These Easy Cheese Straw Cookies have all the great flavor of classic Southern cheese straws, but with a fraction of the work.
Do you love the taste of homemade southern style cheese straws but hate all the fussiness involved with making them?
Whether you’re slicing and baking for perfectly round wafers or using a cookie press or pastry bag for dainty, thin straws, there’s certainly a degree of difficulty involved when making cheese straws.
Sure, they’re a classic when it comes to bridal and baby showers. And I’d bet you’d be hard pressed to find an afternoon wedding in the South that didn’t present some form of cheese straws on the menu. But, dang they can be a pain to make.
I absolutely love the Pimento Cheese Crisps in my cookbook made with that slice and bake method, but they take some serious time and a little finesse. So, we set out to share a recipe that gives you all the great flavor of traditional cheese straws, but with a fraction of the work.
This method starts with a pretty classic cheese straw dough – much like the one in my book. But this dough is simply scooped out with a cookie scoop. Once baked, the result is a perfectly crisp cheese wafer cookie with that distinct toasted cheese flavor. (Is there anything more delicious than nearly burnt cheese? I think not.)
You can even give these babies a little pizzazz but using the tines of a fork to gently press into the top of each dough ball giving you a little design and texture. If you find the fork starts sticking to the dough, just dip it in a little water or flour to help.
When we were working on this recipe, Heather kept calling them “Cheese Happies.” I just love that name and it kinda stuck! Each little cookie IS a little bite of happiness, so it’s the perfect nickname. And while “cheese happies” won’t show up in search results when you’re looking for the recipe, I did add it to the title because I just couldn’t resist.
Regardless of what you name them, I guarantee you’re going to call them delicious!
Do I really need to grate my own cheese?
The short answer is yes. Packaged pre-shredded cheese is a great shortcut product that I use all the time. However, the shredded cheese is coated in a cornstarch and/or cellulose powder to keep the cheese from sticking together in the package. That anti-caking agent prevents the cheese from blending into the dough as it should in this recipe. This is also the reason I suggest shredding your own cheese for my pimento cheese recipe.
Whether you serve these up for your next shower, party, family gathering, or as a simple snack to have on-hand, I know you’re going to love how tasty these are – as well as just how easy they are to make! Y’all enjoy!
Recipe Card
Cheese Straw Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) block sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (use more or less to taste)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Use a box grater to shred the cheese.
- Use a mixer to blend the cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the salt, garlic powder, and cayenne and mix to combine. Gradually add the flour and mix well.
- Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough out and place it about 2-inches apart on the prepared pan. If desired, use a fork to gently press the tines into the top of each cookie. Dipping the fork in water will help if the dough sticks.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Bake shorter for a crispy exterior and chewy interior. Bake longer for crispy throughout. Cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack. Work in batches until all the dough has been cooked. Store on the counter in an airtight container for up to a week.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Joan Williams Ottinger
Thank you for the cheese straw cookie recipe. I’ve been making them for years, but I just want to look at other recipes to see if I could change it up a little bit. I appreciate you sharing that! However, all of this advertising pop up nonsense is not worth the headache of trying to read the recipe. Please stop doing that or you’re going to lose followers! I don’t know why that has to be done to interrupt the person from reading the recipe or copying pasting it! Please Way to share your recipes! I won’t be back for that very reason! That’s the reason I stopped looking at Pinterest!
Joan, there’s something you have to keep in mind here. Southern Bite is a small business. I feed my family and help feed the families of my 6 part-time employees. The advertising is what makes that happen. And it’s what keeps the recipes FREE for folks like you. You didn’t have to sign up for a subscription. You didn’t have to buy a cookbook. All you have to do is have a little patience and scroll a little. You can even click that little x in the upper right hand corner and close the ads if you’d like. I know they can be frustrating, but it seems like a small inconvenience for all the free recipes I share on the site.
AH
What did I do wrong? So my mom used to make these every Christmas and they were my absolute favorite! We all looked forward to these little cookies every year! I found this recipe and it seemed the closest to what she used to make because hers didn’t call for rice crispies. So I made them last Christmas and they completely melted on the cookie sheet! I know it was user error. I asked my friend at work and she said I needed to chill the dough before I cooked them. Any thoughts? I need to get these right before Christmas! Hahaha!
While putting the dough in the fridge is a common technique for getting cookies to bake more evenly, you shouldn’t have to do that with this recipe. I’ve never had to refrigerate this dough. Sounds like there was an error in measurement. Either too much butter or not enough flour.
