Chorizo cheese twists

These chorizo cheese twists are incredibly easy to make with just a few ingredients and minimal prep. Then wait just a few minutes before you get to enjoy these addictively tasty, crispy snacks!

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Every now and again I get in to phases where I rediscover the wonders of puff pastry. It's one of those ingredients that you can easily go a while without using, I find, but then you need it for something specific, like sausage rolls in my case recently.

After I make whatever I bought the pastry for, I frequently have some leftovers so start thinking what else to make with it. And in most cases, I then find myself wanting to make yet more as it turns out so well.

In reality, I normally get distracted and so don't get round to other ideas quite so quickly, but these puff pastry cheese twists were an exception. I happened to have both leftover defrosted pastry and everything else to make them. And I was hungry so it was a bit of a no-brainer. 

My mother in law had just arrived and so these were perfect as a snack for us and my ever-curious little one. As soon as we devoured them, I wished I'd had more pastry to make a larger batch as they were that good (and everyone else agreed!)

Steps to make chorizo cheese twists

These tasty, crunchy bites are loosely based on this Bon Appetit recipe I came across, as well as the savory palmiers I have made before. They come together in just a few steps: 

• Cut the chorizo into small pieces and grate the cheese.
• Flatten the pastry, brush with egg yolk then top with part of the cheese and the chorizo.
• Fold over the pastry, brush with egg yolk and top with the rest of the cheese and a little paprika.
• Press the cheese into the pastry a little - this is important help it stay on when you twist.
• Cut the pastry in to strips, carefully pick them up and twist them up.
• Lay them on a lined baking sheet, then bake.

The twists cook up quickly and are easy to tell when they are ready as they go a lovely golden color. Thankfully, they are cool enough to eat pretty soon after, too!

Ways to adapt these twisted cheese pastries

As well as being quick and easy to make, one of the great things about these is they are easy to change up the fillings. I used gruyere and chorizo in these, but other ideas include:

• Pepperoni and a mix of pecorino and mozzarella for pizza flavored
• Manchego and Serrano ham for an even more Spanish-style combo
• You could keep it all-cheese, either just one or a blend of your favorites
• Different meats would also work - it's a great way to use up leftovers like some pulled pork, chicken or ham.

My only real suggestion is to make sure your cheese has a decent amount of flavor - remember these only have a couple ingredients so you will taste the difference. A well-flavored cheese is going to work best (and in general a firm cheese will be best too).

In fact, these are great for using leftover pastry, cheese and meats in general with many delicious options possible. You can easily make more or less depending on how much pastry you have.

You can make the twists longer if you prefer, but I have to say I find the half-sheet length easier to both twist and eat. 

These chorizo and cheese twists are so easy to make and addictively good to snack on. They'd be perfect as a game day snack, added to an appetizer table at a party or just because you're a bit hungry, as was the case for me. Whenever you have them, you'll soon find yourself wanting more soon!

Try these other tasty cheesy snacks:

• Tiropita (Greek cheese cheese-filled filo pastries)
• Gougères (French cheese puffs, like a savory choux pastry)
• Homemade cheese crackers
• Apple and cheddar cheese Yorkshire pudding
• Cheese scones (so easy and can be used in place of bread)
• Plus get more snack recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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