cups of flour, as I would think this would make the straws too dry and crumbly? What is your opinion of the end result? I mean, they kind of end up a bit dry as it is with just 2 cups of flour, much less 4.5. I'm so confused!

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

My recipe makes a very large batch. Go with the smaller recipes if that is what you're used to :)

Marcia Pruitt

Sunday 22nd of November 2020

Please tell me what kind of cookie press you used. I've tried 2 different presses today and still donb't have cheese straws I so want to have cheese straws on my dessert charcuterie tray.

Monday 23rd of November 2020

Marcia, I have a very old vintage cookie press and I'm afraid that they no longer carry it. A star tip on any should do the trick. Here's one that is close to mine https://amzn.to/3kYddqH (aff link). If doing the long straws is not working for you, doing them as cookies or crackers is very trendy now and equally delicious. Good luck!

Debby Allbritton

Friday 20th of September 2019

I’m using your recipe today. I’m sure they will be awesome. I just got my cookie press this week and can’t wait to use it!

I'm so glad that you're trying out this recipe and I hope that you enjoy it. A cookie press is such a fun tool to have in the kitchen.

Southern Cheese Straws Recipe

Classic Cheese Straws Recipe

Do Cheese Straws Need To Be Refrigerated?

Southern Cheese Straws

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