When you’re looking for delicious easy appetizers for a party, make these tiny bites of pastry, cranberry sauce and Kaukauna® cheese in just 15 mins!
Happy December, friends! Can you believe we’re already talking Holiday food, Holiday shopping and travel plans?! So many feelings hit me around this time of year, and probably the feeling of being overwhelmed the most.
I almost feel like food shouldn’t be part of all the Holiday stress, but I know for many of us it is! So today, I wanna talk easy appetizers. A really delicious, festive, quick and easy appetizer for a party. Because there’s enough to worry about already 🙂
Why This Easy Appetizer for a Party
First of all, we all know the concept of pastry, cheese and fruit is nothing new. However, the choice of cheese is what makes this easy appetizer a show stopper. So I’ve picked Kaukauna® Port Wine Cheese.
Do you remember another of my easy appetizers using Kaukauna®, this Rosemary Spiced Candied Pecans and Pita Chips for A Cheese Party post? Well, it’s the same great taste and even more, it’s now without any preservatives or artificial colors.
And this year Kaukauna® celebrates 100 years of quality cheese which started in Wisconsin by an Eastern European man in Kaukauna, WI. What started as a passion for cheese making quickly became a favorite by the locals and nationwide.
Today’s easy appetizer comes together in 15 mins because I used store bought puff pastry. Just roll, cut and bake. Easy and satisfying.
Cranberry sauce. Likewise, I used store bought because I didn’t have any leftover from Thanksgiving! Another substitute you can use is your favorite preserves here, think raspberry , orange marmalade or your favorite.
Kaukauna® Cheese—I picked the Port Wine which is the second best seller nationwide after the Sharp Cheddar. Both would work beautifully here!
For the final touch, I chose rosemary. It’s just festive and pairs well with the fruit and cheese combo. Similarly you can swap the herb here—like chose fresh chopped basil, thyme or even parsley if you prefer.
And now just arrange your tiny cheesy appetizer into a fun shape and serve right away! How easy is that? Specially for the Holiday season when the last thing you want to stress about is an appetizer to start off your big meal.
How to Make Easy Party Appetizers
Full Recipe Video :
Start off by baking the pastry only. This makes the pastry crispy and fluffy rather than soggy with the filling. I brush the pastry with an egg wash flavored with a pinch of salt and rosemary. This acts as a super flavor booster!
You can probably use any cutter shape you like. Since I’m using a mini muffin pan, I found the 2 inch square cutter to be ideal. I love the square shape cutter because it gives a nice ends look to my pastry.
Bake the pastry for 10-15 minutes at a high temperature oven until it puffs and becomes golden. Then allow it to cool for 5 mins and arrange the pastries on a platter.
Now simple dollop your favorite sauce and a chunk of Kaukauna® cheese on top. Finally add a touch of fresh rosemary and serve this crowd pleasing easy appetizer right away!! Enjoy!!
Tips For Easy Appetizer Recipes
Make sure your pastry is cold before baking, and likewise make sure your oven is really hot before baking the pastries. This ensures a crispy, flakey and airy pastry base.
You can bake the pastries in advance and freeze them for 2 months, then heat in a preheated 350F oven.
The assembled appetizer can be served hot or served as a cold appetizer, made the same day.
Easy Appetizer For A Party
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet thawed
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce store bought or homemade
- 1 cheese ball Kaukauna® Port Wine or Sharp Cheddar
- 2 tsp rosemary
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Roll out the puff pastry into a 1/8th of an inch thick on a floured surface and then use a 2 inch cookie cutter (square or round) and cut out 24 pieces.
- Fit the pastries in a mini muffin pan and press down the bottom to hold its shape.
- To make the egg wash, mix everything in a small bowl and brush over the pastries.
- Prick the pastry bottoms with a fork and bake right away for 10-15 minutes until puffy and golden.
- Remove the pastries from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Arrange the pastry shells on a platter in a festive shape and then dollop the cranberry sauce ( a teaspoon or so—to taste) over each pastry. Add a chunk of the Kaukauna® Cheese over the sauce and finish off with some fresh rosemary.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Make sure your pastry is cold before baking, and likewise make sure your oven is really hot before baking the pastries. This ensures a crispy, flakey and airy pastry base. You can bake the pastries in advance and freeze them for 2 months, then heat in a preheated 350F oven. The assembled appetizer can be served hot or served as a cold appetizer, made the same day.
The cranberry sauce added some bitterness which is accepted with kaukauna cheese
I liked this new taste the cranberry sauce with the kayaking cheese
I am sure this appetizer would be a big hit at the Christmas party. It looks so Christmas’y, so delicious and fun way to serve it. My kids would love it
I love discovering new cheeses, but I’ve never heard of this brand! I’ll have to check it out, because port wine cheese is so delicious. These appetizers look perfect for the holidays and for entertaining
Oh my gosh these were SO easy to make. I did a practice run because the food IS always stressful to me – I just can’t help it. But this recipe definitely takes the stress out of of the appetizers for our party – thank you!
Even if food “is” part of the holiday stress…it looks like one bite of this will make everything better, LOL! These pastry, cranberry sauce and Kaukauna® cheese look amazing and I am so glad you made a side that looks amazing AND that we can make in 15 minutes! I am in!
These are indeed easy and tasty too! I just love the combo of cheese and cranberries…these little pastry puffs look so good!