Goat cheese puff pastry with cranberries is an easy holiday appetizer made with just 3 ingredients and is baked in less than 20 minutes! Your guests will love this delicious bite that taste super fancy but is a no-fuss holiday snack recipe.
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When I'm thinking of easy holiday appetizers it's usually a dip (like buffalo chicken dip) or a tasty little popper like this yummy goat cheese puff pastry.
There is just something about puff pastry and entertaining. It instantly elevates a recipe to a whole level of fanciness without much work. Who doesn't love gooey cheese wrapped in a carb??
Just take my puff pastry quiche recipe for example. Super fancy with just a simple switch from pie crust.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the perfect time to add this goat cheese puff pastry to your holiday table!
What Makes This Recipe Work
- Simple ingredients: You only need 3 ingredients to make these ! It's made with a pre-made log and no cream cheese or ricotta.
- Quick & fast: Assembly only takes about 10 minutes and they bake for 20 minutes.
- Customizable: You can use whatever goat cheese log you find (blueberry, pear, peach, apple, fig, honey, date or even spinach, garlic and herb for a savory version.)
- Perfect for any occasion: This puff pastry appetizer recipe is a fancy and elegant yet super easy appetizer for holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's or Easter. Also great for parties like birthdays, baby showers, or outdoor picnics.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Puff Pastry: You can find this in basically any grocery store, in the freezer section. Make sure you defrost it prior to assembling. Trader Joe's puff pastry is one of my favorites.
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Log: you can find these at Aldi, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and many other grocers.
- Egg: Not required but highly recommended to create a golden brown, crispy outside crust.
How to Make This Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
- Begin by cutting defrosted pastry with a pizza cutter to create 12 even squares.
- Spray a muffin tin VERY WELL with cooking spray or use muffin liners.
- Using dental floss, evenly cut 12 pieces of cheese and place each one in a square of puff pastry.
- Gently pull up sides to close the puff and brush and egg wash on each one prior to baking at 350F for approximately 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Expert Tips
- Grease the muffin tin: The goat cheese puff pastry tend to stick so you want to use caution when preparing your muffin tin. Spray your muffin tin VERY well or use sprayed muffin tin liners. Try loosening the puffs with a butter knife to easily remove from the muffin tin.
- How to cut a goat cheese log: Use dental floss to cut your cheese log. This will help you to make even, clean slices.
- Assembly tips: Assemble the appetizers either in or out of the muffin tin. I assembled my appetizers in the pan but you may also choose to assemble them outside of the pan and place them in once assembled.
- Use up the extra cranberries: When you slice the cheese log, some of the cranberries may fall off. I topped my wrapped puff pastry with the extra cranberries.
- Serving tips: These appetizers can be served hot from the oven or at room temperature. I've found both to be incredibly delicious!
- Make ahead directions: The best way to make these ahead is to make them and then freeze them. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Do not make ahead and refrigerate, as the dough will get soggy.
- If you do not have a muffin tin, you can make these on a sheet pan. However, they may not hold their puff shape as well but will still be equally as delicious.
- Not a fan of goat cheese? Any soft cheese like brie, blue cheese or feta would work, you may just have to purchase the cranberries or other fruit separately and mix them together.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, rather than making individual tartlets, roll puff pastry out into one long rectangle. From there, place slices of goat cheese across the pastry, length-wise into one long row at the end. Roll the puff pastry up and use dental floss to cut into pinwheels. Brush on egg wash and bake on a baking sheet as per recipe time and temperature.
Yes. You can use savory ingredients such as spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, caramelized onion, pesto, bacon or prosciutto, or herbs and plain goat cheese.
Goat cheese gets soft in the oven, similar to a brie. It does not totally melt like gruyere or Mozzarella.
Related Recipes
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Goat Cheese Puff Pastry with Cranberries
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin
- coconut oil spray
Ingredients
- 1 log cranberry goat cheese
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 1 egg whisked
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a muffin tin VERY well with coconut oil spray or line with muffin liners and spray with coconut oil spray.
- Cut thawed pastry into 12 equal squares. Cut cheese log into 12 equal pieces using dental floss.
- Place one disk of cheese in each square. Fold up sides around cheese and place into prepared muffin tin.
- Brush tops with egg wash for a golden brown.
- Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Can be served hot from the oven or at room temperature.
Notes
- Grease the muffin tin: The puffs tend to stick so you want to use caution when preparing your muffin tin. Spray your muffin tin VERY well or use sprayed muffin tin liners. Try loosening the puffs with a butter knife to easily remove from the muffin tin.
- How to cut a goat cheese log: Use dental floss to cut your cheese log. This will help you to make even, clean slices.
- Assembly tips: Assemble the appetizers either in or out of the muffin tin. I assembled my appetizers in the pan but you may also choose to assemble them outside of the pan and place them in once assembled.
- Use up the extra cranberries: When you slice the cheese log, some of the cranberries may fall off. I topped my wrapped puff pastry with the extra cranberries.
- Serving tips: These appetizers can be served hot from the oven or at room temperature. I've found both to be incredibly delicious!
- Make ahead directions: The best way to make these ahead is to make them and then freeze them. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Do not make ahead and refrigerate, as the dough will get soggy.
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