This one earned a higher place on the BabyCakes Piece of Cake scale simply because it requires pastry assemblage, which always complicates matters. It might take a little while for you sophomores to get your rhythm down, and your first few straws will probably look more like craggy witch fingers, but it’s all going to pay off if you stick with it. Once it does, you should host a dinner party and set these out early by the pintful.

　　

Ingredients

makes 24

　　3/4 cup brown rice flour, plus 1/2 cup for dusting

　　1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour

　　3/4 cup cornmeal

　　1/4 cup arrowroot

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/3 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil

　　3 1/4 cups gluten-free vegan cheese

　　1/4 cup agave nectar

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

　　

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3/4 cup rice flour, the all-purpose flour, the cornmeal, arrowroot, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the coconut oil, 1 1/4 cups of the cheese, and the agave nectar and stir (the mixture will be very dry). Slowly add up to 3/4 cup water until the dough is sticky. Divide the dough in half.

　　

Step 3

Dust a clean work surface with 1/4 cup of the remaining rice flour and place half the dough on top. Sprinkle the top of the dough generously with more rice flour and roll it out into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese on half the rectangle. Flip the bare dough on top of it so that the cheese is sandwiched between two layers of dough. Cut the dough into 4-inch-long x 1-inch-wide strips and pinch the open sides closed. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the strips.

　　

Step 4

Bake for 10 minutes, rotate, and continue baking until the cheese straws are golden brown, about 8 minutes more.

　　Reprinted December 9, 2011, with permission from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, © 2011 Clarkson Potter. Buy the full book at Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.