Party Cheese Puff Twist Recipe from your Holiday 🧀 Leftovers

This cheese twist recipe loves your leftover cheese.

If you’re anything like me, you bought massive amounts of cheese for the holidays. Assuming your guests were too polite to polish it all off like mine were (bless their hearts), or that you overstuffed your cheese boards (my hand is raised), you’re probably wondering what to do with the leftovers. You know which ones I mean. I’m talking about the itty bitty pieces that aren’t big enough to serve solo, and that there aren’t enough of to fill an entire recipe. Until now.

This leftover cheese puff twist recipe is the answer to what rolls around in the back of your fridge’s dairy drawer.

These puff twists are pretty, delicious, and simple to make. Next time you’re looking for something to make a dent in all your fabulous cheese bits, look here. New Year’s Eve party, this is your jam. Happy 2020!

Party Cheese Puff Twists

1 package puff pastry dough, defrosted *

1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dusting 1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup hard or grana cheese like Parmesan, shredded (about 1.5 ounces before grated) *

1/2 cup semi-soft cheese like Comté or a young cheddar, shredded (about 1.5 ounces before grated) *

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

black sesame seeds, optional

Makes 24 sticks

• Defrost the puff dough in the refrigerator overnight or for 3 hours before making- not on the counter. Chose an all-butter puff like Dufour. 

• Shred your cheese on the medium or small holes of the grater and your sticks will stay light and fluffy. I give cheese type suggestions above for those who like them, but have also used random bits of older cheese I forgot about before in my fridge with great results.

1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

2. Cut your dough in half. On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough so it is about half its original thickness. Brush with the dough with the beaten egg, sprinkle with cheese, paprika, and salt and pepper.

3. Slice the dough vertically into 1/2-inch wide strips. While holding the bottom edge end of a strip, twist the top of the dough in one direction until you have even ripples. Transfer the strips to a cookie sheet lined with parchment, leaving 1/2 an inch of space between each twist, and lightly pressing the ends of the twists onto the tray so they don’t unravel. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if wish (optional).

4. Chill the twists for 30 minutes to increase fluff and crispiness before baking.

5. Bake for 24-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Rotate the tray halfway through baking.

• If making ahead: These strips will keep in an airtight container for 3 days. To refresh, re-crisp in a 400 degree oven before serving. Another option is making the twists a few days ahead of time, freezing them laying flat, then baking the day-of just a few minutes longer, or until golden.