Bacon, Blue Cheese & Sweet Chilli Straws

Impress your guests with these gorgeous levelled-up cheese straws. Store-bought puff pastry, stuffed with crispy bacon, creamy blue cheese and sweet chilli jam, twisted and baked to perfection. These really are a super easy, crowd-pleasing party appetizer for any occasion.

There is truly nothing I love more than a good spread of party bites. And these beautiful puff pastry cheese straws are pretty special.

Cheese straws are a standard appetizer, especially around the holiday season, but I wanted to elevate them a bit. Adding bacon, blue cheese and sweet chill does exactly that. The flavours are wonderful together (hello salty, sweet, tangy, creamy) and nothing is overpowering (so I think even a blue cheese skeptic would be a fan of these!)

Plus, you can prep them ahead of time if you like. I love serving a big pile of them with extra sweet chilli, or hot honey sauce on the side, for everyone to help themselves.

Ingredients

• Puff pastry. Go for the ready-rolled puff pastry you can find at the store (either in the fridge or in the freezer section). This just makes it a lot easier and quicker as you don’t have to roll the pastry out. For the best flavour, try to find an all-butter puff pastry.
• Bacon. Free-range, streaky bacon is best here, but you can use back bacon if you like.
• Blue cheese. I like to use creamy blue cheese (this Costello blue cheese is my go-to) as I don’t love super strong blue cheese. This one is gorgeous and the perfect mix of tangy and creamy.
• Sweet chilli jam. Use sweet chilli sauce or even hot honey sauce if you prefer.

How to make them

Spread the chilli jam all over one half of your puff pastry sheet, then dollop over the blue cheese and bacon, spreading them out so the pastry is evenly covered. Fold the other side of the pastry over the filled side, and press down to seal. I like to use a rolling pin to gently roll and seal the pastry.

Brush the pastry with beaten egg, then scatter over the grated parmesan and sesame seeds. Slice across the pastry, creating inch-wide strips (I find using a pizza cutter to be the easiest way to do this). Twist the pastry strips around a couple of times, then place them on a lined baking tray, with a little space in between each straw.

Got a question?

Can the straws be made in advance?

There are three ways you can get ahead with these straws:
– Prep them, then pop them in the fridge for a couple of hours before baking.
– Prep them, then pop into the freezer for a couple of hours until solid, then transfer them to ziplock bags or containers. Bake straight from frozen, adding 5 or so minutes to the baking time.
– Or, once they’re baked, they’ll keep for about 1 week, stored in a covered container in the fridge.

Could I use different cheese?

If you’re not a blue cheese fan, swap it for grated mozzarella or cheddar.

What could I serve with the straws?

I like serving them with extra sweet chilli sauce,

Like this recipe? You might want to try more easy holiday appetizers

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.

Impress your guests with these gorgeous levelled-up cheese straws. Crispy, flaky puff pastry, stuffed with crispy bacon and creamy blue cheese, twisted and baked to perfection. They're a super easy, crowd-pleasing party appetizer, perfect for any occasion. Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins

Servings: 12 straws

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

• 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli jam
• 50 g creamy blue cheese
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Method

1. Top the puff pastry. Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Unroll your sheet of puff pastry – I tend to use the parchment paper it's wrapped in as a base. Spread the sweet chilli jam over one-half of the pastry. Crumble the blue cheese over the sweet chilli, then scatter over the bacon. Try to spread everything out as evenly as you can. Fold the uncovered side over the covered side and press gently to seal (I often use a rolling pin to help with this).
2. Twist the straws. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Brush the beaten egg all over the pastry, then scatter with the grated parmesan and the sesame seeds. Working with the shorter side, cut the pastry into strips, roughly 1 inch apart. Pick up a strip, then twist it around, about 3 times, to create your straw. Transfer the prepared tray, then repeat with the rest of the pastry strips.
3. Bake and serve. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the straws are golden and super crispy. Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with extra sweet chilli jam if you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1straw
Calories: 192kcal
Carbohydrates: 12.1g
Protein: 5.2g
Fat: 13.7g
Saturated Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 18mg
Sodium: 238mg
Fiber: 0.5g
Sugar: 1.3g

Notes

PREP AHEAD: You can twist the straws, then pop them into the fridge for a couple of hours before baking them. Or, twist the straws, then freeze them (uncovered) until solid, and transfer them to ziplock bags. You can then bake them straight from frozen (add five or so minutes onto the baking time). STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The baked straws will keep for 1 week, stored in the fridge, but they’re really best a couple of days after baking. You can heat them in the oven on low (120C/250F) for about 5 – 10 minutes if you like, but they’re great cold too. SUBSTITUTIONS: If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, you could use grated mozzarella or cheddar. Skip the bacon for a vegetarian version.