Recipes:
## Party Cheese Straws
### INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 cup finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 1 tablespoon cold water
**MAKES:** 60 straws
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### MAKE AHEAD
You can fully prepare the dough, including piping it into straws, then freeze for up to **2 weeks** before thawing and baking as directed.
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### VARIATION
Put a little sizzle in your cheese straws by adding **2 to 3 drops of hot pepper sauce** and **1 teaspoon chili powder**.
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### DIRECTIONS
**1.** Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne and Cheddar in a large bowl. Stir well.
**2.** Cut butter into slices and add to bowl. Cut in with a pastry cutter or **2 knives** until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
**3.** Add cold water to bowl. Stir until mixture forms a stiff dough. Preheat oven to **400°F**. Grease **2 large baking sheets**. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
**4.** Pipe **4-inch lengths** of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing an inch apart. Bake until slightly golden, about **10 minutes**. Remove sheet and cool completely.
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### Make It Quicker
If you do not have a pastry bag, use **1 teaspoon less water** in the dough, then roll it into a log instead. Chill the log before slicing into discs and baking as directed.
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