This is such a simple recipe, and the best part is how easy you can customize it. Puff pastry, goat cheese, jam or preserves of choice, and a garnish. Thats it! We’ll give you tons of options to customize this easy goat cheese & puff pastry appetizer. My favorite part is that it only takes about 20 minutes total.
Goat Cheese & Puff Pastry Recipe
I purchased all of my ingredients at Trader Joes’, but you can find these ingredients at any traditional grocery store. The combination of goat cheese & puff pastry is such a winner! The rich but tart goat cheese, on pillowy puff pastry melts in your mouth. Add about a teaspoon of your favorite preserves, and a nut or herb to garnish, and you just made the best 3 ingredient appetizer.
You can easily modify this recipe. Cut small squares, large squares, or make it like a full size tart and your guests can cut squares themselves.
Ingredients Needed:
- Puff Pastry
- I used one sheet, from a package of two.
- Goat Cheese
- I purchase mine at Trader Joes but you can find it in the cheese or deli aisle at most grocery stores.
- Preserves
- Use any flavor you like. I used guava jam in the photos.
- Garnish
- Top it off with something pretty! To go with my guava goat cheese tarts, I used chopped macadamia nuts. Consider fresh herbs, dried herbs, nuts, or freeze dried fruit.
Making Appetizers with Puff Pastry & Goat Cheese
These only take a little bit of time to put together!
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Cut your puff pastry into your desired shape.
- Add a plat of goat cheese, topped with preserves or jam of choice.
- Use a fork to pinch the exterior (this will keep the cheese and preserves from melting off of them), creating a pattern around the exterior.
- Brush with egg wash, and bake.
- After about 15-20 minutes, the puff pastry will be golden brown, and the cheese & jam gooey and delicious. Yummmm.
- Garnish, and enjoy.
I have served these on big fancy platters, but honestly? A piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and an abundance of appetizers is severely underrated and looks just as clean and cute!
Tips, Storage, & Variations
This is a super straight forward, simple appetizer recipe, but there’s a few tips that will make this one foolproof.
Tips
- Puff pastry usually comes frozen. Make sure you allow enough time for it to thaw on the counter.
- You can speed up the thawing process by placing the puff pastry in the sun for about 20 minutes. Ask me how I know.
- Don’t try to microwave puff pastry to make it thaw faster. It melts the butter which impacts the quality of it as it bakes.
- Don’t skip the fork pinching of the edges. These light edges help create a well as the puff pastry bakes.
- Make sure the puff pastry is golden brown before pulling it from the oven. It may need a few extra minutes beyond the recommended cooking time depending on your oven.
Storage & Reheating:
If you have leftovers (a rarity at my house with these!), simply store them in the refrigerator in a lidded container for up to 3 days. If you want to reheat them, I recommend air frying them for about 2 minutes on the reheat setting. They tend to get a little soggy in the microwave.
Variations
There are so many variations to this puff pastry appetizer recipe, you can make it a plethora of different ways for any occasion, really. The thing that makes these taste so good is the combination of tart cheese, and preserves, so sticking to that theme for our recommendations!
- Base: Puff Pastry, this will stay consistent for this recipe.
- Cheese: You could also use a Boursin style cheese of any flavor. Cream cheese would also work.
- Jam/Preserves: Strawberry, blackberry, apricot, fig, guava, lemon curd, orange marmalade, pineapple jam, you name it, the sweetness of jam compliments the tartness of cheese so well. That’s why it’s on charcuterie plates! You could even skip the jam and drizzle with honey, or even add a piece of honey comb.
- Garnish: Fresh herbs give so much flavor and color. Fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, basil, parsley and tarragon are great. You could also use candied nuts. Lemon zest, lime zest, or even pomegranate seeds would be great as well.
Combination Ideas: If you’re sticking with the puff pastry and goat cheese, here’s some more ideas.
- Blackberry preserves & thyme garnish
- Guava jam & macadamia nut preserves
- Strawberry jam & fresh basil garnish
- Lemon curd & fresh thyme garnish
- Orange marmalade & candied almonds
- Pineapple jam & toasted coconut
More Appetizer Recipes:
- Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
- Asparagus Tart on Puff Pastry
- Best Appetizers for Fall
- Best Holiday Appetizers
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula,while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
Enjoy! – Kathi and Rachel
Puff Pastry Goat Cheese Appetizer with Jam
Equipment
- 1 18x26 inch sheet pan
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 5 oz goat cheese
- 1/4 cup jam of choice
- garnish of choice (fresh herbs, nuts, etc)
- pinch sea salt
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Line an 18x26 inch sheet pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together egg wash, and set aside.
- Cut puff pastry into 2 inch by 3 inch rectangles. Pinch all exterior edges with a fork. Brush exterior edges with egg wash mixture using pastry brush.
- Add about 2 teaspoons of goat cheese, followed by 2 teaspoons of preserves.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for minutes before garnishing and serving.
- Top with chosen garnish as desired, and enjoy!
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