Happy baking day & cheese straw recipe

Today I made my cheese straw recipe, which is very cheese-flavoured and also yummy.

I also took photos:

Those are the "modelling" shots I posed up!

I also set up a few shots as I went on with the baking.   What I imagine you want to know, though, is what the recipe is.    This is something that I developed from a half-remembered recipe in Mother Dearest's collection plus some "first principles" thinking and hints from a pastry recipe to make a cheesy-pastry straw mixture. Experimenting with oven temperature has given me the instructions in the following method. This is probably the messiest recipe I do because you have to get your hands right in it and squidge it all about - it's a very good idea to have nice, clean hands before starting! (I usually end up washing mine several times throughout the process because I don't really like messy fingers)

Ingredients:

3oz butter or margarine
5oz flour
5oz cheese (I use mature cheddar)
Cayenne pepper
Level teaspoon of mustard powder
1 egg
Small amount of water if needed

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Rub the margarine or butter into the flour until the mixture goes crumbly. Once the texture is suitably crumbly, add a touch of cayenne pepper and the mustard powder, and then grate the cheese into the mixture (I usually grate the cheese in advance and then simply add it in). Make sure these are mixed thoroughly, and then add the egg. Stir until everything is blended nicely to make a thick paste. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water to moisten it a bit (I usually find I need to).

On a pastry board or similar, scatter some flour and rub flour onto your rolling pin to prevent the mixture from sticking. Roll it out to about 0.5 - 1cm thick and cut into straws, I usually make my straws about 1 - 2cm wide and 7 - 15cm long.

Grease a baking tray and arrange the straws on it (optional, but really nice: apply a milk glaze) before putting them in the oven at 200˚C. After 10 minutes at this temperature, turn the oven up to 230˚C and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes to create the best effect. Alternatively, start with the oven at the higher temperature and cook for about 12 minutes.

Allow to cool (although it is always tempting to taste a hot one just to make sure it cooked properly...)   In these images I have actually made double portions (I had 10oz of cheese that was on its use-by date, so I HAD to do something with it, right?)

Now all you need is someone to share them with.

Be warned, these are very "more-ish", right now I am constantly making excuses to go to the kitchen and grab another one or two, even though I really should not.

(BTW, is it just me, or do I actually look kinda hawt in these photos?)