Looking in my freezer for some fruit to make a breakfast smoothie, my eyes caught a puff pastry box and I thought about making an appetizer for later. I had made some fresh pesto recently and wanted to make a fun snack. These Pesto Pine Nut Cheese Sticks can easily be made with store bought pesto. Puff Pastry Sheets, Shells and Cups are great to keep on hand in your freezer for quick appetizers and desserts.
Puff Pastry Sheets are what I used to make these Pesto Pine Nut Cheese Sticks an easy snack. All you do is thaw, flour, roll out and create!
These are also versatile in that you can change the flavors of the cheese sticks to suit your tastes, or for whatever is on hand in your refrigerator. These can be a savory snack and be made with many different ingredients like Boursin cheese and chopped salami, chopped ham and shredded swiss or you could go sweet like chopped walnuts and brown sugar and cinnamon or maybe Nutella and pecans. There are many ways to make this recipe your own, experiment and share with me what you come up with, too.
MY LATEST VIDEOSFor this recipe I thawed the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper, floured the rolling pin and rolled each pastry sheet to 10×12″. I next spread the pesto over the puff pastry almost to the edges and then put 1/2 cup pine nuts in a sauté pan and toasted until golden brown. Top the pesto with some shredded parmesan cheese, a pinch of red pepper flakes and then the cooled toasted pine nuts.
Using a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper, place over the pastry sheet and press the toppings into the dough. I use a pastry cutter and make 8 slices from each puff pastry sheet.
Holding each end of the dough, twist and place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. These do naturally puff up so keep an inch between them so they don’t stick together while baking. In a small bowl whisk an egg and brush over each cheese stick.
Bake in a 375°F oven for 18 minutes. I found that due to the olive oil these take a little longer then ones not with these specific ingredients. Usually these bake until golden brown after 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on these, you don’t want them burned.
Pesto Pine Nut Cheese Sticks
Ingredients
- 2 sheet Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets thawed
- 1/2 cup pesto
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper.
- Dust your rolling area, parchment paper or pastry mat with flour. Place the puff pastry on top and lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll into a 10- to 12-inch rectangle.
- Divide the pesto for each sheet and spread the pesto over each pastry sheet to the edges. Sprinkle an even layer of parmesan over the pesto and puff pastry. Divide the toasted pine nuts over each sheet. Next, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to each.
- Cover the puff pastry with a sheet of parchment paper and lightly press the toppings into the pastry.
- Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, slice each puff pastry crosswise into 8 strips. Twist each strip into a spiral and transfer to the parchment-lined pans. Be sure to leave about 1 inch of space between each strip. Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake for 18 minutes, or until the straws are puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.
This is sooo delicious!! I’ve tried it and fell in love with it!
Oh dear, these could be habit=forming!