Easy Apricot Jam & Gruyere Cheese Puff Pastry Bites

When you need and quick and tasty appetizer, make these Easy Apricot Jam & Gruyere Cheese Puff Pastry Bites!

Buttery puff pastry is baked with nutty Gruyere cheese, apricot jam and almonds for the perfect crunch.

Topped with a drizzle of honey and fresh thyme, these bites are sure to become a new appetizer favourite!

If you love my other Gruyere appetizer recipes like this Puff Pastry Baked Gruyere with Fig Jam & Rosemary and Prosciutto, Sage & Gruyere Puff Pastry Pinwheels, you’re sure to love these flaky puff pastry bites. The whole thing takes under 30 minutes to make! (Especially when using defrosted puff pastry).

Whether for Spring or Summer entertaining, or the holiday season, these little bundles of flaky puff pastry, Gruyere cheese and jam are sure to impress!

Why you’ll love these puff pastry bites

• This delicious recipe is an easy appetizer made with just 6 simple ingredients!
• Easily customizable depending on the season; use fig jam in the cooler months instead of apricot jam.
• A perfect appetizer to serve a crowd!
• Use store-bought puff pastry to make this recipe a breeze.
• No need to use a pastry brush to brush egg wash on the puff pastry; just pop in the oven and bake!

Ingredients needed to make these puff pastry appetizers

Puff pastry: you need one sheet of puff pastry dough (usually can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store); make sure to defrost it before making this recipe (follow the instructions for defrosting on the puff pastry packaging).

Gruyere cheese: nutty gruyere cheese that is cut into cubes pairs lovely with the slight sweetness of apricot jam

Apricot jam: for the Spring season, the slight sweetness of apricot jam pairs perfectly with the gruyere cheese. See below for other jam suggestions for Fall and Winter seasons.

Almonds: sliced or chopped almonds as just a touch of crunch to these puff pastry bites

Garnishes: a hint of fresh thyme sprigs and honey makes the perfect garnish

How to make these Gruyere puff pastry bites

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a muffin tin well with cooking spray or butter. Roll out the defrosted puff pastry sheet to approximately a 10×10 square. Cut into 16 squares using a pizza slicer or sharp knife (about 2-inch squares to 2.5 inch squares). Since a typical muffin tin has 12 cups, put 4 squares of puff pastry into the fridge to store while the others bake. Alternatively, you could use two muffin tins and bake them all at once.

Step 2: Place one square of puff pastry into each muffin tin. Then layer a cube of gruyere cheese followed by 1/2 tsp apricot jam and a pinch of sliced almonds onto each square of puff pastry. Bake the gruyere bites in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the puff pastry starts to turn golden brown.

Step 3: Let the Gruyere bites sit in the muffin tin for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack or serving tray. Serve immediately garnished with fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of honey.

Expert tips to make these appetizer bites

• Remember to defrost the frozen puff pastry, according to package directions, before using in this recipe! I like to put the frozen puff pastry in the fridge the day before I’m going to use it as it will defrost overnight and you’ll have a defrosted puff pastry sheet ready to go.
• Switching up the jam is a great idea depending on the season. Try a different jam pairing than apricot such as: cherry or grape for the Spring/Summer or grape, fig or apple jam for the Fall/Winter seasons, especially on Christmas eve.
• If you’re afraid of the puff pastry, apricot jam or melty cheese sticking to the muffin tin, you can use a small piece of parchment paper or muffin tin liner instead of cooking spray. The puff pastry bites should still bake up nicely!
• Get creative and serve these as a part of a charcuterie board too!

Common questions

Can I use a different cheese instead of Gruyere?
While Gruyere cheese is preferred for this recipe, in a pinch you can use another type of cheese. An old cheddar cheese, swiss cheese or gouda cheese would work well in place of gruyere cheese and still make a delicious finger food to serve to guests.

Will phyllo pastry work instead of puff pastry?
Phyllo pastry is much thinner than puff pastry and is made with different ingredients, so I wouldn’t recommend using it for this recipe. I would recommend sticking with butter puff pastry for these cheese puffs.

Can I use a mini muffin tin instead of regular muffin tin?
This recipe has only been tested with a regular muffin tin so I would suggest sticking with that size instead of using a mini muffin cup.

Storage

These puff pastry bites are best served fresh from the oven! I don’t recommend storing them for longer than 2-3 hours at room temperature.

More puff pastry appetizer recipes to love from the blog:

Apricot Jam and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Pinwheels

Easy Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry Bites Appetizer

Valentine’s Day Raspberry Puff Pastry Hearts