Gruyere and Thyme Cheese Straws

Cheesy, herby, crispy Gruyere and thyme cheese straws for the win!  Store-bought puff pastry transforms into a perfect appetizer with a glass of wine or beer or a cocktail or any drink you want, OR EVEN BETTER, a perfect dipper for a bowl of soup.  Yes, please.

These can be a bit tricky to make: the first time I made these, I had a mini (okay, maybe major) meltdown because after everything including following the recipe instructions for how to bake, I couldn’t get them off the baking sheet.  I had made two batches with different flavors for a party and basically had to peel off what I could salvage and pick parchment paper off the back of the tiny pieces I managed to break off.  Still delicious, but not what I had in mind.

A couple tips from my cheese straw failures:

1. Keep the puff pastry cold, returning it to the fridge or freezer any time you need to re-chill it.
2. Try to keep the cheese tucked into your dough when rolling and don’t try to sprinkle the all the extra cheese that falls out of after twisting all over because it will turn into a cheesy glue that will probably make you want to cry when you’re trying to get your straws off your baking pan.  You can definitely sprinkle some of the strays on top because make sure you get them onto your twists versus all over the baking pan.
3. Most importantly, if you have silicone baking mats (e.g. Silpat)*, USE THEM!  If you don’t have them, but have ever wanted to buy one and/or you want to make these, now’s the time to get one.  These babies stick like you wouldn’t believe.  Silpat sells silicone mats in different sizes, so you can pick the one (or ones!) you think will be most useful for you.
4. Let them cool to warm or room temperature on the baking sheets before attempting to remove.  The pastry will crisp up and the cheese will harden and it will be easy to get them off.

These fill all my crispy, cheesy fantasies.

Side note: Did you guys know Trader Joe’s sells cheese bites that are basically just the melted crispy cheese edges from an oozy grilled cheese…or these!

[tasty-recipe id=”30965″]

 

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