Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C. Line a half-sheet rimmed tray with baking parchment.

Lightly dust a silicone rolling mat with flour.

Arrange puff pastry scraps on the mat, forming a rough rectangular shape.

Use your fingertips to push the pieces of dough together.

With a rolling pin, roll the pastry into one smooth, flat piece. (Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, and it’s fine if you still see some of the seams. Just make sure there aren’t any big holes or gaps!)

With a sharp knife, trim the edges to form an even rectangle, roughly 9 x 12 inches in size.

With a knife, slice the rectangle horizontally into two strips, each roughly 4 1/2 x 12 inches.

With a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of egg wash to the tops of both strips.

Sprinkle with half of the paprika, half of the chili powder, and half of the sea salt, dividing each equally between the two rectangles. Reserve remaining spices for the other side of the pastry.

Sprinkle with half of the cheese, dividing it equally between the two rectangles.

With your fingertips or a rolling pin, gently pat the cheese into the pastry.

Using your hands (and a stepped palette knife, if necessary!) flip the pastry over.

Egg wash the pastry, then sprinkle with the remaining paprika, chili powder, sea salt, and cheese.

With a sharp knife, slice the rectangles vertically into 1-inch wide strips. (Don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly precise!) You should have approximately 24 strips total.

With your hands, twist each strip into a spiral shape.

Transfer spirals to prepared tray, allowing 1/2 inch – 1 inch of space in between for the sticks to puff as they bake.

Bake twists in preheated oven, about 15-16 minutes or until flaky and deeply golden brown.

Use a spatula to transfer cheese twists to a wire rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Cheese twists are best enjoyed on the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy leftovers at room temperature, or gently rewarm for 5-10 minutes in a 350° F oven.