Vera Mariner
A., I need the nutritional information. Counting points…
Hi Vera! The nutritional estimates are on the recipe card, right below the recipe itself. Hope that helps!
Sharon
They were delicious & got even better after they aged a day or two. Followed your recipe step by step & had no problems.
Awesome! Glad to hear it. I made a few batches last week and put them in the freezer for later.
Tonya
Will be making these little cheese Happies weekly (if they last that long). Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Sure hope they turned out great for you!
Karen Searle
Hi, Can the dough be cut with cookie cutters?
I’ve honestly never tried that. It certainly might work. Let me know if you try it.
PDXlady
Excellent recipe! The adults in our family loved these.
Those look perfect! Happy to hear they turned out great for you!
Charles
Is the cayenne pepper supposed to be hot?
How can i modify to make it less spicy and more kid friendly?
Cayenne does add some heat, but you can simply leave it out completely, if you’d like.
VLAW
Did you grate the cheese first?
Yes. Step on of the recipe calls for you to use a box grater to grate the cheese. Hope that helps!
Deborah Wind
I, too, had very dry dough; the consistency of fine bread crumbs! My solution of melting 1 Tbsp of butter and drizzling over the dough, by teaspoonfuls, and mixing in well, by hand; made it the perfect consistency!
Used 1t. Garlic salt and omitted the plain salt, 1/2 t. Cayenne pepper, plus I added a few sprinkles of both paprika and ground pepper. Also used extra sharp cheese. Excellent! Thanks for the time saving delicious recipe!!
So glad you were able to make it work and teat you enjoyed these! We just made some this weekend.
Lisa
I made these to give to neighbors for a Christmas treat but I’m keeping them for myself. I used extra sharp cheddar cheese and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Perfect for my taste buds.
Ha! Love that, Lisa!
Susan DeHart
Wonderful! Can you freeze these?
Sure can!
Janice Hensley
Can I substitute the all purpose flour for Bisquick mix? That’s all I have right now. What changes would I need to make? Thank you. Your recipe sounds great.
Unfortunately, I can’t answer the question directly. Bisquick has additional fat in it, so you’d have to use less butter, but since I’ve not tested it, I can’t say exactly how much.
Charlotte
The dough crumbled when I tried to flatten it out. I baked it in 1-inch balls and it tasted good but I don’t know how the recipe said it was easy. It was a very crumbley dough.
Oh no! Sounds like maybe there was too much flour. Tqo quick questions… How did you measure your flour? What kind of cheese did you use?
Meredith Wroblski
Hi Stacey! Made these for a gathering last night!! Omg So delicious Kinda Addictive!!! And everyone loved them!!! And so easy to make. I made tiny little bite size cookies. I put half a teaspoon of the cayenne and will probably put a little less next time I make them. Thank you so much for the recipe.
These look absolutely perfect, Meredith! Glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Beth
Can these be mixed and scooped out and then frozen before baking? I like to freeze cookies before baking to have fresher baked and wondered if these could be done the same way.
I’ve not done that, so I can’t say for sure, but I certainly don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. Enjoy!
Roberta Falange
Was wondering if these could be made with 2% cheese?
I’ve not tested it, so I can’t say for sure.
Cara
These are delicious! I used a half tsp of smoked paprika instead of cayenne and added some freshly cracked black pepper. Used a bag of shredded sharp cheddar. I got 22 cookies and they’re such a treat! If I ever make again I’ll add chopped pecans to the batter.
Love the pecan idea! So glad you enjoyed them!
Pam
I took the cheese straw cookies to a party and people LOVED them! I baked them at night and found that the flavor was even better the next day. Thank you for sharing. This will now be one of my regulars for parties.
Awesome! Yes, I do think they’er great after a little rest, too! Glad you enjoyed them!
Barbara
I am getting ready to try your cheese straw cookie recipe. I have been trying to make cheese straws as good as my Aunt. She insists that grating the cheese on the box grater is better than the food processor. Do you agree?
I’m not picky about how it gets grated, just that you grate your own and not used the bagged pre-shredded stuff.
SUNNY
Why did mine stick to the parchment paper? I scraped what I could off and ate it. Tasted lovely. Just not sure why they stuck like glue 😭
I’m not sure. I’ve never had anything stick to parchment.
