cheese straws

My kids never ask me for snacks. They have learned not to. I don't have a purse overflowing with cheddar bunnies and diced fruit. (I don't even carry a purse.) And the only thing I'm sure to have in my car is a bag of tools and one of those hammers for breaking the window should we end up in the Bay.

This dire situation means that, when I do bring snacks, it's a happy surprise, as it should be. Today, I plan on giving these cheese straws to my kids when I pick them up from school. It's sure to win them over...right before I get all tiger mom on them this evening.

Note: Next time I make this, I plan to use more cheese and less butter.

Ingredients

4 oz cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tbsp cold butter, cut into pats
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp whole milk

3 dozen

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º with a rack at the top and bottom.

In a food processor, pulse the cheese, flour, butter, and salt into a coarse meal. Add the milk and process until a ball of dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a roughly 10x12" rectangle about 1/8" thick. Use a pizza wheel or long knife to cut out 1/4" strips.

Arrange strips on a couple parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Place one pan at the top of the oven and the other at the bottom. After 10 minutes, switch pan positions. After another 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool.

30 minutes