Caroline's Easy Baking Lessons

Many reasons for making these Cheese Pastry Twists, that are ideal for any time you are entertaining, making for special occasions such as Christmas or as an appetizer for a Valentine’s meal.

1. Quick To Make

These Cheese Pastry Twists are the easiest thing to make. No baking skills required at all. No need to spend most of the day making puff pastry, use shop bought.

The process of making the twists too only takes about 10 minutes, before popping them in the oven for the magic to happen. The whole process from starting till ready to eat is only about 30 minutes.

2. Easy To Make

The whole process of making these cheese pastry twists, is so simple even kids could make them. With only about 15 minutes hands on time, of rolling, filling, cutting and twisting. No prior baking knowledge or skills required.

3. Looks Good

These deceivingly simple to make cheese pastry twists, look not only tasty but you might fool some people into thinking you bought them. Or they might think you spent hours making them – that’s our little secret!

4. Tastes Good

The combination of buttery puff pastry and a strong cheddar cheese, pair perfectly. Add seeds of choice as a topping and enhance the flavour even more.

5. No Special Ingredients or Equipment

No special equipment or ingredients are required to make these pastry appetizers. If you don’t have a rolling pin, a large glass bottle will even do. Ingredients easily sourced and you don’t need to top with seeds either.

6. Easily Adjusted

Make with or without seeds, use a different cheese (but be sure to see notes on that) or make different sizes/shapes.

7. Inexpensive

I find (at least in the UK), for it to often work out cheaper to buy puff pastry than make your own (but then the cost of butter has more than doubled in the last few years). You can of course buy shop bought pastry twists, but unless you buy from the more expensive supermarket range, you won’t get near the same quality or taste of pastry.

A Note On The Ingredients

These cheese pastry twists can be made from 3 or 4 ingredients – puff pastry, cheese, egg and seeds (optional).

Puff Pastry

I use very little processed foods or ingredients, but puff pastry is one thing I do often have in my freezer. Go for the frozen kind as it has even less additives and preservatives in it. It takes time to master making puff pastry, as well as the time needed to make the hundreds of layers, so shop bought is ok!

Choice Of Cheese

I make these pastries with Scottish extra mature cheddar cheese as I love the depth of flavour it has and works so well in baked goods. The equivalent in the states is Extra/Sharp Cheddar. You could also use a hard cheese like Mozzarella or a mixture of both – that would be nice.

Egg Wash & Toppings

A whisked egg is brushed onto the cheese pastry twists to give them a deep golden colour once baked, and it also helps keep the seeds in place. I use sesame seeds and a mixture of sesame & Nigella seeds on others and some without any seeds for my youngest son. If not using seeds, be sure to still apply the egg wash. Egg wash, for bread & pastry, is not only great for colour, but provides flavour too.

Recipe Process Overview

These pastries are simply made by filling half of the puff pastry sheet with cheese, folding over & rolling out a bit more. You are then cutting strips that you apply egg wash and seeds to, before twisting and finally baking.

Could not be easier to make these cheese pastry twists!

Click for more pastry recipes.

View more Christmas & New Year recipes.

Also, check out the Kids Baking page for more easy pastry ideas.

Or read my How To Increase A Recipe For A Bigger Tin article, for your holiday baking & entertaining.

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