Spinach Puffs
buttery spinach pastry bites
I needed an appetizer to take to Wine Night. I took a quick pass through Pinterest and found this recipe. It had me at "spinach."
It's super easy to throw together. Not only are these little puffs cute, they are also packed with flavor.
Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried dill (optional - I omitted)
2 cups fresh spinach chopped and packed
3/4 cup crumbled feta
2 teaspoons bacon bits* (see ideas)
salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
1 Tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
Thaw puff pastry according to instructions on the box.
Spray 12 cups in a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
Microwave your cream cheese 10 seconds at a time until it's soft and melted but not steaming. Add egg, oil, and dill into cream cheese and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl combine spinach, feta, and bacon. Pour your cream cheese mixture on top and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix and combine it together.
Cut the pastry sheet into 16 squares. Line the muffin pan with your cut squares (you might need to stretch them out a little). Press into the bottom of the muffin cups. Evenly divide the spinach among the cups.
Bring your 4 pastry points together, covering the filling, and press them together. Lightly brush with the melted butter.
Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes until golden and puffy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then use a knife around the edges to loosen and help pop them out
Ideas
The original recipe calls for making 9 puffs using a regular size muffin tin. I wanted a smaller, fingerfood version, so I used a mini muffin tin and made 16 puffs. Since they are smaller, you can't pull the edges up as much.
The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons bacon bits. I used 2-3 slices of cooked and crubmled bacon.
Store leftover puffs in the fridge. They make for an excellent snack the next day.