Flamin’ Hot Cheese Snakes

Hello! The Girl Child loves Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Hot Fries and Takis. She went out with her friends this weekend and I had the house to myself. I decided to make her a surprise.

I knew I couldn’t come up with the exact texture of those other snacks, but I wanted to make her something Flamin’ Hot. I started by making a cheese dough. I rolled it into small snakes and fried it. Then I made a spicy seasoning to put on them.

She loved them! I asked her what we should call them and she originally said Flamin’ Hot Cheese Doodles. When I was talking about rolling them into little snakes she excitedly changed the name to Flamin’ Hot Cheese Snakes. So, there you go.

If you’d like to make some, here’s what you’ll need:

For the dough:

2 cups flour

1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)

1 stick butter (cut into cubes)

1/2 cup water

4 tsp cornmeal

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

Oil for frying (I used canola)

For the seasoning:

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

For the powdered cheese:

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (grated)

1/4 tsp cornstarch

Ok. Let’s do this!

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, garlic powder and ancho chili powder.

Blend butter into dry ingredients.

Stir in water. You want a soft but firm dough. Add extra water by the tablespoon if necessary to reach desired consistency.

Place cheddar cheese into a food processor and pulse until cheese becomes fine crumbs. This makes it easier to incorporate the cheese into the dough.

Mix cheese into dough. Knead until evenly distributed.

Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Heat a couple inches of oil over high heat in a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven. I use canola oil, but any oil with a high smoke point will work.

When the oil pops and crackles when you sprinkle water in, it’s ready.

Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into approximately 2 inch snakes.

Fry the snakes in batches until they float to the top and are golden brown. To check the “doneness”, bend the snake. If it snaps easily, it’s done.

To make the powdered cheese, pour grated cheese in a thin layer onto a microwaveable plate lined with parchment paper. You can also use the powdered cheese you buy to use on popcorn.

Microwave in 30 second increments until cheese has formed a hard disk and the fat has rendered out. (About 2 minutes)

Peel the cheese disk off of the parchment and place on a paper towel to cool.

When cheese has cooled, break it up into food processor along with the cornstarch.

Pulse until cheese has become a fine powder. This makes 1/3 cup. So, if you’re using store bought, that’s how much you’ll need.

Mix seasonings in a small bowl.

Mix seasonings with powdered cheese.

Spray cheese snakes with cooking spray to help seasoning coat them. I use Pam.

Sprinkle seasoning over snakes and toss to coat evenly, or you can put snakes in a gallon sized zip top bag along with the seasoning and shake until coated.

The Girl Child was surprised and happy. That was my mom win of the weekend.

You could also use the Flamin’ Hot seasoning on a regular bag of Cheetos. Just pour it into the bag and shake!

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Thanks for stopping by!