Cheddar Cheese Sticks
Get ready to enjoy the ultimate snack with my crunchy, and delicious cheddar cheese sticks! They will become your family’s favorite treat!
Who doesn’t like cheddar cheese sticks? What’s not to love about them, right? In our house everyone loves them and when I make them, they disappear very quickly. In fact, the family can’t wait for them to come out of the oven before they start to attack them. I incorporate just the right amount of spice for an extra kick! Plus, I add sesame seeds for that delightful crunch that both kids and adults love.
Ingredients for Cheddar Cheese Sticks
With a bit of cheese, butter, spices, and flour, you have yourself the best cheese sticks you will ever make.
![Ingredients for cheese sticks](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Ingredients-for-cheese-straws-1024x762.webp)
Ingredients List for Cheddar Cheese Sticks
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 4 tablespoons cream (plus 2 more if needed)
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The First Blend for Cheddar Cheese Sticks
Let’s get the process started.
- To a food processor, add 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt next.
- Then, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.
- Followed by 1/4 teaspoon of fresh thyme.
- Finally, add 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
![Cheese strings first blend](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheese-straws-first-blend-1024x576.webp)
- Cover the processor and blend until you have a sandy mixture and all the cheese has blended into the flour.
- Open the processor and add 1/2 cup of cold butter cut into cubes.
- Cover and blend again for 1 minute until you see the butter incorporated into the flour.
![Cheese strings dough with butter](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheese-straw-dough-with-butter-1024x576.webp)
Adding the Liquid to the Flour
Now that our flour is ready, we can turn it into a dough.
- Open the food processor and add 4 tablespoons of cream or milk.
- Close and process again until you see a dough form.
- If 4 tablespoons are not enough to form a dough that holds together, add 2 more tablespoons of liquid – one at a time and continue to blend until you have a dough.
- To test, pick up some of the dough and squeeze it in your hand to form a ball. If it holds together the dough is ready.
![Cheddar cheese sticks dough](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheddar-cheese-sticks-dough-1024x576.webp)
Rolling and Cutting the Cheddar Cheese String
Let’s get rolling and form the cheese strings.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and place it on a clean surface.
- Using your hands squeeze it all together to form a ball.
- Cut the ball into 2 halves.
- Using one half, roll it into a 1/4 cm thickness.
- Then, using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick strips.
- Set them aside and repeat with the second half of the dough.
![Cheddar cheese strings cut](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheese-straws-cut-1024x685.webp)
Baking the Cheddar Cheese Sticks
It’s time to get baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- While the oven is heating, line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- I like to twist my cheese strings, but you can leave them straight if you prefer.
- I also like mine being of all lengths because it gives them a more rustic look. That’s why I roll the dough into a circle.
- If you prefer an even size, roll the dough into a squarish shape and cut off the sides to make the edges straight. Then cut it into strips.
- To twist the sticks, take each strip and hold it on one side while you gently twist from the other end.
- Place the strips onto the parchment paper and bake for about 18 minutes.
- The strips will be ready when they start to brown a little.
![Cheese strings ready to bake](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheese-straw-ready-to-bake-1024x813.webp)
Storing Options and Variations
These cheese strings can last for up to 5 days on the counter. After which place them in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
There are so many variations to this recipe.
- Replace the sharp cheddar with Mexican-style cheese. It comes flavored with peppers and is delicious in these.
- If you don’t like sesame seeds, skip them.
- Make them garlicky by adding 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder into the flour at the first stage.
- Try replacing the sesame seeds with 1/2 teaspoon of poppy seeds.
![Cheese sticks](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheese-sticks-1-1024x576.webp)
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Cheddar Cheese Straws
Course: SnacksCuisine: CanadianDifficulty: Easy24
servings5
minutes18
minutes112
kcal23
minutesGet ready to enjoy the ultimate snack with my crunchy, and delicious cheddar cheese sticks! They will become your family’s favorite treat!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cold butter
6 tablespoons cream
Directions
- Grate the cheddar cheese.
- Add the flour, salt, chili powder, sesame seeds, and grated cheese to a food processor.
- Mix the ingredients until the cheese is finely chopped and the flour looks sandy.
- Add the cold butter and process until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Finally, add the cream and process until the dough starts to hold together.
- Using your fingers, squeeze a bit of dough together. If the dough holds together, it’s ready. If it isn’t clumping add 2 more tablespoons of liquid – one at a time – and pulse to form a dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the dough from the machine and place it on a clean surface.
- Roll the dough into a ball and cut it into two halves.
- Using one half, roll it into a 1/4 cm thickness.
- Take a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and cut the dough into 1/4-inch thick strips.
- Set them aside and repeat with the second half.
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Place the strips on the tray and bake for 18 minutes. Or until the strips start to brown.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down completely on the tray.
- NOTE: See above for how to twist the strips if you want them twisted instead of straight.
Notes
- T
![Cheese sticks nutrition](https://www.aromaandessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cheese-sticks-nutrition.gif)
I use a sharp cheddar cheese for my cheese sticks. However, you can always use other cheeses like Mexican-style cheese, havarti, gouda, or any other hard cheese.
My cheddar cheese sticks can be kept on the counter in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. After that, it’s best to refrigerate them. Since they have butter in them, leaving them on the counter will make them rancid.
Generally, cheese sticks will be crumbly if the dough isn’t made properly. The dough needs to hold together for it to be rolled well and then cut into strips. It has to have enough liquid to hold and have a proper consistency.
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