Cheese Straw experiment

My first post - hello!

Recently, I bought a way overpriced but tasty product called "Geraldine's Bodacious Cheese Straws". After polishing them off in one sitting with my SO (hey, it was the holidays), I found myself in pursuit of my own recipe so I could make them anytime.

There were a number of nearly identical recipes online, but all had the same unsatisfying result - not enough cheese flavor. Some recipes use as much as a stick of butter, which makes something tasting closer to a butter cookie than a cheese cracker.

I had to figure out how to get the crunch, the richness, and the deep flavor. So here is what I came up with. Please try it and let me know what you think.

Blend with hands: 1.25 cups of finely shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese 1 packet of cheddar cheese powder from a box of Annie's Organic Mac-n-Cheese (save the noodles for another dish) 1-4 cup all-purpose flour

In another bowl blend with a fork: 3-4 cup of all-purpose flour 1-4-1-2 teaspoon salt 1-4 teaspoon turmeric slightly less than 1-4 teaspoon onion powder slightly less than 1-4 teaspoon garlic powder 1-4 teaspoon baking powder

Then cut into the dry ingredients: 2 Tablespoons cubed and well chilled unstaled butter 2 Tablespoons shortening (or margerine. Your choice...I used Crisco despite the trans-fats...oh well)

The resulting mix should look like crumbs or dry oatmeal (like making a piec crust). Now add the cheese to the flour bowl and work everything together with the finger tips, using a sort of pinching motion.

Add 2-4 Tablespoons cold water and pinch some more. Use only as much water as it takes to have the dough come together. It shouldn't be tacky but also should be crumbly. When it forms a solid ball in your hands, let it sit a few minutes and then either extrude into snake shapes using in a cookie press, or flatten into a 1-8 inch sheet and cut into french-fry sizes.

Lay a sheet of parchement on a cookie tray, and bak for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Take out the tray and let them cool. Then shuffle the straws around, return tray to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes at 250 degrees.

That's it! They still aren't as cheesy as Geraldine's, but I'm getting closer. Let me know if you like them.

-Soren