Randy Merritt
Do you have a good recipe for French apple pie?
I don’t but I’ll put it on our working list. 🙂
LANE EDWARDS
Much easier than using a cookie press to make “straws” !!!!
Thanks, Lane!
Jan
These are disgusting. Followed the recipe and all they taste like is flour. Threw them in the garbage.
I’ve been doing this for nearly 14 years but I’m still amazing at the number of grown folks who’ll say something like “this is disgusting” on a free recipe someone shared with them.
Mary K Deatherage
Well – I just got a copy of this from my friend who gave me some for Christmas and they were so good! So – making my own! And for…the naysayers. Seriously – would you have said something like that directly to Stacey’s face? I think – hope? – not. So – why does it seem okay to do it in a comment. So so rude – our society is becoming…rude! Don’t like them? Drive on and find something else to do. Sheesh. Stacey – if your site lets you – turn on Comment Moderation. And then get good with the Delete button. From one blogger who offers all sorts of free benefits to another, and…yep…Gets those kinds of comments, too. 🙂
Thanks, Mary! I hope you’ll enjoy them again! I really want the comment section to be a fair and balanced representation, so I leave most of the negative comments. In many cases, it keeps other readers from making the same mistakes. 🤣
wendy Katz
It seems so weird that everyone who made these loved them except Jan.I can’t wait to try them.
I have a question for you Stacey,how can you tell when they are done.Crisp on the outside and still soft on the inside sounds good for me.Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Wendy! I hope you’ll enjoy them! They start browning around the edges and the cheese gets a delicious toasty color.
Terry Grenier
I add a pouch of Lipton dip/soup mix to mine. We have been making it for 55 yrs now 😎
I’ve never hear of that, but I love the flavor of Lipton onion soup mix!
Ellen Allen
30 minutes at 350 F?
Yes, that’s correct. I know it seems like a long time, but that was how we enjoyed these most in testing. The cheese gets a great toasty flavor.
Angie
I made 2 of your recipes today…..chocolate chess pie and cheese straw cookies. Both were 5 out of 5!! Will likely try more of your recipes soon. So glad to find recipes with my family’s taste!
Awesome! So glad y’all enjoyed both recipes!
Charles Hill Spaulding
Have not made yet. Sounds delicious. Wondering if anyone has made them with almond flour?
I’ve not tried that, but maybe someone else has and can chime in to help…
Susan Coleman
Thank you so much for sharing the cheese straw cookie recipe.
My great uncle commented on these cookies, saying my great aunt (who passed away this summer) used to make this recipe every Christmas and he wish he knew how to make them. Thank you for making it easy to find on Pinterest. I plan on making these for him for Christmas. 🥰God Bless, Merry Christmas
stacey
Hi Stacey! I am Stacey and I absolutely love your cheese straw cookies. And they are a hit with the family and friends. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe 🙂
stacey
Well, ok then. I guess you have something against staceys
Pam Till
Made these over the weekend and oh so good !!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Jacqueline Vanhyfte
Can these be frozen after they are made
I don’t see why not.
Dixie Barrett
Perfect. Easy and super good. Pretty, too, baked with a pecan half on top.
Excellent with wine or hot tea.
Wonderful! The pecan sounds great!
Leslie
These are unbelievably tasty and easy. I plan to make these often. Thank you for another keeper.
I’m so glad you found them easy!
Cindy Jordan
Hey Stacey! Will the texture be the same if I refrigerate the dough before baking?
Yep. It should work just fine.
Leanne
If using salted butter, would you omit the salt entirely, or just use less?
Ruth Ann
In reply to Leanne, I only use salted butter in all of my recipes. I find the salt in it to be negligible. This may not be to every ones taste but it works for me. The amount of salt might be reduced a bit but I find it unnecessary.
I would just use less, maybe a half teaspoon or even a quarter teaspoon!
Margaret
I put room temp. grated extra sharp cheese, softened butter and everything else in my food processor. May have to do 1/2 a batch at a time. Makes it quick and easy to mix. I have also found if you don’t use a good quality cheese they will have no taste. I only make them for special occasions as I can eat them like potato chips!
Totally agree! No cheese straw is safe in our house!
SUSAN HARTGROVE
Hey Stacey!Could I use a mixture of cheddar&pepper jack cheese?I like the little bit of heat from the peppers!Planning on making these,now!
I certainly don’t see why not! Let me know how they’re turn out for you.