Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Nibbles

Ham and cheese puff pastry nibbles have been my party’s easy appetizers for many years.

It’s always a perfect hit with everyone. There is no occasion that I do not make them.

And with Christmas and New Year’s Eve at our doorsteps, this recipe is the perfect party food.

I love little finger food that does not require a fork, spoon, or knife to enjoy it. Not being that ambidextrous, sooner or later, something will fly off my plate or a drink will spell.

I am that friend who cannot talk, walk, eat, and drink simultaneously.

These cute pastry nibbles are the perfect candidate for the job. May they sit pretty on a small plate or in the palm of your hand. I guarantee you will not have a mess, everyone.

In this Article

What is Puff Pastry, and how do you use it?

Puff pastry is a light and flaky pastry made by alternating layers of butter and dough. The only ingredients used are butter, salt, water, and flour. No leavening agents are required.

Puff pastry is light, golden, and crisp but not usually sweetened.

Preparing it at home is a lengthy and complicated process.

It involves wrapping a cold block of butter in the dough, rolling it out, folding it over, and repeating this folding and rolling process until you are left with hundreds of layers of pastry.

Not to mention that the dough needs to be chilled between each turn of rolling and folding.

So thankful that we can find the puff pastry already made at our supermarkets.

The magic happens when you place the puff pastry in the hot oven. The liquid in both the butter and the dough evaporated, which allowed the layers to puff.

The butter melts and gives it that golden color and crispy texture.

How to store Puff Pastry

Store-bought puff pastry is recommended to keep in the freezer until ready to be used. Follow the packaging thawing instructions on the box.

Be sure to wrap any unused portion of pastry tightly in plastic wrap.

Baking tips and step-by-step instructions to make this fantastic Holiday party snack

Have all the ingredients at room temperature before assembling the ham puff pastry.

• Preheat the oven and line your cookie sheet with Silpat of parchment paper to prevent any sticking to your sheet.
• On a flowered surface, roll out the puff pastry. It has to double in size and be evenly thin.
• cut the puff pastry into strips between 3/12 to 4-inch strips wide.
• Slice the ham into 3 even lengthwise strips.

Now, on to assembling the puff pastry:

• Spread the soft cream cheese on the puff pastry with the help of a spatula, leaving 1/4 inch space on the outer edge, and add the cooked ham over the cream cheese.
• Gently start rolling the puff pastry, ensuring that the ham stays tucked in, and roll until you reach 1/4 of the puff pastry.
• With your fingers or brush with water and seal gently by pressing down the edges.
• Roll the sealed edge under and, with a sharp chef’s knife, cut into one to one-and-a-half-inch pieces. Place each piece on a baking sheet leaving some room between nibbles.
• With the help of a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg over the nibbles and put them in the oven.
• Bake until the top is nicely golden and they have puffed up.
• Remove from the oven and let them rest before enjoying them.

Can you make this ahead of time?

One of my favorite parts of this appetizer is that you can make it the day before, bring it back to room temperature, and put it back in the hot oven for a couple of minutes to give it that crunch again.

I store mine in an air-tight glass container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations and substitutions

Instead of ham, you can use:

• Chopped olives,
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• anchovies

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