These Cheddar-Curry Cheese Straws are great for parties and Sunday games. I personally love them. I grew up with them and always found them to be the soul of the parties.
Made with different kinds of cheeses and different seeds, like poppy, cumin, or caraway, these appetizers are great! Very addictive, delicious, and also very easy to make!
What Are Cheese Straws?
Cheese straws are classic treats, something that all self-respected hostesses should have in the repertoire.
Popular in Europe and the southern United States, this treat is delicious and easy to make.
The basic ingredients used in the recipe are butter, flour, and grated cheese. Some recipes use equal parts of flour, butter, and cottage cheese in the dough, making them super tender and good.
The cheese straws are usually served before a meal, but they are delicious with soups, salads, wine, or beer.
What makes them fun is that you can spice them up with cayenne or chili powder and even herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.).
You can add seeds like caraway(my favorite), sesame, or poppy seeds.
You can deviate from the standard Cheddar and make them with Parmesan, Gruyere, or other cheese you like(here is a recipe with Feta cheese). I saw recipes with blue cheese, and they were superb!
Cheese straws can come in all kinds of shapes or sizes. I usually roll out the dough and cut strips out of it with a pizza cutter.
Sometimes I cut them into triangles or squares. You will find cheese straws as thick as logs or skinny and crunchy like I sometimes make them.
Perhaps I lead a sheltered life, but I don’t think you should buy cheese straws from the store. These cheese straws are such a quintessentially homemade thing.
I tried store-bought ones before, and they were awful (I sound like the Grumpy Cat, I know). The ingredients are cheap, horrible, and full of preservatives.
The cheese straws were also stale. It made me sad because I wondered how many people had eaten these horrible things thinking that a cheese straw should taste like that.
Making these easy cheese straws at home takes just a little effort. I find that you can whip a batch of homemade cheese straws in under an hour, especially if you don’t start messing with getting the straws in a fancy shape.
Baked at 400F/200C for 10-15 minutes, the straws can be ready in no time if you are looking for a snack. You can also make the dough in advance and freeze it for future use.
Very versatile! These little homemade cheese sticks are also great if you serve them with beer, and a Sunday game is the perfect occasion for them.
I grew up with them, and I am not from the south. The cheese straws were usually made for parties, celebrations, or holidays, like Easter or Christmas, when I was growing up.
If we were lucky enough, my mom or my grandmother would make them just for a snack at the end of the week.
What kind of ingredients do you need to make cheese straws?
For this recipe in particular:
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Curry powder
- Unsalted butter
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Large egg
- Poppy or cumin seeds for sprinkling
Can I make the dough in advance and freeze it?
Yes, definitely. You can wrap the dough in plastic foil and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Can I freeze the already-baked cheese straws?
Yes, you can do that. They are great for later use. Make sure you cool them first, then place them in freezer bags. They are also good for up to 3 months.
What type of appetizers do you make when you entertain? Here are some of mine:
Pineapple Pecans Cheese Ball Appetizer
Collection of the best dip appetizer recipes to make all year round
More recipes to love:
Best New Year’s Eve Appetizers
Cheddar Cheese Straws With Black Caraway Seeds
Savory Quick Bread With Cheese And Olives
Pumpkin Seed And Apricot Pumpkin Bread
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Cheddar-Curry Cheese Straws
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting(if you measure in cups, make sure the 3/4 cup is a generous one
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ cup unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¼ cup poppy or cumin seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
- Sift flour, salt, and curry powder into a bowl.
- Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the cheese and half the egg and mix to form a dough.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
- Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
- On a floured counter, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch or 5 mm thick.
- Then cut 3×1/2 inch or 7.5x1cm strips, about 24 pieces.
- Place the strips on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Brush each straw with the remaining egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds or cumin seeds.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.
- Finally, transfer them to wire racks to cool.
Monday 18th of March 2019