Cheese straws

What you need 

•  100g butter
• 200g plain flour
• 100g strong cheddar cheese.
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• Pinch of cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon of mustard powder (optional).
• Baking tray
• Wooden spoon
• Rolling pin
• Bowls
• Aprons
• Blunt knives

 Preparation

• Grate the cheese and separate egg white and yolk
• Clean all the surfaces, wash hands and put on aprons
• Turn oven to 230ºc.

• This easy Cheese Crisps recipe, with Rice Krispies, makes savory cheesy bites perfect for holiday parties or tailgating.

 What to do

1. Put the flour, butter and salt into a bowl
2. Show the children how to rub in the ingredients. They may not get the hang of this at first but they will enjoy having their hands in the mixture
3. Continue rubbing the ingredients in until they resemble breadcrumbs.
4. Now ask them to add the cheese and the egg yolk, and also the cayenne pepper or mustard powder if you have decided to spice your straws up
5. Mix these ingredients together until the mixture forms a dough
6. Turn this out onto a lightly floured board and help the children to roll it out
7. Cut the dough into strips and place on a baking sheet
8. Place in the oven at 230ºc (gas mark 8), and cook for 8 – 10 minutes until golden
9. Allow to cool.

 Prompts

• As you add the ingredients to the bowl tell the children what they are
• Ask questions like where eggs come from, what noises chickens make, what colour is this, what does this taste like etc

• Taste some of the cheese before you add it to the mixture. Ask the children if they know what colour it is and if they like the taste
• When the children cut the dough into strips, count the number of strips with them

Hints and Tips

You can make shapes other than straws, and add different tastes