Goat Cheese & Onion Jam Pastry Bites
Looking for an easy but delicious appetizer or snack to serve at a party or picnic? Give these goat cheese & onion jam pastry bites a try! I recently made them to bring to a winery with friends and they were a huge hit. The buttery, flaky dough perfectly compliments the creamy goat cheese and subtly sweet onion jam, and their small size makes them great for snacking and sharing.
Make the Onion Jam
For this recipe, I used a homemade onion jam flavored with red wine, balsamic vinegar, and a bit of thyme. Store-bought onion jam can be used if you are short on time, but the flavor may be different. Make the jam by following these steps:
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add two chopped sweet onions and turn the heat to medium low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize. Be patient during this step, you want to heat the onions low and slow so they caramelize instead of burning or frying. Learn more about caramelization here.
Add red wine, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the excess liquid has evaporated and the onions are soft. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Transfer the onion jam to a bowl and set aside to slightly cool.
Assemble the Pastry Bites
I used store-bought crescent roll dough for these pastry bites for the sake of ease and time, but feel free to use homemade puff pastry dough if you are feeling ambitious.
Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate the sections. Cut each triangle of dough in half so you have 16 long, skinny triangles. Spread goat cheese over each triangle of dough and then spread the onion jam over that. It doesn’t have to be pretty.
Roll each piece of dough starting from the wider end so you have 16 small crescent rolls. Place the rolls of dough at least one inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake and Enjoy!
Bake the pastry bites at 375°F for 11-13 minutes until the dough is golden brown. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing.
I think these are best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Goat Cheese & Onion Jam Pastry Bites
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 large Vidalia onions, finely diced
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1 package (8 count) of crescent roll dough
Instructions
- Start by making the onion jam: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and turn the heat to medium low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize. Be patient during this step, you want to heat the onions low and slow so they caramelize instead of burning or frying.
- When the onions have started to caramelize, add the red wine, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the excess liquid has evaporated and the onions are soft. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Transfer the onion jam to a bowl and set aside to slightly cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate the sections. Cut each triangle of dough in half so you have 16 long, skinny triangles.
- Spread goat cheese over each triangle of dough. Spread the onion jam over the cheese. Roll each piece of dough starting from the wider end so you have 16 small crescent rolls.
- Place the rolls of dough at least one inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes until the dough is golden brown. Allow the pastry bites to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing.
- These pastry bites are best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
