Cheese Straws

CHEESE STRAWS

1 pound grated cheddar cheese
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Mix well using pastry blender or mixer.  Roll on lightly floured surface to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness.  Cut into strips.  I cut mine about 1" wide by 1 1/2" long.  Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350° about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I used a combination of American, cheddar, and pepper jack cheeses.
8 oz. of American, 3 oz. of cheddar and  5 oz. of pepper jack

Smart Points for entire recipe = 118

8 oz. American cheese             32
3 oz. cheddar cheese               12 
5 oz. pepper jack                      10
2 cups flour                               24
1 stick butter                             40

You'll need to calculate the Smart Points based on the type of cheese you use and the number of servings you make.  I didn't figure a serving size on these since I made them for DH to enjoy.  This recipe makes a LOT of cheese straws.  So, if you roll the dough to 1/8" thick (mine were a little thicker) you'll get more straws per serving.

Regular American and cheddar cheeses have 4 Smart Points per ounce so you'd have 64 Smart Points for those. (16 oz. X 4 points per ounce). 

These don't take any time at all to mix up if you use your food processor to grate the cheeses and combine the ingredients.  I used a Kitchenaid mixer and in the photo you can see specks of the cheese after it browned.  Using a food processor will make a smoother dough and the cheese won't be visible.  Either way, they'll still taste good!