16 Fun Party Appetizers That Start With Frozen Puff Pastry

Sausage rolls, baked brie and more: These golden, flaky bites are sure to impress your guests during the holiday season.

The wise Ina Garten once said — and then repeated again and again — “store-bought is fine.” And, of course, she’s absolutely right, especially when it comes to puff pastry, the ultimate way to take any party app to the next level. It’s easy to work with, affordable and available at most supermarkets. Put a few sheets to use with these 16 golden, flaky snacks and treats that are sure to impress your guests this holiday season.

See more easy puff pastry appetizer recipes on New York Times Cooking.

1. Parmesan and Crispy Prosciutto Tower

Take your charcuterie board to new heights — literally! — with this creative tower from Ali Slagle. Pastry triangles infused with black pepper, rosemary and sage are stacked between oven-crisped prosciutto and Parmesan shavings. It’s almost like a delicious version of Jenga, except everyone wins.

Recipe: Parmesan and Crispy Prosciutto Tower

2. Vegetarian Miso-Mushroom Sausage Rolls

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s vegetarian sausage rolls mimic the heartiness of the original thanks to two types of mushrooms seasoned with garlic, thyme, miso and butter. To save time, use a food processor instead of chopping the mushrooms by hand. These can be made ahead of time and frozen.

Recipe: Vegetarian Miso-Mushroom Sausage Rolls

3. Za’atar Parmesan Pinwheels

Herby za’atar and salty Parmesan pair beautifully in these crunchy snacks from Melissa Clark. The cheesy mixture is sprinkled all over the frozen puff pastry, which is then rolled into logs and sliced into pinwheels before heading to the oven. She recommends using all-butter puff pastry, if you can find it, for an especially crisp and airy crust.

Recipe: Za’atar Parmesan Pinwheels

4. Party Wreath

If you like potato-and pea-filled samosas, you’ll love this impressive party appetizer from Tejal Rao. Seasoned with garam masala and lemon juice, the filling is wrapped in buttery store-bought puff pastry that’s cut into segments so that the baked pieces are easy to tear away. Serve with green chutney, tamarind chutney, a squirt of Maggi ketchup or just as-is.

Recipe: Party Wreath

5. Savory Feta Turnovers

These turnovers from Nargisse Benkabbou are a quick and easy starter for any dinner party or casual get-together. A mixture of creamy feta, zesty preserved lemon, dried mint and fresh garlic is folded into store-bought puff pastry, which is then sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of honey — leaving it off, according to one reader, “is not an option!”

Recipe: Savory Feta Turnovers

6. Baked Brie Puffs With Chile Crisp

These sweet and spicy appetizers from Ali Slagle belong in the can’t-stop-eating category. Small squares of puff pastry are filled with Brie, raspberry preserves and chile crisp, and baked until golden brown. Enlist your friends to help, and the assembly for these bite-size sandwiches will fly by.

Recipe: Baked Brie Puffs With Chile Crisp

7. Endive Tarte Tatin With Burrata

Kay Chun’s savory take on the classic apple tart spotlights endive, which sweetens and mellows as it cooks. She likes to top each slice with some burrata, but it’s equally delicious without it. “Melt in your mouth gorgeous,” one reader wrote.

Recipe: Endive Tarte Tatin With Burrata

8. Sausage Rolls

If you’re in the market for a classic pork sausage roll, look no further than this recipe from David Tanis. The sausage mixture — seasoned with cayenne, coriander, nutmeg, mace, thyme, sage and parsley — comes together easily in one bowl. His version includes a recipe for a homemade flaky lard and butter pastry, but frozen store-bought also works great.

Recipe: Sausage Rolls

9. Crunchy Coconut Twists

While these twists from Melissa Clark may look like savory cheese straws at first glance, they’re actually crunchy and sweet. This recipe comment says it all: “I made these exactly as written, and to me they are some of the best and easiest holiday cookies. Coconut-caramel-crispy butter pastry … right up my alley. The actual work time is minimal and perfect if you are puttering around and doing other things mid-chill. Everyone, including non-coconut-lovers, raved about them.”

Recipe: Crunchy Coconut Twists

10. Baked Camembert Salad

This recipe from Tejal Rao, ready in 45 minutes, proves that baking is a great way to turn a just-whatever wheel of cheese into something delicious. Here, Camembert — the kind you can find at any supermarket — is tightly wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown all over. Serve it alongside a simple salad. Bitter leaves like radicchio tend to work best, but do what makes you happy.

Recipe: Baked Camembert Salad

11. Ginger-Scallion Squiggles

These are Ali Slagle’s fun twist (pun intended) on the classic cheese straw. But instead of cheese, her squiggles are bejeweled with ginger, scallions, nori, peanuts and red pepper flakes. Serve them at your next cocktail party, or really any time you need a crowd-pleaser.

Recipe: Ginger-Scallion Squiggles

12. Pastelillos de Guayaba

Your brunch table needs these pastelillos. Von Diaz fills packaged puff pastry with guava paste and queso fresco en hoja (or farmer cheese) and then bakes the little packages until they are beautifully golden brown and flaky. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with coffee.

Recipe: Pastelillos de Guayaba

13. Crispy Potato and Sour Cream Tart

This buttery potato tart from Melissa Clark is a riff on a classic party combo: sour cream, caviar and potatoes. Spread cooked fingerling potatoes — sliced and tossed with sour cream, Parmesan and chives — onto a puff pastry crust. Then, right before serving, top it all with crumbled potato chips (for crunch!) and caviar (for a salty pop!). According to one reader, “the hardest part was keeping from eating the chips and caviar before making the tart.”

Recipe: Crispy Potato and Sour Cream Tart

14. Figs and Pigs in a Blanket

“Made these for a Thanksgiving appetizer, and they stole the show,” one reader wrote about Melissa Clark’s sweet and savory hors d’oeuvres. “I got so many compliments.” Your friends and family will also sing your praises if you fill them with dried figs and prosciutto or salami.

Recipe: Figs and Pigs in a Blanket

15. Baked Brie

Bring this runny-centered, pastry-wrapped baked Brie to the holiday function, and you’ll be voted the M.V.P. Don’t be tempted to use a fancy cheese-shop Brie. This recipe works best with the supermarket kind. Choose any flavor of marmalade or jam for the topping, bake and enjoy.

Recipe: Baked Brie

16. Potato Tart With Goat Cheese and Thyme

Store-bought puff pastry does most of the heavy lifting in this cheesy potato tart from Sue Li. Ricotta, goat cheese and paprika are blended together and spread evenly atop the dough, which is then studded with sliced cooked baby potatoes, preferably in different colors, before going in the oven for 20 minutes. The presentation is so pretty you’ll definitely want guests to bear witness (or at least take pictures).

Recipe: Potato Tart With Goat Cheese and Thyme

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