Cheddar Straws

I'm spending this Christmas with my husband's family. So I'm making a care package to send home to my family. Here's the first of the several-part-package. (Spoiler alert!)

Adapted from Gourmet.

1/2 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons half and half

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the cheese, flour, butter, salt, and cayenne. Pour in the half and half and continue mixing until a thick dough forms. Turn this out onto a floured board, and knead into a rectangle.

Roll this out until about 1/4 inch thick. Then, with a pizza cutter, cut long strips about a 1/3 inch thick. Carefully twist these and place them on a few cookie sheets, a 1/4 inch apart.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, swapping the positions of the sheets half way through. Cool crackers on the baking sheets, on a rack.