Puff Pastry Appetizers with Goat Cheese and Jam
Puff Pastry Appetizers with Goat Cheese and Jam are an easy app made with just three ingredients! Your guests will adore these bite-size treats.
“I made these last night for a holiday party. So easy to make and they were so good, everyone loved them. ” -Erica
When I’m in need of a quick appetizer, two options come to mind: dips and puff pastry.
Dips, like my Shrimp Dip and Easy Crab Dip, are always a hit. You just stir everything together and serve.
These Puff Pastry Appetizers with Goat Cheese and Jam aren’t much more complicated! And, the puff pastry always adds that “wow” factor—they look like they came from a bakery!
The appetizers have just three ingredients, take about 10 minutes to assemble, and take under 20 minutes to bake. Time to get the party started!
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Top tips
While these appetizers are easy to make, follow these tips to set yourself up for success:
- Leave time to defrost the puff pastry. This can be done in the refrigerator overnight, or on the countertop (follow the instructions for defrosting on the box).
- Remove the puff pastry appetizers quickly after baking. Otherwise, the jam will make them stick to the muffin tin.
- Immediately soak the muffin tin in soapy water after baking. This makes the muffin tins much easier to clean. (Or just stick them in the dishwasher like I do!)
The Three Ingredients
- Defrosted puff pastry. This takes a little bit of advance planning. Either defrost in the refrigerator overnight or leave frozen pastry on the counter for 40 minutes to defrost.
- Jam of your choice. I used a mixture of apricot and strawberry. Raspberry or peach would be delicious, too. A reader mentioned that she used green and red pepper jelly. That sounds so festive for Christmas.
- Crumbled goat cheese. You can buy a log and crumble it yourself, or buy the already crumbled variety. Blue cheese or brie would be delicious here, too!
How to Make Puff Pastry Appetizers with Goat Cheese
- Defrost the puff pastry and cut into 2×2-inch squares. I found that a pizza wheel is the quickest way to do this.
- Place the squares in a mini muffin tin. You do not need to grease the tin.
- Top each square with a dollop of jam and crumbles of goat cheese.
- Bake at 400°F for 14–18 minutes. Remove within a minute or two, and place on a platter. Enjoy the same day that you make them for the best texture.
Puff Pastry Appetizers: Frequently Asked Questions
Crumbled blue cheese or crumbled feta are good substitutes for goat cheese. You could also make them with small pieces of brie or cream cheese.
Use any variety of jam that you like. Strawberry, apricot, blackberry, cherry, fig, and orange are all be delicious with goat cheese. I used two varieties of jam (strawberry and apricot) so there would be different colors on the serving board. A reader mentioned that she used green and red pepper jelly (that sounds so festive!).
You can still make these appetizers if you don’t have a muffin tin. To do so, cut the puff pastry into 3-inch squares. Place the squares on a baking sheet. Top with a dollop of jam and a piece of goat cheese. Roll the corners of each appetizer up slightly, so prevent the cheese and jam from falling out. Bake as directed. They will obviously be more flat in appearance, but they will still be pretty and taste delicious.
Serving suggestions
These Puff Pastry Appetizers are best enjoyed the day that they are made for maximum crispiness from the puff pastry.
They can be served either warm from the oven, or at room temperature.
I love using two different varieties of jam for the same batch. The color contrast on the platter looks beautiful. Feel free to use any variety of jam that you like—any fruit jam would work wonderfully with the goat cheese.
More appetizers for your get-together:
- Cheese Log
- Mini Cucumber Sandwiches
- Ham and Cream Cheese Pinwheels
- Cheesy Sausage Balls
- Hanky Panky Appetizers
📖 Recipe
Puff Pastry Appetizers with Goat Cheese and Jam
Ingredients
- 1 piece (½ of a 17.3 oz box) puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions
- ¼ cup apricot or strawberry jam (or your favorite jam)
- 1 oz crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly flour a countertop or another flat surface. Unroll the defrosted puff pastry on top. Pat the puff pastry gently at the seams to get rid of the creases.
- Cut the puff pastry into 2×2 inch pieces (I use a pizza cutter for this). Place one square in the cup of a miniature muffin pan and push gently in the middle to form a loose cup. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Fill each cup with ½ teaspoon of jam followed by 1 teaspoon of crumbled goat cheese.
- Bake for 14–18 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Let cool for 1 minute in the pan and then remove promptly, using a knife if necessary to wiggle them free. If you let them sit any longer, some of the jam that has oozed out will harden and cause them to stick to the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Pretty good, but I think it needed more jam.
Easy fast excellent app!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them!
I made these lastnight for a holiday party. So easy to make and they were so good, everyone loved them. Thanks for posting an easy & tasty app recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that—glad you enjoyed them!
I used green and red pepper jelly with goat cheese and cream cheese. Yummy!
Sounds delicious—glad you enjoyed them!
Can I use a regular size muffin pan
Yes! Cut the dough into 3 or 4 inch squares instead. And use a little more jam and goat cheese per appetizer.
Is there an alternate way to make these if we don’t have muffin cups?
Definitely—you can just cut the puff pastry into 3-inch squares and dollop the jam on top, then top with goat cheese. Roll the corners up a bit so the toppings don’t fall out. Hope that helps!
I was looking for a recipe for goat cheese wrapped in puff pastry and this popped up. I decided to give it a try for appetizers for my daughter’s 30th birthday party. This is so easy, tasty, and impressive. I used fig jam (because I love it combined with any cheese) and strawberry habanero for the color variety. I’m wondering how this would be with diced pieces of brie. The advice to get remove them from the tins within a minute or two is excellent! And be sure to rinse or soak the tins immediately afterward for easy clean-up.
That is so great to hear—thanks, Kathy! And thanks for your helpful feedback on rinsing/soaking the tins. 🙂 I love the idea of trying it with brie!