Spicy Cheddar Cheese Straws

Spicy cheddar cheese straws are a perfect appetizer, garnish for a salad or dipper for soup.  Don’t believe me? Just look at my post from yesterday!

Store-bought puff pastry, layered with paprika and spicy cayenne, and stuffed with as much cheddar cheese as they can hold.  Plus salty Parmesan because more cheese is better.

I’ve been watching so much of the Great British Baking Show that I am now convinced I can make puff pastry from scratch.  Life goal right there.  I’ll make sure to let you all know how it goes.

As I noted with the Gruyere & Thyme Cheese Straws, these can be a little tricky to make.  Just follow my tips below and you’ll be good!

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 but 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.

Exercise a little restraint and a little patience and you will be rewarded with these crispy, crunchy, cheesy, buttery babes that are total GBD.

Spicy Cheddar Cheese Straws

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 12 cheese straws 1x

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Description

Store-bought puff pastry, layered with paprika and spicy cayenne, and stuffed with as much cheddar cheese as they can hold.  Plus salty Parmesan because more cheese is better!

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Ingredients

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• One 14-ounce box puff pastry (preferably Dufour)*, defrosted in the refrigerator
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 large egg, beaten with a splash of water until completely homogenous
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) freshly ground Parmesan
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne, to taste
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.  Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats(preferably) or with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan, Cheddar, cayenne, paprika and pepper.
3. Lay a piece of parchment on your work surface and lightly flour; turn the puff pastry dough out and roll into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.  Brush the surface with the egg wash.  Sprinkle the cheese mixture evenly over the surface.  With the rolling pin, lightly roll over the toppings to press into the surface of the dough.  Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes before cutting. Cut the dough into 12 equal-sized strips of dough.  Working with one piece at a time, transfer the dough strip to the prepared baking sheets; twist each strip into a spiral.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Refrigerate the strips for another 15 minutes before baking.
4. When ready to bake, brush the remaining egg wash over the cheese straws.  Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Flip each cheese straw over and bake for another 2 minutes.  Cool and serve at room temperature.

Notes

Inspiration: Cheese Straws on foodnetwork.com

• Category: Appetizers