Best Cheese Straws Recipe

I found out recently that a part time social media job I've been doing for a statewide website will be coming to an end, as the website is being sold to a private company.  While it wasn't a lot of money, it did pay at least 2/3rds of the grocery bill each month, if not more.  So we need to find a way to tighten our budget even more.  We've already cut out so much that it's hard to find additional ways to trim, but the most obvious area is the grocery store.  While we raise our own chickens and eggs, and garden, there are many things we purchase weekly from the store.  I'm going to try to trim that back for now.  And as a result of trimming that back, I'm trying out new, portable snacks that I can make for the boys at home.   

My Baylor cookbook has a recipe called The Best Cheese Straws.  I had never made them before, but let me tell you - instant hit in my family!  They are divine.  If you're craving some cheesy goodness you will love these.  Just the right combination of softness and crispness, with a wonderful flavor, they are the perfect snack for kids and adults alike.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package extra sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 cup butter (not margarine), softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 3/4 cups flour

In a large mixer bowl, beat cheese with butter, salt, and cayenne.  Add flour, a small amount at a time.  Mix well.  Put dough in a cookie press using the ribbon disc.  Make long strips on a cookie sheet and cut into preferred sizes.  Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.  Yield: 2-3 dozen.

If you don't have a cookie press, you could roll this into long snakes and trim into the size you want.  They wouldn't be as pretty, but they would still taste just as good!