Does anyone bake cheese straws? This is my 3rd year making

[japple]

them and I've about decided they're too much trouble. The dough is so stiff and my elderly mixer threatens to give up whenever I make them. It's too hard to mix by hand. I do let the cheese and butter come to room temp before even attempting to mix them. Then there's the problem with the cookie press. My mother used an old Mirro model from 1958, that has a twisting mechanism to push out the dough. It pushes the dough out just fine, but I can't control the length of the straws. I have a more recent cookie gun model, but it is so hard to shoot the dough that my hand starts cramping halfway through.

Today, in frustration and after I had made about 1/2 the batch into (poorly formed) straws--the kind you only give to family members, I rolled out the dough and cut it out with a 1-1/2" biscuit cutter. The first ones were too thick, so I rolled them out thinner, and those are better, but not exactly what I wanted to make. I want plain old-fashioned cheese straws like my mother used to make.

The recipe is the one my mother used: 4 c. sharp cheddar, 2 sticks butter, 4 c. flour, salt, cayenne, and today I added some chipotle chili powder, and paprika.

I thought about getting a heavy duty caulking gun to use next time, but wouldn't be able to use the fancy star tip I need to make the straws.

Does anyone have suggestions?

[Phentex]

1. I have two problems when I make them....

I always forget how hard mixing the dough can be (by hand) and I EAT too many of them myself. I don't make straws as much as I make the coins. I make logs and chill them and then thinly slice before baking. The size is fairly consistent that way.

[pengillian101]

2. I thought about getting a heavy duty caulking gun --- ha!

Sounds like what I would try, but I don't make cookies, so what do I know, eh?

A pal brought over a large bunch of cookies - sugar cookies mainly. Not interested, but thanks for the thought!

Sugar just hurts, lol.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Caulking gun? That'll really kill your hand. But, before...

your mixer gives out, try a food processor for mixing. Then, I'd forget about the star tip unless I got a serious motorized cookie shooter and just roll 'em out.

(I wonder how Popeil's pasta gadget would do with this sort of thing?)

[kentauros]

4. If you're talking about puff-pastry cheese straws,

then I've made them successfully, both in a bakery and at home with no problems. At home, I used the Cook's Illustrated recipe for "Quickest Puff Pastry" and it worked great! :D

Here's a pdf of the article, recipe and techniques for various puff pastries, including straws:
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/MA94_Puffpastry.pdf

I was going to transcribe the pages until I found that pdf as it's very informative and a really easy recipe :D

[Tesha]

5. Take the easy road...

there's enough stress in life...

Cheese Straws With Pimentón
from NYT
Time: About 30 minutes

1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 sheets puff pastry (preferably all butter), defrosted but not unfolded
1/2 teaspoon pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika, hot or sweet).
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese on a clean work surface. Place pastry on top and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about

1/8-inch thick, dusting with more cheese if necessary.

2. Using tip of a sharp knife, cut pastry into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Lift up one end, twist a few times, and transfer to prepared pan. Repeat with remaining pastry and cheese. Dust twists with pimentón.

3. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before peeling off paper. Store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Yield: About 36