These easy, homemade puff pastry mini cheese rolls come together very quickly. They are like sausage rolls but made with a delicious cheese filling that makes a great little addition to the finger snack buffet.
This particular recipe was inspired by the mini cheese rolls or cheese puffs that are sold by Todays and Woolworths South Africa. At Woolies, you can buy the baked cheese puffs from the pie and rotisserie chicken counter, and they now also sell a box of frozen cheese puffs.
Mini cheese rolls and mini sausage rolls have long been part of the "finger food" buffet in my house growing up. And there is something super more-ish about a cheese roll. The idea to mimic these little tasty cheese bombs has been rattling around in my head for quite some time now!
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Reverse Engineering This Recipe
I started with reading the ingredients on both the Today's Mini Cheese Rolls and the Woolie's Cheese Puffs. They were both very similar, but what surprised me is that there was only 5% cheese in the Today's rolls and 15% cheese in the Woolies puffs.
The main ingredients (being those in a larger quantity) were water and milk. Which immediately made me think that some sort of thick roux/cheese sauce must be what gives these rolls their creamy flavour.
So my first rendition of the recipe started with making a roux using 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, 250ml of milk, 40 grams of cheese, salt and pepper. Then I added more flour during the cooking process to make the sauce thicker. Popped the cooled sauce onto the Puff Pastry and baked it off.
It was okay. It wasn't creamy. So while laying in bed I thought to myself - lets up the cheese content and make a filling that doesn't need to be cooked and cooled before being placed in the puff pastry. Which lead me to this final rendition!
Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe. Please see the recipe card for quantities.
- Ready Rolled Puff Pastry - I used Edmond's puff pastry, which I find is the superior puff pastry in New Zealand. In South Africa, I probably would have bought Woolies or even Today's Puff Pastry.
- Cheddar cheese - I used Tasty cheese which is New Zealand's everyday answer to a mature cheddar. I am fairly certain that a cheese-like Edam, a Gouda or maybe even a low-water content mozzarella would work in this instance. But I was looking for maximum cheese flavour.
- Butter to add a little richness to the puff.
- Flour, eggs and milk to bring everything together, and to thicken the filling during the baking.
- Cream cheese to add a little creaminess to the filling.
- Salt and pepper for seasoning.
Weighing Ingredients
Weighing Ingredients
Weighing ingredients is more accurate than measuring cups overall, and this is my recommendation for my recipes as they are all developed and tested using grams only. However, I have activated the US customary conversions on the recipe card, these are based on generally accepted conversions. Cups are equal to 236mL/ 8 fluid ounces, tablespoons are 15mL and teaspoons are 5mL.
Measuring cups and spoons are an essential addition to every kitchen! Especially if you don't use a kitchen scale. Invest in a set to ensure you add the correct ingredients for accurate measuring. When in doubt - always use a level spoon or cup measure.
How to Make Mini Cheese Rolls
Step 1 - Allow the eggs, cream cheese and milk to come to room temperature. Zapping the cream cheese in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time will help it soften quicker.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 170°C/340F. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
Step 3 - Melt the butter either in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Add in the flour and milk and whisk to combine.
Step 4 - Add the two eggs, salt, pepper and cream cheese to the butter mixture and whisk to combine.
Step 5 - Fold the grated cheese into the mixture. Set aside.
Step 6 - To make the mini cheese rolls, the puff pastry must be cut into lengths (which measure in total about 95cm long) about 12cm wide. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork.
Step 7 - Place the filling in the centre of the length, about 3cm wide and 1.5-2cm high.
Step 8 - Brush one side of the long edge of the pastry with milk, water or a beaten egg about 2cm wide. Fold the pastry over the cheese filling and press the long edges together. Using a fork, crimp the edges together. Then using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into mini rolls, about 4cm wide.
Step 9 - Place the mini rolls onto the prepared baking trays, brush the tops with a beaten egg and bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is a nice golden brown.
Step 10 - Allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving. These pair really well with mustard, sweet chilli sauce or even a really good tomato sauce.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
Want a mini cheese and onion roll? Finely dice and sauté half an onion, allow to cool and fold into the filling with the cheese in step 5.
Want to make these mini cheese rolls ahead of an event? Follow the instructions up to step 8, then place the cheese rolls into the fridge covered with cling film and plastic wrap the day before. Bake off just before the event!
Ovens
Fan-forced or fan-assisted oven temperature must be decreased by 20°C/25F. Use an oven thermometer to determine the accuracy of your oven dial.
Storage and Freezing
Baked sausage rolls will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
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Other South African Recipes to Try
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📋 Recipe
Mini Cheese Rolls
Equipment
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Mini Cheese Rolls
- 60 grams butter
- 80 grams flour
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 large eggs
- 75 grams cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black or white pepper
- 120 grams cheddar cheese grated
- 300 grams ready rolled puff pastry
- 1 large egg beaten for pastry wash
Instructions
- Step 1 - Allow the eggs, cream cheese and milk to come to room temperature. Zapping the cream cheese in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time will help it soften quicker.2 large eggs, 75 grams cream cheese, 2 tablespoons milk
- Preheat oven to 170°C/340F. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
- Melt the butter either in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Add in the flour and milk and whisk to combine.60 grams butter, 80 grams flour
- Add the two eggs, salt, pepper and cream cheese to the butter mixture and whisk to combine.2 large eggs, 75 grams cream cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black or white pepper
- Fold the grated cheese into the mixture. Set aside.120 grams cheddar cheese
- To make the mini cheese rolls, the puff pastry must be cut into lengths (which measure in total about 95cm long) about 12cm wide. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork.300 grams ready rolled puff pastry
- Place the filling in the centre of the length, about 3cm wide and 1.5-2cm high.
- Brush one side of the long edge of the pastry the beaten egg about 2cm wide. Fold the pastry over the cheese filling and press the long edges together. Using a fork, crimp the edges together. Then using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into mini rolls, about 4cm wide.1 large egg
- Place the mini rolls onto the prepared baking trays, brush the tops with a beaten egg and bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is a nice golden brown.
- Allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving. These pair really well with mustard, sweet chilli sauce or even a really good tomato sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly.
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