Sunshine Cheese Straws Or Wafers Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Sift flour, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using) into a large bowl.
• 2. Cut cold butter into small pieces and blend into dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• 3. Add cheese and blend with your fingers, or the dough hook of an electric mixer, until the dough hangs together and is no longer crumbly.
• 4. Working with 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll out to a rectangle about 1/3 of an inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into strips 1/2-inch wide and about 5 inches long.
• 5. If you prefer a wafer shape, cut the dough with a small biscuit or cookie cutter that is about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
• 6. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375 F. for ten to 15 minutes until very lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake. (For a pretty effect, give the straws a half twist before baking.)
• 7. HINT: These will firm up as they cool. Carefully remove from the baking sheet with a spatula and let cool completely on a flat surface before storing.

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in mixing bowl. With fingers, work half the butter into the flour until it resembles damp, crumbly sand. Add the remaining cold butter chunks and the cheese and stir with a fork to distribute. Stir in milk and quickly gather dough into a ball with floured hands. (There should be visible butter chunks in the dough.) Squash dough into a rough rectangle about 1 inch thick.
• Dust dough with flour and roll to a long rectangle about 8 by 14 inches and about 1/2-inch thick, with the longer side facing you. Fold dough into thirds: first fold in right side, then left side on top of it, making a nearly square package three layers high. Dust again with flour and roll out to make same size rectangle, then fold it again. Dust and repeat once more. Wrap well in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day in advance.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut dough in half. Refrigerate half the dough and roll the other piece out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. (Do not roll too thin or pastry will not puff.) To make wafers, cut dough into 2-inch rounds with a sharp cookie cutter (or cut into diamonds with a knife). To make straws, cut dough in strips 1/2-inch by 5 inches. Twist strips 2 or 3 times and press down ends to prevent unfurling.
• Place wafers or straws on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Paint lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Add sprinklings of cumin seed, black pepper, rosemary or smoked paprika if desired, and a little more grated cheese. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until well browned and crisp. Let cool before serving. Repeat process with remaining half of dough.
• Note: To make heart-shaped palmiers, cut dough in half as above. Working with one dough half (and refrigerating the other), roll dough to a rectangle about 12 by 8 inches and 1/8-inch thick, with the longer side facing you. Paint entire sheet of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with cheese. Tightly roll each of the long edges toward the center so you have a long, somewhat narrow log consisting of 2 connected side-by-side cylinders. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Pinch the round side of each slice to form a heart shape. Flatten each heart-shaped slice with rolling pin and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Dab each heart with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until well browned.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it is 10- by 12-inches. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1¿4 cup of the Parmesan, 1¿2 cup of the Gruyère, 1¿2 teaspoon of the thyme, 1¿2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper. With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don't over bake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Cream cheese and margarine; add flour and Rice Krispies.
• For Cheese Straws, roll out on floured cloth; cut in 2 1/2 x 1/2-inch sticks.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
• For Cheese Wafers: Form into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet; mash lightly with fork.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Steps:

• Blend softened butter with grated cheese.
• Add salt, garlic powder, cayenne powder and worcestershire.
• Stir in flour and rice krispies.
• For wafers: Form by hand into balls and flatten with fork.
• For straws: Flatten pieces of dough by hand on parchment paper and cut into 4 x 6 inch straws and separate.
• Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 17 minutes. Watch carefully and do not overbake. Let cool slightly and place on paper towels. Store in an air tight container.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grate cheese.
• In a food processor, pulse dry ingredients until combined, then add cheese and butter. Process until dough becomes smooth and has the texture of Play-Doh. Alternately, make the dough in a stand mixer by creaming cheese and butter until smooth. Then combine dry ingredients in a bowl and combine with butter mixture at low speed until smooth.
• Shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap or parchment and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Or store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• Bring dough to room temperature and pack it into a cookie press fitted with a star disk. Pipe long ribbons of dough across the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, about an inch apart. Then cut into six-inch lengths. Repeat with remaining dough. Dough may also be hand-rolled into long ropes and cut to size, or shaped into a cylinder and sliced into rounds and baked.
• Bake for about 13 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Store between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container. Will keep for up to three weeks.