How to make puff pastry appetizers

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Puff pastry is so versatile. You can cut puff pastry into pretty much any shape or size and fill them with an endless variety of sweet and savoury fillings. Once you have done the work of getting the puff pastry made and ready, the appetizers come together in no time at all!

One of the most important things, at any party or gathering, is the food. Who doesn’t love a great spread of food to snack on all night? Even better, bite-sized appetizers and finger foods are perfect for a casual party, when a sit-down meal will not be served.

Puff pastry appetizers are great to serve for Christmas, thanksgiving, and New Year’s when you have more family and friends stopping by.

Puff Pastry Appetizer Ideas

I have included, at the bottom of the post, recipes for Brie and honey bites, Brie with red pepper jelly or fig jam, Pigs in a Blanket, Mini Quiche, Spicy Chicken and Cheese Tartlets, and Balsamic Tomato and Feta bites.

Helpful hints and words you should know for making puff pastry

Détrampe – This is the main bread dough.

Beurrage – This is the butter layer that you will be folding inside of the détrampe.

Take your time- It takes a few days to make really good puff pastry.

Use butter– The best puff pastry, in my opinion, is made with a high-fat butter. Anything low-fat will not make the best puff pastry.

Chill the dough and butter- When rolling out the dough, you need it to be chilled. Soft butter, it will ooze out everywhere when you are trying to get it to layer in between the dough.

Proofing your puff pastry- The final step, before baking, is to proof the dough. It is important to give your pastry enough time to rise. The temperature of your environment can make the proofing time vary quite a bit. It it a good idea to go by look, not just time alone. Your pastry should almost double in size.

Egg wash– This makes a difference on the glossy golden-brown on the outside of your pastry. I have made it with, and without, an egg wash. If you want that nice golden brown, glossy, bakery fresh look, you need to use an egg wash.

Have Fun- Once you are comfortable with the basic process of puff pastry, have fun with different variations you and your family might like. There are so many sweet and savory fillings!

Can you make puff pastry appetizers ahead of time?

Yes! Puff pastry should be made at least a day before you want to use it. That way you have time for all the folds and turns.

If you are making a filling that needs to be cooked or mixed together, make that in advance as well. Store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Assembling puff pastry appetizers ahead of time.

You can also fully assemble the appetizers. Store them in the refrigerator, on your baking sheet. You can allow the pastry to rise a few hours or overnight. The cold environment will slow down the time needed to proof the dough.

Freezing puff pastry appetizers

To freeze fully baked puff pastry appetizers for later use, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze them for 2-3 hours. Then move the appetizers to a freezer bag or air-tight container and store in the freezer for 3-4 months.

When you are ready to reheat your puff pastry appetizers, remove from the freezer and place in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 8-10 minutes, or until warmed through and golden brown. The time depends on the size of the appetizer.

The best way to reheat puff pastry is either in the oven or an air fryer. That will give the pastries that nice golden crunch.

Getting Started

To get started we need to make the dough. You can make homemade puff pastry or buy store bought for these recipes. To make homemade, follow the recipe below!

Puff Pastry Ingredients

Détrampe

1½ cups room temperature water

2 Tablespoons dry milk powder

¼ cup sugar

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3½ cups all-purpose (or pastry) flour

3 tablespoons butter, softened

Beurrage

1¼ cups butter

Egg Wash

1 egg

Method

1. In the bowl of the stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, place the warm water, milk powder, and sugar. Mix to dissolved the powder and the sugar. (If you don’t have milk powder use half milk and half water for the liquid ingredients. This is 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup milk)
2. Add the yeast, by sprinkling it evenly over top of the water mixture.
3. Wait a few minutes and the yeast should become foamy on top. (I always do this step, because I am used to it. However, I recently learned it is not necessary to do this with yeast.)
4. Add the salt and the flour. Mix with the dough hook, until a smooth dough forms.
5. Add in the butter. Mix. It will seem like it will not come together, but it will. Mix a few minutes to form a smooth dough. (I alternate between the slowest speed of my mixer, to one or two speeds up to mix the dough fully.) It should not take longer than 5 minutes.
6. Cover and let the dough rest 30 mins.
7. Onto a rectangular cookie sheet, lined with cling film,(or parchment paper) spread the dough out, with your hands, to form a rectangle. Cover and let rise on the counter for 1½ hours.
8. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
9. Meanwhile you can prepare your beurrage. Using softened butter, form the butter into a square. (I place cling-film inside of a 8-in. square casserole dish and squish the butter out evenly into the dish to form the square.
10. Place the butter in the refrigerator. Be sure to pull it out 10 minutes before you are ready to roll it with your détrempe. This way they will both be the perfect consistency for easier rolling.

The First Roll

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll it into a square, slightly bigger than your beurrage.
2. Place your, slightly less chilled, beurrage in the centre of the dough square, but turned so it is in a diamond shape.
3. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter layer and press to seal it in.
4. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. (It should be about three times the width of the cookie sheet you are resting it on.)
5. Fold the dough into thirds. (This will give you three laminated layers of butter and dough. Place back onto the cookie sheet. (It should fit the dimensions perfectly if you rolled it out enough) Cover and place back into the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

All subsequent folds

1. Remove from the refrigerator and roll out in the opposite direction from your previous roll.
2. Roll into a long rectangle. (About three or four times the width of your cookie sheet.)
3. Fold the dough into thirds or fourths and place, covered, back into the refrigerator 4-8 hours. ( I have left mine for 12-16 hours in the refrigerator and it has been completely fine, the time is just a guideline)
4. Make 1-2 more roll and folds, as above.

