Cheese twists

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15 minutes plus 15 minutes baking
Serves: 12-15 twists

These puff pastry cheese twists or cheese straws make a great snack or party nibble or appetizer. They’re so delicious fresh from the oven, and the addition of red pesto gives them an extra special bit of flavour.

We made them for a savoury bake sale at school, and I knew we didn’t have much time so needed a recipe which would be quick and easy for the kids. Using ready rolled puff pastry makes these super simple, and who can resist the tasty cheesy and crispy goodness from the delicious puff pastry twists.

Ingredients

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp red pesto
50g parmesan
1 egg

How to make cheese twists

Preheat your oven to 220C/200C Fan / 425F and line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper

Prepare the puff pastry

Take the puff pastry out the fridge about half an hour before you start so it has time to warm up a bit before you use it.

Unroll the pastry carefully and lay it out on your work surface or a large chopping board. Cut it in half down the middle width ways.

Using the back of a spoon, spread the pesto over one half of the pastry.

Add the cheese

Grate the cheese (using the small side of your grater), then get your kids to sprinkle that all over your pastry, on top of the pesto. I find my kids still struggle to use our grater safely, so I tend to do that part myself then get them to add it to the dish. If your kids are older, they could do all this themselves.

Take the second sheet of puff pastry and add it to the top of the first sheet. Press it down firmly on top – you can either use your hands to do this, or a rolling pin.

Make the puff pastry twists

Get your kids to cut the puff pastry into strips around 1.5cm (½ inch) wide. We used a pizza cutter, but a sharp knife would also work – we cut it width ways so we could get more cheese straws.

Pick up each straw, get your kids to give them a few twists then place them on your baking tray. Once you’ve done them all, brush them with a little egg.

Bake the cheese twists

Bake the puff pastry twists in the oven for around 12-15 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve turned a nice golden brown and are crispy rather than soggy.

Enjoy!

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