Mary Berry’s cheese straws are crisp, short little sticks of buttery pastry made with mature Cheddar, glazed with egg yolk and baked under a generous dusting of Parmesan. The recipe makes 30 straws, and takes about an hour, including 30 minutes chilling.
The recipe comes from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (2010), where she calls them “a lovely gift idea, beautifully presented in a box.” Her storage advice is unusual: “do not keep them in the larder; they can quickly go off.” Instead, she freezes them once cold, and says “they taste good even when freezer-hard!”
The step that makes them crisp is the chilling. Berry wraps the dough and chills it for about 30 minutes before rolling, because warm butter makes it sticky and hard to cut into thin strips. Chilled dough rolls cleanly to 5mm and holds its shape in the oven.
Mary Berry Cheese Straws Recipe
Course: Sides, AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy30
servings10
minutes15
minutes40
kcal25
minutesA five-ingredient party nibble from the Baking Bible (2010), made with homemade rubbed-in cheese pastry, not puff. They bake in just 10 to 15 minutes. Because they freeze so well, you can make a batch weeks ahead of Christmas drinks.
Ingredients
100g (4oz) plain flour
75g (3oz) softened butter
50g (2oz) grated mature Cheddar
1 large egg yolk
finely grated Parmesan, for sprinkling
Directions
- Preheat: Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan/Gas 5). Lightly grease 2 baking trays.
- Make the dough: Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the Cheddar. Keep back a tiny bit of the egg yolk for glazing and stir in the rest. Bring it together into a dough, wrap in cling film and chill for about 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm (¼in) thick. Cut into neat strips about 5mm (¼in) wide and 10cm (4in) long. Lay them on the trays, brush with the reserved egg yolk and sprinkle generously with Parmesan.
- Bake: Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Lift off the trays and cool completely on a wire rack. Pack in a gift box and give as fresh as possible, or freeze until ready.
Notes
- Chilling: 30 minutes
FAQs
Why shouldn’t cheese straws be kept in the cupboard?
The butter and cheese make them go stale and taste off quickly at room temperature, which is why Berry is so firm about it. Freeze them as soon as they’re completely cold, in a rigid box so they don’t snap. They can be eaten straight from the freezer, or warmed for a few minutes in the oven.
Can I make cheese straws with puff pastry?
Yes, Berry does in other books. Her revised Baking Bible (2023) has Puff Pastry Cheese Straws: ready-rolled puff spread with black olive tapenade, Parmesan and Cheddar, then folded, twisted and sprinkled with poppy seeds. Foolproof Cooking (2016) has six Giant Cheese and Parma Ham Straws made with Dijon mustard and Gruyère.
How do I cut the strips evenly?
Use a long, sharp knife and a ruler, and cut straight down instead of dragging the blade, because dragging stretches the soft pastry. If the dough warms up and starts to stick, slide it on to a tray and chill it for 10 minutes more. Even strips bake at the same rate, so none burn while others are still pale.
Why save some egg yolk for glazing?
That tiny amount, brushed over the strips, gives the straws their golden shine and acts as glue for the Parmesan. Without it, the cheese falls off as you lift the straws from the tray. Don’t flood them, though, because a thin brush is all they need.
What do I serve cheese straws with?
They’re made for drinks parties, but they’re also lovely alongside soup. Try them with her leek and potato soup or parsnip soup. For more cheesy baking, her cheese scone round is a good next step.
