Halloween Mummy Puff Pastry Cheese Twists
shared by Nibblore Kitchen
These crisp, savory cheese twists wear pale puff-pastry bandages and tiny olive eyes for an easy Halloween appetizer. A brief chill helps the wrapped shapes hold their definition, while vegetarian-rennet mozzarella adds a mild flavor without obscuring the mummy details. Serve them slightly warm or at room temperature on a party platter. • Keep the pastry cold throughout shaping; if it becomes soft or sticky, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before continuing. • Finely grated cheese stays inside the twists more reliably than coarsely shredded cheese and produces fewer burnt fragments on the pans. • Do not wrap the bandages tightly, because the underlying twists need room to expand in the oven. • Check both cheese labels for vegetarian rennet or microbial enzymes, as traditional hard cheese may use animal rennet. • Replace the mozzarella with an equal weight of low-moisture vegetarian-rennet provolone for a sharper flavor. • Replace the Parmesan-style cheese with an equal weight of vegetarian-rennet mature cheddar, finely grated. • Use sliced green olive rings instead of black olive rings for brighter eyes, patting them thoroughly dry first. Cool completely before storing. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, placing parchment between layers. Reheat on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 350°F (175°C) for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp and hot; avoid microwaving, which softens the pastry. Freeze baked, cooled twists in a single layer before transferring them to a freezer container for up to 1 month, then reheat from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 13 minutes.
- Total time
- 48 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
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Save to my cookbook — freeIngredients
- 1all-butter puff pastry sheet, thawed but cold, 320 g and approximately 10 x 15 inches (25 x 38 cm)
- 2 tbspall-purpose flour, for rolling and shaping
- 1egg, large
- 1 tbspwater
- 85 glow-moisture mozzarella cheese made with vegetarian rennet, finely grated
- 20 gParmesan-style hard cheese made with vegetarian rennet, finely grated
- ½ tspgarlic powder
- ½ tspdried oregano
- ⅛ tspfine sea salt
- 6pitted black olives, drained and patted dry
Instructions
- 1Line two 13 x 18-inch (33 x 46 cm) rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the water to make an egg wash. In a second bowl, combine the mozzarella, Parmesan-style cheese, garlic powder, oregano and salt.
- 2Lightly flour the work surface and unroll the cold 10 x 15-inch (25 x 38 cm) pastry sheet with a long side facing you. Cut off a 3 x 15-inch (7.5 x 38 cm) strip from the top; refrigerate this strip while preparing the twist bases. The remaining rectangle should measure approximately 7 x 15 inches (18 x 38 cm).
- 3Brush the 7 x 15-inch pastry rectangle lightly with egg wash, then distribute the cheese mixture evenly over it and press gently so it adheres. With a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut vertically into 12 strips, each approximately 7 inches long and 1 1/4 inches wide (18 x 3 cm).
- 4Working with one cheese-topped strip at a time, lift both ends and rotate them in opposite directions two full turns, keeping most of the cheese inside the folds. Place the twist on a prepared pan and gently straighten it. Repeat with the remaining strips, spacing six twists at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart on each pan.
- 5Remove the reserved pastry from the refrigerator and roll it on a lightly floured surface to approximately 4 x 16 inches (10 x 41 cm). Cut it crosswise into 48 narrow strips about 1/3 inch (8 mm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) long. Loosely wrap four strips at irregular angles around each cheese twist, overlapping some edges to resemble mummy bandages; leave a 3/4-inch (2 cm) opening near one end for the eyes. Tuck the strip ends underneath each twist so they do not unwind.
- 6Cut each olive crosswise into four rings, producing 24 rings total. Place two olive rings side by side in the exposed opening on each mummy and press them gently into the pastry. Lightly brush only the pale pastry bandages and exposed twist ends with egg wash, avoiding the olive eyes. Refrigerate both pans uncovered for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat it to 400°F (205°C).
- 7Bake both pans for 9 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and exchange their rack positions, then bake for 7 to 9 minutes more, until the twist bases are crisp and deep golden while the raised bandages are puffed and pale golden. If any olive ring shifts, carefully nudge it back into place immediately after baking.
- 8Cool the mummies on their pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool for another 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature; the exact yield is 12 mummy twists.