What’s my favorite thing about these cheese straws? The cayenne pepper gives you this slight tickling burn in your mouth after eating one. Ooooo ahhhhhhh =) Such a pleasant little surprise. Oh, and then there’s the buttery, puffy, flaky from-scratch puff pastry and the golden cheese. These cheese straws are really elegant and could easily be served at a swanky party, but make sure you make plenty, as these will disappear quickly. Considering this recipe makes 30+ cheese straws, my friend Jess and I briefly (emphasis on ‘briefly’) considered halving the recipe, but came to the conclusion that we would each eat half, so it’s like making a half recipe =) hehehe. It was a good decision. Here’s how to make them:
Ingredients:
1 recipe homemade puff pastry, here, or 2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1 cup gruyere or parmigiano regiano, grated
cayenne pepper
paprika
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll out the prepared puff pastry until about 1/8 inch thick. Whisk the egg with the water and brush the puff pastry with the egg wash:
Sprinkle the entire surface with the cheese, cayenne, paprika, and salt and pepper. Press the cheese and spices into the puff pastry, and cut 3/4 inch thick strips from the puff pastry with a pizza cutter or bench scraper:
Twist each strip and lay it on the parchment paper lined baking sheet:
Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and puffy, then flip the straws over, and bake for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Shutterbean’s Herbed Cheese Straws, adapted from Barefoot Contessa in Paris. Thank you Tracy and Ina!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the addition of cayenne pepper to this recipe!
Thanks! I love cayenne pepper, because sometimes you want some heat but red pepper flakes are too big for something like this.
Never hear of gruyere or parmigiano regiano, where do you get yours?
They look lovely, but I’ve never been able to twist my cheese straws. Have you any tips? May it be the pastry is too thick?
Hi Emma, are you using the premade frozen kind of puff pastry or homemade? Sometimes the storebought kind can be really rigid and less pliable than homemade. If you roll it out thinner then it will be easier to twist.