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I had some leftover Gouda sitting in the fridge from a recipe I created for my client, Rumiano Cheese, National non-GMO month. My inspiration came from my love of mac and cheese doused in black pepper. I was all like 2 tsp of fresh cracked pepper to my mac and cheese. So good! I used the poivre melange, which means mixed pepper in French, to spice my cheese straws up! Raw Spice Bar‘s blend consists of black,pink, green, Tellicherry and white peppercorns and it smelled so good! It’s not overwhelmingly spicy and the blend really made the cheese straws THAT much better!
These cheese straws are super easy to make and it’s a one-bowl recipe! Plus, It only took me 5 minutes of prep! They tasted kind of like a spicy cheese-it, and to be honest, I’m not mad about it. My husband ate like 15 in one sitting. I, however, will be enjoying them with a big bowl of creamy tomato soup!
However you choose to enjoy these cheesy, pepper-y snacks, you’re going to love them!

Poivre & Gouda Cheese Straws
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen 1x
Ingredients
- 4.5 oz (~1 cup) gouda cheese, finely shredded**
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp poivre melange or fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cube
- 1/2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients, except the milk, into a medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or pastry cutter to press the flour into the cheese and butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk in and use your hands to quickly form a dough.
- Flour your surface and roll out the dough into 8×10 rectangle with 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 1/2 inch strips. Gently place each strip onto the parchment-lined baking sheet 1/4 inch apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely before serving as an appetizer, with soup or just as a snack!
Notes
**please use freshly shredded cheese! Pre-shredded cheese has anti-clumping ingredients, like flour, that mess with the recipe!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes