Why do people love appetizers? I think the secret lies in the one bite experience. If you've got something you can pop in your mouth without the need for silverware, a plate or even a napkin, you've got a winner. I like making all sorts of one bite treats, both savory and sweet. When it's an evening gathering of friends, I definitely like to go all out with a variety of savory appetizers. Just about every one of my fan favorites include cream cheese too, which adds a layer of smooth decadence.
Careful preparation of your appetizers is key. You want them to look as fabulous as they taste. You must choose just the right container or platter to present them on. Your apps need to look ready to be plucked right off the plate and into the guests' mouth! When you find a real winner of an app, I recommend setting out a tray and keeping a reserve waiting in the wings (or warmed in the oven).
Don't get me wrong, I've set out plenty of dips, salsas and cheese spread, but the real crowd pleasers are always the appetizers you just pick up and eat. For this blog, I've decided to reveal one of my favorite apps to make. The basis for this app goes way back to a Pampered Chef party I had years ago that gave a suggestion for using the mini muffin pan. Since then, I've altered and adjusted this recipe to make it my own.
When I ask people, "What should I bring to the party?", they often say, "Bring those ham puffs you always make!". Truth be told, they sometimes don't even have ham in them, but we still call them ham puffs! I've changed it up with turkey, salami or even seafood. For this recipe, I'll stick with ham and the tricks I've found the perfect consistency and presentation of this fan favorite. It is sure to APPease adults and kids
alike!
*Instructional Video can be found on my Facebook Page: Home EricaNomics!
Ingredients:
1 tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough or dough sheet
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
4 oz of deli ham (about 6 slices or a half cup chopped)
1/4 cup of diced green onion (or diced white onion if you prefer)
1 cup shredded cheese (any kind works, I prefer a Mexican Blend
)
2 Tablespoons of dry ranch mix (in a pinch, I've just squirted some ranch dressing in, but the powder tastes best)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix cream cheese, diced ham, onion, cheese and ranch powder until well mixed. If the mixture is too thick and hard to work with, you can add in a couple tablespoons of ranch dressing or mayo. Roll out the dough and pinch any seams. Cut small squares according to your mini muffin pan's openings. My pan holds 24, so I cut the dough into 24 small pieces. Spray the pan liberally and place one square in each opening. Using your mini scoop or spoon, place a generous dollop of the cream cheese mixture into each dough square.
Each oven is different, but these don't take long to bake. When the corners of the dough are crisp, they're ready to come out. I pop them out right away with a spoon or mini spatula. They will be super hot, so have a tray ready to catch them. Place them close to one another on your serving tray so the cream cheese doesn't melt all over. Sometimes I keep them in a cake pan in the oven on warm until I'm ready to serve and present them to my guests.
You can do these up ahead of time and put the pan in the fridge with dough and filling ready to go, but I find the dough doesn't bake up quite as nicely if it sits in the fridge for more than an hour. I also have found that a slightly larger mini muffin pan with shallower but wider openings work better as you can add more filling to the ham puff.
Variations on the mix (keeping the cream cheese base and the dough squares)
- Turkey, bacon, cheddar and ranch
- Crab meat, mozzarella cheese, and red pepper
- Turkey, dill and Swiss
- Salami, pepperoni, mozzarella, and Italian seasoning
- Jalapeno, cheddar and bacon
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