Bethany's Vegan Kitchen

Are you planning a party or gathering over the festive and new year period? These cheesy, flaky puff pastry straws would be perfect to serve. Or make them, don’t share them and keep them for yourself, both ways work

If you’re in the UK I definitely recommend using Applewoods vegan smoked cheddar. It’s the best cheese I’ve tried so far and is available to buy from ASDA. If that’s not an option, just use your favourite melty vegan cheese

Yield; 25 straws Cook time; 15 minutes

You’ll need;

1. One 375g/13oz pack of pre-rolled puff pastry, I used Tesco’s own brand
2. A few tablespoons of plant milk
3. 100g/3.5oz of grated dairy free cheese
4. One quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
5. A pinch of salt
6. Some plain flour for dusting your hands with

Method;

• Allow the pastry to come to room temperature before unrolling it. Once you’ve unrolled it, brush some plant milk over half of the pastry
• Place the grated cheese over the pastry, try to get it as evenly distributed as you can. Then sprinkle over the cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt
  
• Brush more milk on the other side of the pastry, then fold it over the half with the cheese, as if closing a book. Use a rolling pin to securely press the two sides together. I wanted shorter smaller cheese straws, which is why I did it this way. If you want longer cheese straws, start with the longest side of the pastry facing you, then cover either the left or right side with the fold being vertical rather than horizontal
• Now you’re ready to slice the pastry into pieces, I got about 25 out of this. Then dust your hands with flour and gently twist each piece. If you’re finding them too soft to handle, just put the pastry into the fridge for 10 minutes to firm back up. This will make them firmer and easier to work with
  
• Then just brush them with little more milk, pop them on a couple of lined baking trays, and bake at 220°C/200°C fan assisted/400°F for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown
• Once baked take them out of the oven, give them ten minutes to cool before transferring to a cooling tray