Aren’t these the cutest little appetizers you’ve ever seen? And the best part is that they look a whole lot fancier and harder to make than they are! We start with a sheet of puff pastry, so there’s no knead to make your own dough. Then we’ll roll each sheet of puff pastry and spread it with a mixture of olive oil and za’atar. Folding it over and cutting it into strips and twisting the ends to create that perfect swirl pattern. If you can make puff pastry cheese straws, you can make this. All we do is take it a step further and create a swirl with the strips to create a spiral bun! They’re a bit unexpected. When you bite into them, they’re buttery, flakey with layers of golden brown pastry. The filling is both herby and slightly tart from the sumac. And they look like you’ve purchased them from a fancy bakery! But no one needs to know that it’s just 6 ingredients and how easy they are to make. How great would these be for parties on their own or as decor for a cheese board?
Ingredients for puff pastry twists
2 Sheets Puff Pastry Dough: I like to purchase all butter puff pastry if possible. I love the pastry sheets from Trader Joe’s and often stash them in the freezer for quick appetizers and desserts. You can also use other brands of puff pastry. Just be sure to follow the directions on the packaging on how to defrost them before preparing. They typically need a few hours on the counter or thawing in the refrigerator overnight.Za’atar Seasoning: Za’atar is a seasoning dried herb blend made with ingredients like thyme, sumac, cumin, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds. It’s a blend that’s now easily available in many mainstream grocery stores. I usually buy mine from a middle eastern grocery store that makes it fresh in house, but don’t worry, I’m also working on a recipe!Olive Oil: You’ll want to use a good quality olive oil for this recipe. We’ll mix the za’atar and olive oil together to create a thick paste that we’ll dollop and spread on the puff pastry before slicing the pastry sheet and creating the twist.Flour + kosher salt: You’ll need some flour to roll out the puff pastry sheets with a rolling pin. I also like to add a sprinkle of kosher salt to the za’atar seasoning blend because mine didn’t contain any sodium. Feel free to also add a dash of cayenne or Aleppo pepper if you like things a little spicy!An egg: We’ll create an egg wash with a teaspoon of water and brush this on top of the pastry twists so that they bake up nice and golden in the oven.Sesame Seeds: I like to sprinkle the tops with additional sesame seeds because it looks so inviting that way! This is optional though, it’s really just for decor!
Instructions on how to make puff pastry twists
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Gruyere Caramelized Onion Pastry BitesHot Honey Cranberry Goat Cheese BallsLebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas)Cranberry Brie in Puff PastryGreek Spinach Puffs
