Coming from a cheese sticks fanatic (that’s gonna be Max), these are the good stuff.
I started craving cheesy straws when Max and I met about 8 years ago. Growing up, it’s not something that was made by either my mom or grand mothers and I don’t think anybody in my family had/has a recipe to make them. Which make today kind of “special” because I’m writing history! This delicious, and fairly simple recipe is going to be archived forever and probably added to my future cookbook because it is just plain awesome and FAIL PROOF! …..don’t we just love those fail proof recipes right?
Anyways, like I mentioned, I live with a cheese sticks addict. So far gone in his addiction, that it took 5 batches of these babies to have enough left over the next day to take photos. For a moment, I thought these would never make it on the site because we kept eating them the second they came out of the oven. Luckily, last time, I was able to snap a few shot before they disappeared.
The inspiration for this recipe comes from my mother in law’s personal recipe collection and since it really has a special connotation for Max, I decided to involve him a little bit more in to the process as you’ll be able to judge by the photos.
At least 100 different recipes later, we had it! Crunchy and cheesy enough to pass the Max test and surprisingly “healthy” enough for me not to freak out every time I eat 4-5 back to back.
We hope you’ll enjoy this recipe, make sure you follow the quick 4 rules below and then add your own touch to make them even better.
Enjoy!
Rule 01: You will need to find a hard and strong tasting old cheddar cheese. The one displayed above was found at Costco in San Diego and I sadly do not recall seeing it in Montreal. Be reassured, we’ve tested this recipe with various cheeses and as long as you choose a HARD & STRONG tasting cheese, your final product will be delicious. If you’re choosing a cheese with a mild taste, it might not shine through once they hit the oven and if your cheese consistency is too soft, it will most probably blend with the dough and it just wont be the same.
Rule 02: EVERYTHING SHOULD BE COLD AT ALL TIME. Don’t hesitate putting all your mixing bowls, grated cheese and flour in the freezer before and during the process to make sure that your cheese doesn’t merge in the dough.
…it’s ok to fold your dough once to make the perfect shape that will be easier to cut…
Rule 03: If you have a pasta cutter, USE IT! It is by far the best tool for the job but a simple knife or a dough cutter can also do the trick.
Rule 04: When cutting your straws… the thickness of your first cut (see above they are sliced small) will become the actual thickness (wide) of your final product. The section of your uncooked sticks that was cut (the part that touched the blade) will expand a lot in the oven and it’s better to place them on their side for a more even baking and to give it that perfectly flat look.
- 1¾ cup of all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ⅓ cup of finely grated Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
- 4 tablespoons of avocado oil
- 1½ cup of grated old cheddar (big pieces)
- 6-7 tablespoons of unsweetned cachew milk
- - Pre-heat oven at 400, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Reserve.
- - Mix the first ingredients together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, garlic powder & parmesan. Put the whole mixture back in the freezer for a few minutes before adding your old cheddar cheese (which should still be in the freezer) and oil.
- - Add the avocado oil and use your hands to mix everything. The end texture should remind you a little bit of wet sand.
- - Add the cheddar in the mix and the cachew milk. Form a ball of dough and flatten it on a lightly flour surface (do not add too much flour in this process)
- - Cut your straws in the desired thickness, flip them on their side before placing them on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes and voilà!
I love when they’re tasty but although all it is atached to it when the world ‘helthy’ appears I run away