Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry with Crispy Prosciutto

Party hosts, you’ll wow your guests with this irresistible Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry with Crispy Prosciutto appetizer! It’s the perfect marriage of sweet and savory, combining creamy melted cheese, crispy prosciutto, caramelized shallots, and a touch of fruity fig jam all baked inside a flaky golden puff pastry. This centerpiece appetizer is perfect for holiday parties, game day gatherings, or any occasion where you need a delicious and impressive nosh. Serve it with crackers for spreading or let everyone pull apart the golden pastry and scoop up the decadent filling.

Why I love this appetizer, and hope you will, too

As a soup aficionado, December is always a great month. But it’s extra wonderful because the holidays are the perfect excuse to indulge in my second favorite food group, The Appetizer.

In fact, at Casa SoupAddict, we don’t have sit-down dinners anymore on Christmas day. It’s a meal of appetizers and snacks!

I first made this Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry last year, but the weeks got away from me and it never made it to this blog. I couldn’t let another year go by without correcting that oversight. I’ll add that, while it’s a fantastic party appetizer, it’s also the perfect stay-at-home cozy treat to enjoy while watching a movie or bingeing your favorite new show (catching up on “The Diplomat” here).

Reasons this app is a hit at Casa SoupAddict:

• Perfect Flavor Balance: Combines salty, sweet, and savory flavors with crispy prosciutto, melty cheese, fruity fig jam and honey.
• Crowd-Pleasing: Everyone loves a warm, cheesy appetizer — it’s guaranteed to be the star of the snack table.
• Versatile Serving Options: Serve it with crackers for spreading or let guests pull apart the pastry and scoop the filling.
• Visually Impressive: The golden, flaky puff pastry looks stunning on any party platter, making it ideal for holidays and special occasions.
• Easy to Make: Despite its gourmet taste, this recipe comes together quickly with just a few ingredients and simple steps.
• Holiday-Ready: The combination of rich, festive flavors makes it a perfect choice for Christmas, or New Year’s celebrations. Don’t forget the Super Bowl!
• Adaptable: Swap in your favorite cheeses or jams to make it your own while keeping the basic recipe intact.

Main Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions

Puff pastry — In the U.S., puff pastry is usually sold in frozen sheets, ready to use after thawing. Refrigerated sheets are fine, too. Keep the puff pastry in the freezer until you’re ready to make the recipe, and then thaw while you’re prepping the other ingredients (see the Prep section in the how-to instructions below)

Cheese — I always use a mix of cheeses for a more interesting flavor profile and better melting. For the photos in this post, I used smoked gouda, smoky pepper fontina, and BellaVitano Merlot cheese from Satori (which is an exquisite parmesan cheese infused with wine). Basically, you want something melty and something aged. Havarti, Gruyere, sharp cheddar are delicious, too.

Prosciutto — In the U.S., prosciutto is usually sold in thinly sliced rectangles or rounds. I found a variety with black truffles veined throughout — delicious! — but acknowledge that that was a lucky find. If you can’t find sliced prosciutto during the holidays, sliced speck is a great substitute. And actually, I think salami would work great, too (buy a log and very thinly slice it yourself. Pre-sliced salami made for crackers is too thick.)

Fig jam — A thick schmear of fig jam adds a lovely balance of fruity sweetness to counteract the saltiness of the cheese. If you can’t find fig jam, apricot preserves would be a good substitute. Note that in my Kroger grocery store, fig spread is found in our fancy-schmancy deli, not in the jams and jellies aisle.

Herbs — Fresh herbs, such as rosemary, chives, and thyme are absolutely lovely with this melty cheesy appetizer. In a pinch, you could substitute their dried versions, but with a light hand because dried herbs are more intense than their fresh counterparts.

Shallots — I love the light oniony note that shallots add to sauces and dressings. And they work great here, too, as a complement to the salty cheese.