Final Roll and baking

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a very large rectangle. (Approximately 18 inches tall and about the same length you had been rolling the dough for the folds) It is not necessary to measure it.
2. Cut the dough into the shapes you would like for your appetizers.
3. Set the shapes aside on a lined baking sheet to rise, while you prepare the fillings for your appetizers.
4. Fill the puff pastry with your fillings of choice.
5. Allow the pastries to rise 1-2 hours, or until doubled in volume.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degree F (190 degrees C).
7. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg in a small bowl with a fork. Brush the egg wash onto the appetizers, if desired, for a nice golden crust. (Optional)
8. Bake the appetizers 10-12 minutes, or until golden. (The time will vary depending on how big you have made your appetizers.)
9. Cool slightly and serve!

Fillings

Now that you have made your puff pastry, it’s time to make the filling! These are just some ideas, please feel free to experiment with your favourite ingredients.

Brie with Honey and Rosemary

Ingredients For Brie and honey bites

1 recipe for puff pastry

1 wheel of Brie Cheese

Honey

Fresh rosemary (optional)

Method

1. Cut your pastry into 1 – 1½-in. squares.
2. Cut 3 diagonal slices in the centre of half of the squares. (This will be the top of the Brie bites)
3. Cut chunks of Brie. (Slightly smaller than the squares of pastry so you can still seal the edges.)
4. Place the cheese in the centre of the squares of pastry and drizzles ½ tsp of honey overtop.
5. Add a few leaves of fresh rosemary.
6. Brush the sides of the pastry with egg wash, as well as the top squares with the diagonal cuts.
7. Place the squares with the diagonal cuts on top of the squares with the cheese, honey, and rosemary. Put the egg wash sides together.
8. Press lightly to seal.
9. Set aside to rise 1-2 hours, or until about doubled in size.
10. Brush the top with egg wash, if desired.
11. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.
12. Cool slightly and serve!

*Note – A great alternative is Brie with red pepper jelly or fig jam. Follow the steps above but replace the honey with red pepper jelly or fig jam, and omit the rosemary.

Pigs in a Blanket

Ingredients for Pigs in a Blanket

1 recipe for puff pastry

cocktail wieners or cut hotdogs

Method

1. Cut a strip of puff pastry the same width as the length of your cocktail wieners. Alternatively, you can cut a regular hotdog in thirds.
2. Roll the hotdog in the puff pastry until it is fully covered. Cut the puff pastry and seal the seams together around the hotdog.
3. Repeat with the remaining hotdogs or wieners.
4. Place the appetizers on a lined baking sheet and allow to rise 1-2 hours, or until about doubled in size.
5. Brush the top with egg wash.
6. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.
7. Cool slightly and serve!

Mini Quiche or Egg Cups

Ingredients for Mini Quiche or egg cups

1 recipe of puff pastry

Eggs

cream

salt and papper

Cheese of choice (I used sharp cheddar)

Sliced ham (or filling of choice)

Method

1. Line the inside of muffin cups with puff pastry.
2. In a bowl, whisk eggs and cream, salt and pepper to taste. (For every 4 eggs add 1/2 cup of cream.)
3. Half fill the pastry with cheese and the cut pieces of ham.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the cups until it is about 2 cm away from the top.
5. Set aside and allow to rise 1 hour.
6. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the egg is set. (The time will depend on how big and how much filling is in each cup.)
7. Cool slightly and serve!

Spicy Chicken and Cheese Tartlets

Ingredients for Spicy Chicken and Cheese Tartlets

1 recipe for puff pastry

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

4oz (125 g) cream cheese (half of a brick of cream cheese)

¼ cup sour cream, softened

1-2 Tablespoons hot sauce

½  teaspoon garlic powder

½  cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients, except for the shredded cheese.
2. Line a muffin tin with the puff pastry dough.
3. Mound the filling into the tarts.
4. Sprinkle the cheese over top.
5. Set aside to rise 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
8. Cool slightly and serve.

Balsamic Tomato and Feta Bites

Ingredients for Balsamic Tomato and Feta Bites

1 recipe for puff pastry

2 cups chopped tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

1 cup feta cheese

Method

1. Chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic.
2. Over medium-high heat, fry in a pan to soften and reduce down. Or you can place your skillet in a preheated 400 degree F (200 degree C) oven for 20-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut your pastry into 1-2 bite-sized squares. Place them on a lined baking sheet.
4. When the tomato mixture is ready drizzle over top the balsamic vinegar.
5. Place a spoonful of the mixture into the centre of the puff pastry square.
6. Set aside to rise 1-2 hours or until about doubled.
7. Place some crumbled feta cheese on top of each pastry.
8. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.
9. Cool slightly and serve!

Looking for more appetizers? These would pair perfectly with some finger foods! How to make Baked Brie, How To Make Simple Chocolate Fondue,  How to make a Cheese Fondue 

What are you going to fill your puff pastry appetizers with?! Let me know if you have any more great filling ideas!