Last weekend, my girlfriends and I gathered for our Annual Girls’ Christmas Beauty Bash. In what has become one of my favorite holiday traditions, we each bring a wrapped beauty or cosmetic item of a set value, food, and a bottle of bubbly, then gather to sip, eat, giggle, and play what has become an increasingly heated gift exchange game. I baked these Spinach Pastry Puffs and wrapped up this pretty set of lipsticks, which I fully admit I was tempted to steal for myself during the game.
This recipe is sponsored by Mountain Valley Spring Water.
I resisted snagging the lipsticks, opting for a mini set of these amazing, fancy lip balmsinstead…which was eventually stolen from me.
Fortunately for each of our appetites, this recipe for Spinach Pastry Puffs yields a large batch, so we could all happily gobble as many as we pleased.
Whenever I need an appetizer for a party that I know will be easy, impressive, and a total crowd-pleaser, I turn to puff pastry. These sheets of buttery, flaky dough are endlessly versatile, bake up beautifully golden every time, and can be found in the freezer section of any grocery store.
In past years, I’ve made Cranberry Brie Bites, Ham and Cheese Pinwheels, and Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites, and while those all have been hits, today’s Spinach Puffs might be the greatest of them all.
{A side note for fellow fans of The Emperor’s New Groove, a seriously adorable and (in my opinion) underrated Disney movie: You know the tasty Spinach Puffs Kronk makes in the film? I like to think that Kronk would approve of this Spinach Puff recipe too!}
To make these spinach puff pastry cups, being by cutting squares of puff pastry. I kept it easy by dividing my puff pastry into nine squares (three rows of three), which fit perfectly inside the wells of a regular muffin pan like these.
The puffs’ filling is inspired by one of the most revered appetizers of our time: spinach dip. It’s a quick, ever-delicious combo of cream cheese, spinach (I use thawed frozen spinach for maximum speed), feta cheese, and BACON.
The Spinach Puffs are creamy on the inside, buttery and flaky on the outside, and the touch of feta, bacon, and garlic in the filling makes them unquestionably addictive.
Despite the semi-fancy vibe puff pastry provides, this recipe is ultra simple. You don’t even need to wait for the cream cheese to soften before you start making the filling. THAT is how no-fuss this spinach cream cheese puff pastry creation truly is.
I was happy with the size of the Spinach Puffs baked in the regular muffin pan. They were sturdy enough to easily pick up with our fingers, and every bite of filling contained bits of both bacon and feta.
That said, if you wanted to make mini spinach puffs instead, I think you could cut the puff pastry into smaller squares, then bake the puffs in a mini muffin pan instead.
In addition to the food, drinks are another one my central focuses whenever I host a gathering. My girlfriends and I adore all things bubbles, and in addition to sparkling wine, I like to provide a nonalcoholic beverage for my guests that still feels special. A few of my friends are pregnant, and I don’t want them (or anyone else who’s taking a break from the booze) to feel as if they are missing out.
I recently discovered Mountain Valley Spring Water, which offers a line of the most adorable individually sized bottles of sparkling water. In addition to being fizzy and fun, the bottles look so cute on a party table.
For the party, I loved that I didn’t need to go to any extra work to make the water look nice, and my friends who weren’t drinking loved having a beverage option that still felt festive.
In addition their all-around YUM factor, these spinach puff pastry cups are a party planner’s dream appetizer. They can be fully baked and frozen weeks in advance.
Spinach Puffs also taste great both warm and at room temperature, so you don’t need to stress about timing the exact moment you pull them from the oven. Heat them up a little before your guests arrive, place them on the table, then enjoy the moment when they disappear.
More Crowd-Pleasing Puff Pastry Appetizer Recipes like Spinach Puffs:
Cranberry Brie Bites
Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites
Asparagus Tart
Spinach Puffs
Spinach Puffs are an easy, DELICIOUS appetizer! Buttery squares of puff pastry, filled with cream cheese, spinach, feta, and bacon. Easy to make ahead!
YIELD: 18 puffs (can be doubled as needed)
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
4 strips thick-cut bacon
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), cut into large pieces
2 large eggs, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly pressed dry
1/2 cup crumbled feta (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
2 (9- or 10-inch) sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator (I like Pepperidge Farm)
Directions:
Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake bacon according to these directions for Baked Bacon. Let cool, then chop or crumble into bits. Spray 18 total cups in two standard muffin tins with nonstick spray.
Meanwhile, place the cream cheese pieces in a wide microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10 second bursts until the cream cheese is very soft and melty but not so hot that it is steaming. Stir in 1 egg, garlic powder, black pepper, and oregano until well combined.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, feta, Parmesan, and chopped bacon with a fork, breaking apart the spinach. Scrape the cream cheese mixture on top of the spinach mixture, then stir the ingredients until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Unfold the first sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface and gently roll to remove any creases (it will be a 10- or 11-inch square). Cut the pastry sheet into 9 even squares (three squares across and three down—they will be a little more than 3 inches on each side). Line the wells of the muffin pan with the pastry squares so that the center is pressed on the bottom of the muffin cups and the corners over hang the sides (see photo in blog post above). If needed, stretch the squares to be a bit larger so that they extend all the way up the sides. With a spoon or small scoop like this one, portion the spinach filling by heaping tablespoons and place it in the center of each muffin cup, dividing it evenly among the 18 cups.
Bring the four points of each puff pastry square together towards the center so that they cover the filling, then lightly press them together in the middle (no need for them to totally stick or seal). In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg to make an egg wash and brush it over the tops of the pastry (you will not need the whole egg).
Bake the puffs, one muffin tin on each rack, for 21 to 24 minutes, until puffy and deeply golden, switching the pans’ position on the upper and lower racks halfway through. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife carefully around the edges to gently loosen them. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Puffs may be fully baked and then frozen for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 375 degree F oven directly from frozen, until warmed through.
Filling can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. In an ideal world, I would recommend filling the cups right before baking, BUT I think you could line the cups with the unbaked puff pastry squares, scoop in the filling, then store the pan in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Apply the egg wash just before baking.
These are best enjoyed the day they are made but can last in the refrigerator for a day or so. Reheat in the oven prior to serving.
All images and text ©Erin Clarke/Well Plated.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving Size:
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 179 Calories
Total Fat: 11g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 27mg
Sodium: 258mg
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 5g
Recipe and Blog Credit: Well Plated
