American · Appetizers

Cheese Twists

Strips of puff pastry spread with mustard, topped with cheddar and Parmesan, twisted and baked until golden and crisp.

25 min total Serves 12 servings Easy
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Cheese Twists

Photograph credit: Cheddar Cheese Twist - Costa Coffee 2025-11-06 by Andy Li · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cheese Twists: Step by Step

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  1. Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F and line a baking tray with baking paper. Unroll the pastry and spread half with the mustard.

  2. Scatter with the cheddar, Parmesan, paprika and pepper. Fold the plain half over the cheese and roll lightly to seal.

  3. Cut into 12 strips and twist each two or three times. Lay on the tray and press the ends down.

  4. Brush with the egg and bake for 15 minutes until puffed and deep golden. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes.

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What Can Go Wrong

  1. Press the ends firmly onto the tray.
  2. Use well-chilled pastry; it is easier to handle.
  3. Brush the egg on carefully so it does not drip down the cut edges.

Good to Know About Cheese Twists

Most home versions unwind in the oven, and the fix is to press the ends down onto the tray. Cheese twists are strips of puff pastry spun into corkscrews, and the pastry has a natural tendency to spring back as it bakes. Pinching each end firmly against the baking paper stops it, and the twist stays tight.

The filling is simple: a thin spread of mustard on the pastry, then plenty of grated cheddar and Parmesan, a pinch of paprika and a grind of pepper. Fold the pastry over to enclose the cheese, press it down with a rolling pin so that the layers seal, and cut into strips about 1.5 cm wide.

Twist each strip two or three times and lay it on the tray with a small gap between. Brush with beaten egg to give a shiny, golden crust. Bake until puffed and deep gold, and cool for a few minutes on a rack. They are good served warm or cold, and they keep for a day or two in a tin.

To Go With It

Soup · Sparkling wine · Dips · Salad

Keeping Cheese Twists

Best eaten on the day. Keeps in an airtight tin for 2 days and crisps up in a warm oven.

Cheese Twists Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

194Calories
5gProtein
12gCarbs
14gFat
0gFibre
0gSugar
160mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .