Cheese Cups made in a muffin tin with 4 fun flavors are an easy appetizer. Featuring a festive cranberry brie flavor, bacon pepper jelly cheese flavor, honey walnut and feta flavor, and a brie and fig flavor. These cheese cups are a fancy and impressive appetizer your guests will love!
Cheese Cups 4 Ways Recipe
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Making appetizers in a muffin tin is a game changer! Gone are the days of shaping appetizer bites and hoping they stay together, hoping the cheese doesn't ooze out, and spending hours in the kitchen. Instead, you just slice pastry dough into squares and press the into a muffin tin. With just 10 minutes you can prep 24 appetizer cups! Bonus - if you use two muffins tins you can make 48 appetizer bites!
These are perfect for holiday entertaining, game days, and family get togethers. But be warned... they are highly addictive! We can't be blamed if these disappear faster than you can get a second batch in the oven.
What are Cheese Cups 4 Ways
These cheese cups feature pastry dough that is shaped in a muffin tin to create a cup. 4 fun flavors - cranberry brie, bacon pepper jelly cheese, honey feta walnut, and brie fig, are made for this recipe. They are baked until golden brown and the cheeses are oh so melty. The flavor combinations are perfect and this is a great way to make 4 flavors of 24 appetizers bites with just 10 minutes of prep. This way you can please everyone's palate at one time!
More Muffin Tin Appetizers
- Spicy California Roll Sushi Cups
- Meatball Sub Cups
- Buffalo Chicken Wonton Cups
- Crispy Caprese Prosciutto Cups
- Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups
Ingredients
- Crescent Rolls -
- Bacon Pepper Jelly Cheese Cups
- Pepper Jelly - this sweet spread with a bit of spice has such a unique flavor that pairs perfect with bacon and cream cheese.
- Cream Cheese - the cheese becomes oh so creamy when baked!
- Bacon - who doesn't love bacon?
- Cranberry Brie Cups
- Brie - this melty cheese is so festive and fun for appetizers.
- Cranberry Sauce - the sweet and tart sauce pairs perfect with the rich and creamy cheese.
- Pecans - optional you can add chopped pecans to these cups.
- Fig and Brie Cups
- Brie - pair perfect with the sweet fig jam. You could also use feta, camembert or mozzarella.
- Fig Jam or Spread - we love this spread! It is sweet and sticky when baked. You could swap for apricot jam or peach preserves if you prefer.
- Honey Feta Walnut
- Feta - this rich and salty cheese is so fun baked with honey and walnuts. It does not fully melt but it becomes oh so creamy.
- Honey - a drizzle of honey pairs perfect with the salty feta cheese.
- Walnuts - optional, you can add chopped walnuts to these cups.
How to Make Cheese Cups 4 Ways
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin.
- Unroll the Pillsbury Crescent roll sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Firmly pinch and press the cuts together to seal completely. Cut dough into 24 equal squares (6 by 4 grid cuts).
- Place 1 dough square into each mini muffin tin cup and gently press down to form the cups.
- For the bacon pepper jelly cheese cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of cream cheese, a spoonful of pepper jelly, and top with cooked bacon.
- For the cranberry brie cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of brie, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, optional top with chopped pecans and chopped rosemary.
- For the honey feta walnut cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of feta, a drizzle of honey, and top with chopped walnuts.
- For the brie and fig cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of brie and top with a spoonful of fig jam.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the crescent dough is golden brown. Note: ensure to bake on the middle rack of your oven for the dough to evenly bake. If baked too high the tops may burn, if baked too low the bottoms may burn.
- Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove the cups and place on a cooling rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Cups
- Pastry - this recipe can be made using Pillsbury crescent rolls or puff pastry. The benefit of using crescent rolls is that they are not frozen so you don't need to spend any time waiting for them to thaw. The crescent rolls also add a subtle sweetness to the bites which pairs well with the cream cheese and the pepper jelly.
- Muffin Tin - if you do not have a mini muffin tin (24 count), you can use a regular sized muffin tin (12 count). