The ingredients

Butter (DO NOT use margarine), flour (with cayenne pepper added) - reserve half a cup of the cayenne pepper-flour for later use.

Cut butter into small pieces - add to flour

Use lowest speed setting on stand mixer to combine the butter with the flour-cayenne until small or tiny "pebbles" are formed, as if preparing pastry or pie dough. About 2 or 3 minutes (if even that long).

Shred/grate the cold extra sharp cheddar cheese and gradually add 1/2-cup of flour-cayenne mixture that you put aside earlier.

Make sure flour-cayenne mixture evenly coats the cheese.

With stand mixer turned on lowest speed setting, add small handfuls of flour-coated grated cheese to the butter-flour-cayenne mixture. Keep adding a small handful at a time until the dough begins to form and ball-up on the mixer paddle. At this point, change the mixer paddle for the dough hook. Continue until all the grated cheese has been added and is thoroughly combined and blended. This will take about 6 to 10 minutes.
Let the dough rest for about 1 to 4 hours at room temperature.

Use a cookie press to extrude long ribbons of cheese straw dough onto a cookie sheet, laying the ribbons closely next to each other. For me, a batch of cheese straws uses three cookie sheets when I make them. Shake salt (to taste) on top of cheese straw ribbons prior to cooking.
Cook cheese straws in preheated 260F degree oven for about 50-60 minutes (or more). Cooking time WILL VARY depending the individual oven, so keep an eye on the cheese straws. Every 15 minutes or so, rotate the cookie sheets horizontally and vertically in the oven so the cheese straws cook evenly.
Once cheese straws have become 'toasty' in color and are no longer pale, remove from the oven and let cool. Be careful; it’s very easy to over cook the cheese straws.

Break cheese straws to preferred size, and store at room temperature in a closed tin or plastic container with cover.