Christmas and cheese straws were always synonymous for me. I loved the salty crunch and the slight heat from the cayenne. In fact, I loved them too much, and once ate an entire bag on the 10 minute drive home from the grocery store. That was in my pre-keto days.
When I began to learn more about baking with low carb ingredients, I was keen to try to create a low carb option for cheese straws. It needed to have the same crunch and the same flash of heat and taste of cheddar. While you have to let them dry out to crisp up, I think this recipe is a great replacement.
If you’re gifting keto holiday foods this year, consider these. They’re also nice to add to a holiday table of low-carb appetizers or to serve with charcuterie and a glass of wine.
If you try them, let me know what you think in the comments? Also, I’d love to hear about your holiday memories with cheese straws? Was there a certain brand you bought? Did friends and family enjoy them too? What’s your favorite way to eat them?
Cheese Straws
Equipment
- Cookie press
Ingredients
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese shredded (about 11⁄2 cups)
- 3 ounces cream cheese (1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, softened)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup oat fiber
- 1 tablespoon unflavored whey protein isolate
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350oF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and butter in a food processor and process until thoroughly mixed. Add the oat fiber, protein isolate, baking powder, salt, cayenne, and egg and continue processing until a thick dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a cookie press. Using a star-shaped tip, pipe 21⁄2-inch strips of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. If the dough is too soft to work with, refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before piping the cheese straws.
- Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned and set. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit for 2 to 3 hours to become crisp. You can also place the cheese straws on the cooling rack in the oven with the oven light on and the door ajar, which results in crispier cheese straws.