Cook’s Notes

• It’s important that you don’t use shredded cheese in this recipe. I know the lure of the easy bag cheese is very tempting, but it will only create a weird, slightly oily and unappealing mess. Buy blocks of cheese and cut them into cubes. Many grocery stores sell cubed cheese in the deli, and that’s fine, as long as there are no preservatives added that will interfere with melting.
• Make sure the cheese cubes are small; no larger than 1/2″. Aged cheeses are absolutely delicious, but they are stubborn melters. Large cubes probably won’t melt all the way before the puff pastry is finished cooking. This is why you’ll want to use a mix of cheeses that melt well and the super flavorful aged cheeses.
• Double-check to make sure you’ve grabbed the puff pastry box at the store, and not phyllo dough. They’re usually sold side-by-side, and some brands’ boxes look very similar. Phyllo dough will not work with this recipe.
• Is there a faster way to thaw the frozen puff pastry? My box of Pepperidge Farm came with microwave thawing instructions. I think it’s fine, but GO SLOW. Microwave power varies greatly from machine to machine, and you could find yourself with a sticky mess that needs to go back into the freezer to firm up. My advice would be to plan to thaw the puff pastry on the counter for 30 minutes, and if it’s still too stiff to unfold, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 20-second bursts, checking the dough in between each cycle.
• Can this be made ahead? You can definitely do the prep (see how-to section below) hours, or even a day, in advance. But melted cheese does not refrigerate/reheat very well, and the puff pastry will become too soggy to recover in the oven. Prepare the ingredients ahead, but plan to do the bake just before serving.

How to Make Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry with Crispy Prosciutto

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to get the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the appetizer.

Prep

Here are some helpful guidelines for prepping the recipe’s ingredients. Anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container – such as dried herbs and liquids – are not addressed here. Note that you can absolutely measure everything out into separate bowls or containers ahead of time. It’s a classic organizational technique called mise en place (pronounced meez on plahz) — literally, “everything in its place” — that helps the cooking workflow run smoothly.

• Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and let thaw. If it’s folded, leave it folded until thawed. This will take about 30 minutes on the kitchen counter. When the puff pastry sheet can be unfolded and manipulated without cracking, you can proceed with assembling the recipe in Step 1.
• Do not use shredded cheese for this recipe (explained above). Cut blocks of cheese, including the cream cheese, into small cubes, no larger than 1/2″. Remember, most cream cheese packages come with measurement markings on the outer foil wrap, dividing an 8-ounce block into 1/8ths. Cut two markings’ worth and cube that chunk.
• Prosciutto is usually sold in the U.S. in large rectangular, very thin slices (or sometimes in rounds). Cut the rectangles into six pieces (e.g., cut in half lengthwise, and then each half into thirds). Or a round slice into quarters. Lightly scrunch up each piece of prosciutto. It will stick to itself, so this will be easy.
• Peel and slice the shallot very thinly. Cut the slices into half moons if they are larger than an inch wide.
• Peel and mince the garlic clove.
• Chop the rosemary and chives leaves.

Step 1: Start building the puff pastry packet

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Transfer the thawed puff pastry sheet to a square of parchment paper. Spread a thick layer of fig jam in the center of the dough. A spoon is very handy here: use the back of the spoon for easy spreading.

Pile the cube cheeses on top of the jam.

Step 2: Pan fry the prosciutto and aromatics

Heat a small skillet over medium along with a small splash of neutral oil. Add the prosciutto and fry until crispy, turning two or three times. About 5 minutes. Scrape the prosciutto onto the stack of cheese cubes.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and saute until golden and fragrant. This only takes a minute or two, so don’t walk away from the pan. Sprinkle half of the herbs over the shallots and give a quick stir. Scrape on top of the cheese pile.

Drizzle honey over everything.

Step 3: Form the puff pastry packet

Fold up the four corners of the puff pastry over the cheese stack so that they meet in the center. Press lightly on each of the four creases to encourage the folds to remain in place. You can also pinch the four new corners together, as shown in the photo above.

Use the parchment paper to lift the puff pastry and transfer to an oven-proof skillet, pie pan, or baking dish, with room around the edges to expand (the cast iron skillet shown above is 10.25″).

Brush all of the visible puff pastry with the beaten egg (iow, you don’t have to brush the underside of the packet). This will help the puff pastry achieve a nice, golden color.

Step 4: Bake it up!

Bake the puff pastry for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the puff pastry is deeply golden and the cheese is melty. It should not scorch.

Remove from the oven and use the parchment paper to transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle the remaining herbs over the cheese and serve immediately.

