A combination of pastry and cheese is what makes one of the best snacks in the world - Cheese Straws! Made with shop-bought puff pastry and sharp mature Cheddar, further flavoured with cumin, this recipe is as simple as it is delicious!
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A Perfect Snack
A good cheese straw is by far one of Seb's favourite savoury snacks on the go. Mine too! It has two of my favourite things in the world - cheese and pastry! What is more, cheese straws are a breeze to make, if you choose to use shop-bought ready-rolled puff pastry! It literally takes 5 minutes to assemble them and after a short chill in the fridge, they're ready after 20 minutes in the oven.
Cheese straws are great for a variety of situations. Seb takes them to work for a mid-afternoon snack. We take them on our long walks with the dog, picnics and other longer outings. Cheese straws are also great finger food for a party and something to snack on whilst your BBQ is heating up.
The only drawback of these cheese straws is that they are the nicest when eaten on the day they're baked. We eat them the next day too, and we love them still, although they're no longer as crispy. But you can always pop them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up again if you wish. With just 5 minutes of prep required, the drawback isn't a huge one, as you can easily make small quantities often with minimal time resources.
Since it is just cheese and pastry, you want to make sure that the ingredients you use are of good quality and flavour that you LOVE! We always use strong mature cheddar in our cheese straws. We recommend Snowdonia Cheese Little Black Bomber if you're making these for a special occasion.
How to Make Cheese Straws?
Take your puff pastry out of the fridge (but not the packet) about 30 minutes before starting (otherwise, it may crack when you unroll it). Finely grate the Cheddar. Lightly beat a small egg in a bowl.
Unroll the pastry on a floured surface. Using a pastry brush, brush the pastry with a beaten egg. Then spread ⅓ of the cheese on top and press down with your hands so it sticks. Carefully turn the pastry over and brush with the beaten egg. Add the rest of the cheese and press down again.
Cut the pastry into 9 strips. Holding one end on the surface, twist the other strip end to make a spiral. Repeat with the rest of the pastry. Then transfer them all onto a baking parchment-lined tray leaving 3-4 cm in between them. Sprinkle cumin seeds on top and place the tray in the fridge for 20 minutes (this help them to hold their round spiral shape).
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the cheese straws in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Resist opening the door for the first 20 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.
Other Snack Recipes
For other snacks and bites, perfect for taking with you on the go, have a look at:
- Crunchy Smoky Chickpeas
- Chocolate & Orange Date Bars | A Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Snack
- Sourdough Grissini
Recipe Card
Cheese Straws With Cumin Seeds
Ingredients
- 375 g ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg medium
- 120 g mature Cheddar finely grated
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Instructions
- Take your puff pastry out of the fridge (but not the packet) about 30 minutes before starting (otherwise, it may crack when you unroll it). Finely grate the Cheddar. Lightly beat a small egg in a bowl.
- Unroll the pastry on a floured surface. Using a pastry brush, brush the pastry with a beaten egg. Then spread ⅓ of the cheese on top and press down with your hands so it sticks. Carefully turn the pastry over and brush with the beaten egg. Add the rest of the cheese and press down again.
- Cut the pastry into 9 strips. Holding one end on the surface, twist the other strip end to make a spiral. Repeat with the rest of the pastry. Then transfer them all onto a baking parchment-lined tray leaving 3-4 cm in between them. Sprinkle cumin seeds on top and place the tray in the fridge for 20 minutes (this help them to hold their round spiral shape).
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the cheese straws in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Resist opening the door for the first 20 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.
Nutrition
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