Have a Puff Pastry Straw party with bacon, cheese, and rosemary

If an encyclopedia enumerating all the possible flavours for puff pastry straws exists in the world, someone please send me one. Or at the very least point me in the direction of it!

It’s funny how much my brothers and I enjoyed this particular puff pastry straw, considering we’re not some alien species or a bunch of hermits living under a rock that has never come across the thing. But now that I think about it, we’ve only ever really eaten cinnamon puff pastry straws and all-cheese straws. Neither of them really made an impact in our minds.

And now I go and make this packed-with-everything type of puff pastry straw, and suddenly it’s a different ballgame.

Just so you know, we’ve got cheese in here, but aside from that there’s also cayenne pepper and bacon for added flavour. And if you think that’s about it, we sprinkle some brown sugar-rosemary-black pepper mix all over and ta-dah! We’ve got a Sweet Savory Puff Pastry Straws recipe of magic.

I mean, seriously? Sweet, savoury, salty, spicy, buttery– all in one? Maybe I’ll just stock up on puff pastries from now on and keep making variations of this wonderful stick of yum!

The first thing you have to love about this is how EASY it is. Pre-made puff pastry is your friend. I’ve made my own puff pastry before and considering I’m not a huge lover of croissants and flaky tarts- I like them occasionally but not religiously, you know?- I just don’t feel like it’s worth all that effort making my own puff pastry. I remember it like yesterday: I toiled away for a good part of one whole day just to make a batch of (really yummy) croissants!

So while I would advocate homemade food to every one of my readers, there are just some things you have to allow yourself to buy from the store. Puff pastry is one of them. (And phyllo is another, but I digress.)

I let my store-bought puff pastry thaw in the fridge overnight with my pack of bacon, so that everything will be ready bright and early the next day. Then all you have to do is roll it out, brush all over with an egg to create a sort of sticky surface for your spices to adhere to, then sprinkle some shredded cheese and cayenne pepper. I like to roll everything into the dough itself so the cheese doesn’t fall out everywhere. I also like to roll out my pastry into thin strips since they do puff up. The last thing you want is to have too much pastry and not enough of the other flavours. Also, that makes more straws!

My favourite part here without a doubt was twisting the straws! I think next time I’ll incorporate half of the spice-brown sugar mixture into my dough for more flavour, then the rest I will sprinkle and rub onto my pastry straws.

Another great thing about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is, so whatever procedure that suits you is fine as long as the result is the same. You can even make mini straws if you want by cutting these long ones into half. (More straws!!!) I like the straws this longer size though! Regardless of form or size, one thing is for sure: These will get gobbled up in no time! 🙂

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Sweet and Savory Loaded Puff Pastry Straws

With the cheese, bacon, cayenne, rosemary, and even brown sugar playing up the flavours for these puff pastry straws, these are in a word: scrumptious!

About 15 to 16 straws

Ingredients

• 1 400 gram sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in fridge overnight
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, depending on preference
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded (or use a mix of your favorite cheeses)
• 18 pieces of thin cut bacon, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your sheet of puff pastry until about 1/8-inch thick.
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• 2. Brush surface lightly with some of the beaten egg, then sprinkle with your desired amount of cayenne pepper. Sprinkle with cheese until the puff pastry is evenly covered. Dust a rolling pin lightly with flour and then roll over the cayenne and the cheese to gently press them into the puff pastry.
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• 3. Cut the puff pastry into long 1/2-inch-wide strips (about 15 to 16) and then place a slice of bacon on top of each strip.
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• 4. Pinch the bacon against the puff pastry with your fingers on the top and bottom of each strip, then gently twist several times until the bacon is secure inside the puff pastry and the "twisted straw" feels tight enough to hold its own shape. Repeat with the remaining bacon-topped puff pastry until everything has been shaped.
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• 5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle and rub this seasoning generously all over each twisted pastry to coat, then place on your lined baking sheet about 1/4-inch apart.
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• 6. Bake the twists for 30 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Check if bacon is cooked around the 30-minute mark, then every 5 to 10 minutes until the bacon is cooked through and pastry turns golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes on a wire rack before using a spatula to carefully lift the twists off the baking sheet. Enjoy warm!
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Notes

Adapted from Half-Baked Harvest