Cheese rolled inside a short dough and fried until golden, with a sliver of guava paste or dulce de leche alongside it if you want. About twelve, and they are gone in minutes.
The cheese decides everything
The recipe asks for solid cheese, which is a literal translation and not much help. What it needs is a firm, low-moisture cheese that softens without running.
- Queso costeño is the Colombian answer: salty, dry, holds its shape.
- Halloumi behaves almost identically and is easier to find abroad.
- Firm low-moisture mozzarella, the block kind rather than the ball in water, works well.
- Fresh mozzarella in brine will flood the pan. So will most soft cheeses.
Sealing is the whole battle
Any gap and the cheese finds it. It escapes into the oil, burns on the bottom of the pan and leaves you with a hollow tube of fried dough.
Press the seam firmly along its length and pinch both ends closed. If the kitchen is warm and the dough has gone soft, put the finished sticks in the fridge for ten minutes before they go into the oil: cold dough holds its seal much better.
Oil temperature
About 175°C. Hot enough that the dough seals on contact, not so hot that it colours before the cheese inside has softened.
Too cool and the dough absorbs oil and goes heavy. A scrap of dough dropped in should sizzle steadily and rise within a few seconds.
Guava paste and cheese
Sweet and salty together is a standard Colombian pairing, not an experiment. Bocadillo with fresh cheese is eaten as a snack all over the country, and it turns up in pandeyuca, in pastries, and here.
A thin sliver per stick is plenty. Guava paste is very sweet and melts to a syrup in the heat, so more of it makes the sticks leak.
More fried things
- Cassava croquettes — also stuffed with cheese.
- Buñuelos — cheese dough, fried in balls.
- Empanadas — the other thing that must be sealed properly.
- Cheese bread — the baked version.
Cheese Sticks FAQ
A firm, low-moisture cheese that softens without running: queso costeño, halloumi, or block mozzarella rather than the fresh kind in water. Soft cheeses melt too readily and escape into the oil, leaving the stick hollow.
The seal gave way. Press the seam along its whole length and pinch both ends shut, and if the dough has gone soft in a warm kitchen, chill the finished sticks for ten minutes before frying. Cold dough holds its seal far better.
About 175°C. Hot enough for the dough to seal on contact but not so hot that it browns before the cheese softens. A scrap of dough should sizzle steadily and float up within a few seconds.
No, but it is what makes this version Colombian. Sweet and salty together is a standard pairing there. Use a thin sliver: guava paste melts to syrup and too much of it will make the sticks leak.
You can, at around 200°C for 15 minutes, and they will be lighter but noticeably drier and paler. The dough in this recipe has enough butter to work either way.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 250 g firm cheese (low moisture: queso costeño, halloumi or firm mozzarella. Soft cheese runs out during frying)
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 75 g butter (cold and cubed, for the breadcrumb texture)
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Guava paste or dulce de leche (optional; a thin sliver per stick is plenty)
Notas
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and the cubed cold butter. Rub it together with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add the beaten egg and the water and knead until you have a firm dough. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.
- Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the cheese into sticks about 1 cm thick and 10 cm long.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about 30 cm long and 5 mm thick.
- With a pizza cutter or a knife, cut strips about 2 cm wide.
- Put a piece of cheese at one end of each strip, and a thin sliver of guava paste or dulce de leche alongside it if you want.
- Roll it up tightly, making sure the edges are sealed all the way round.
- Repeat until the dough and the cheese are used up.
- Fry in plenty of oil at about 175°C until golden. Sealed properly, the cheese softens inside without escaping.
- Serve with pink sauce, tomato sauce or avocado sauce.
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