Storing

Because of the nature of melted cheese, it’s best to serve Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry immediately. It can hold in the oven for an hour or so: lower the temp to 285ºF and cover the puff pastry lightly with foil.

In testing this recipe, I happily consumed the leftovers after a night of refrigeration — reheating in the microwave to melt the cheese — but it’s not party-worthy. Karen-leftovers-with-soup-for-lunch? Absolutely. Beautiful presentation at your big holiday shindig? No.

How to serve this appetizer

There are two ways to enjoy this appetizer: Scoop out the pool of melty cheese and prosciutto and spread it on a cracker or toasted crostini, or, pull apart the puff pastry and use it to scoop up the cheesy middle.

I recommend doing both, in a particular order: Have a big, wide spreader knife on hand (like the one shown in the photos here), and scoop up and spread the cheesy mixture on beautiful crackers.

When you’ve put a dent in the cheese pool, dig into the puff pastry. Use one hand to grasp a section of the puff pastry with the spreading knife in your other hand to help cut off a piece, if the pastry doesn’t immediately tear in a reasonable spot.

If you like brie wrapped in puff pastry, you’re going to love this Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry with Crispy Prosciutto. It’s sweet and salty and savory and just delicious. I’m not a huge fan of brie myself, but I love a good mix of cheeses all melted together. Combined with the prosciutto and the fruity sweetness of the fig jam, this is a complex — but so easy to make — appetizer that your guests will love.

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Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry with Crispy Prosciutto

This Baked Cheesy Puff Pastry with Crispy Prosciutto appetizer is a show-stopping party centerpiece. Flaky puff pastry filled with melted cheese, crispy prosciutto, caramelized shallots, and sweet fig jam. Perfect for holiday gatherings or game day!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked cheesy puff pastry, cheesy puff pastry

Servings: 8

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 4 ounces fig spread (or jam, preserves)*
• 8 ounces cubed mixed cheeses , something soft and something aged (such as Fontina, Gruyere, Smoked Gouda, Sharp Cheddar)**
• 2 ounces cubed cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons of olive or avocado oil
• 2 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto , cut into 1 1/2″ pieces, each bunched up into a loose wad
• 1 shallot , sliced thinly (cut into half moons if slices are larger than 1″)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves (can sub with fresh thyme)
• 2 teaspoons chopped from chive lives
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for a little kick)
• Honey , for drizzling
• 1 egg , beaten with a teaspoon of water

Instructions

• Remove the puff pastry from the outer sealed wrap, thaw, still folded, on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes, or until the pastry can be unfolded and manipulated without cracking, but is not soft and sticky.
• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cut a square of parchment paper that’s at least 12″ on each side.
• Center the puff pastry on the parchment sheet. Spread a thick layer of fig jam over the center. You don’t need to go all the way out to the edges.
• Pile the cheese cubes in the center of the pastry on the jam.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Place each prosciutto bunch in the hot pan and let cook on the first side for 2 minutes. Flip each bunch to crisp the other side for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the shallots and garlic to the same skillet and saute for a minute or two, until soft and fragrant. Sprinkle about half of the herbs over the shallots and stir for about 15 seconds.
• Add the crisped prosciutto and shallot mixture to the stack of cheese cubes.
• Drizzle honey over the meat and cheese.
• Fold each corner of the puff pastry up and over the cheese stack, with the four corners meeting in the middle. Press on the folded edges to help everything stay in place (you can also pinch the newly-made corners together).
• Use the parchment paper to carefully pick up and transfer the puff pastry bundle to an oven-proof skillet (10″) or pie plate. Tuck in any overhanging parchment paper around the edges.
• Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash, covering all of the visible surfaces.
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the puff pastry is a nice, golden brown, and the cheese is melty.
• Sprinkle the remaining herbs over the cheese and serve immediately with sturdy crackers.

Notes

* No need to measure or weigh the jam. Just spoon it out of the jar and use what you need to spread on the pastry.

** Keep the cubes small — especially the aged cheeses — no larger than a 1/2″, or they won’t melt before the pastry finishes cooking. The aged cheeses might retain their cube shapes, but the cheese will be soft and spreadable.

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.