Pimento Cheese Sticks

ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  1 dash baking soda & 1 tablespoon molasses
  1 dash baking soda & 2 tablespoons sour milk/buttermilk/yogurt
  1 dash baking soda & 1 dash cream of tartar
• 1 dash salt
• 1 dash cayenne
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  2/3 stick whipped butter
  1/2 stick hydrogenated fat
  1/2 stick margarine
  1/3 stick olive oil
• 1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
• 1 (1/2 cup) jar sliced pimentos, rinsed, minced, and patted dry (1/2 cup)

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a bowl. Beat together butter and cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until combined well, then beat in pimentos. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix just until a dough forms.

Roll 1 level teaspoon dough into a ball with lightly floured hands, then roll ball on a lightly floured surface into a 5 inch-long rope and transfer to a large baking sheet (ungreased). Make more ropes with remaining dough, arranging them 1 inch apart on 2 large baking sheets.

Bake cheese sticks in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, 17 minutes total (sticks will flatten slightly). Carefully transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool.

Cooks' note:

Cheese sticks can be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a 375 degrees oven 3 minutes before serving.