The Best Homemade Kids’ Lunches on the Planet
Buy Now →The perfect snack or party appetizer, these baked cheese straws are just the thing to serve!
Watch how easy these cheese twists are to make using puff pastry in the video below.
Whether it’s for a school lunch or for dinner, you’ve GOT to try these Easy Baked Cheese Twists! They are perfect to send off in a lunchbox along with a warm bowl of soup or, paired with some protein and fresh veggies.
What are Cheese Straws?
Made with fresh cheese and puff pastry, homemade cheese straws are an amazing snack or appetizer recipe.
Even though the name implies they might be drinkable, cheese straws are more of a long, thin, cheesy cracker! They take the shape of a straw, but you can’t drink through them.
Can you freeze cheese straws?
Absolutely! To freeze your cheese twists, prep them using the recipe below, but don’t bake them. Put them on a cookie sheet, cover and freeze for around 4 hours (until firm).
After the straws have firmed you can place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and put the whole thing in the freezer. When you’re ready to finish them, pull them out of the freezer and bake.
How to Make Cheese Straws
Step 1: Let puff pastry thaw until softened – around 30 minutes
Step 2: Preheat oven to 400 & line your baking sheet with parchment paper
Step 3: Combine egg and water in a small bowl and whisk. In another bowl, mix together the cheeses
Step 4: Unfold the puff pastry onto a floured workspace. Use a pastry brush to brush some of the egg and water evenly over the dough.
Step 5: Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over half of the dough.
Step 6: Fold the dough over the cheesy half and press to seal
Step 7: Brush the top of the dough with egg mixture and sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese, pressing gently to help the cheese stick
Step 8: Turn the dough over and repeat
Step 9: Cut pastry lengthwise into 4 even strips
Step 10: Hold strips by each end and turn until each strip turns into a nice cheese twist straw
Step 11: Place cheese straws on a baking sheet, and bake until brown (about 10 minutes)
What to Serve with Cheese Twists
Now and then, these Baked Cheese Twists are a nice surprise to serve for snack or in a lunchbox. I’ve even put them on the table for an appetizer from time to time.
These twists go great with marinara sauce or soups, which I’ll make for dinner one night, and use the leftovers for lunch in a thermos, the next day!
I mean who doesn’t love a hot lunch of twisted cheesy, flaky pastry baked to perfection and dunked in hot thermos soup for lunch? This is one recipe your family will request again and again!
Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with Cheese Straws
Check out our top 5 Thermos Containers if you are looking for a container to send some hot soup along with these baked cheese twists.
What will you serve with your Cheese Straws first?
Cheese Straws Recipe
These Easy Baked Cheese Straws are made with flaky puff pastry folded and twisted with cheese and baked to perfection! Serve with soup or as a fun, cheese twist appetizer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 6–12 twists 1x
- Cuisine: Lunch
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend, such as Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
Instructions
- Let the frozen puff pastry thaw at room temperature until softened, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl or cup. Add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water, and whisk until blended. In another small bowl, mix together the cheeses.
- Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet and place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a pastry brush, brush some of the egg mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture evenly over half of the egg-brushed dough.
- Fold the uncovered dough over the cheese and press gently to seal. Brush the top with the egg mixture, sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese mixture, and press gently to help stick. Turn the dough over, brush the other side with the egg mixture, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and press gently. Discard any remaining egg mixture.
- Cut the pastry vertically into 6 strips or horizontally into 12 smaller strips . Holding each strip by the ends, turn the ends a few times in opposite direction to make a twist. Place the twists, evenly spaced, on the baking sheet.
- Bake until browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool briefly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large twist
- Calories: 286
- Sugar: 0.5g
- Sodium: 260.3g
- Fat: 18.8g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4g
- Carbohydrates: 19.9g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 9.4g
- Cholesterol: 38.5mg
Keywords: cheese, breadsticks, appetizer
Awesome recipe! Followed step by step and it turned out sooo good.
★★★★★
Glad they were a success, Noemi!
Sounds delicious. I am thinking some pepper would be a good addition !
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Do you use a single sheet of pastry and repeat the steps until all the pastry sheets are used up? Thanks
No. you roll out the entire sheet with all the layers and slice that way. I don’t separate by sheet.
do you ever make these he night before for lunches? If so, do you just refrigerate them overnight and then let them come to room temp in your kiddos lunchbox? I want to make these to take for a school snack for my son’s class along with some marinara sauce to dip in. Do you think that’s doable?
Yes. I make them the night before and once they are cooled, I put them in a large tupperware. I don’t refrigerate them. I the morning, I stick them in the lunchbox.
I just made these and I’m not sure what I did wrong the cheese all melted and the pastry didn’t puff up it’s just a melted cheese mess
I found it very difficult to twist them so the cheese didn’t fall off too
Help what did I do wrong?
My daughter has an egg allergy – how do you think an egg replacer (we use Ener-G Egg Replacer) will work in this?
Stephanie, I have not tried the egg replacer in this recipe. You can try brushing it with milk instead.
I made these first thing this morning so that I could send them in my kids’ lunch. While I suppose they aren’t the healthiest of things, man are they ever delicious and I couldn’t get over just how easy they are to make. Mine took a bit longer to bake. I bought the pre-rolled pastry and maybe it is thicker than yours?
I will be making these again for sure!!! Thank you :)
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So glad your kids loved it! Oven temperatures always vary so cooking times can vary by 3-5 minutes. They are easy and delicious!
I’m definitely going to make these :D
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Oh my gosh. I’m tempted to go to the 24-hour grocery right now, in my pajamas, at 10:30 pm to get the ingredients to make these! I can’t wait to try!
Jenny, you are not the only one who has those moments :)
Have you tried those pastry sheets with instead of mozarella, cream cheese in the inside and some brown sugar in the outside? In PR we call it Quesitos… and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
GREAT IDEA!!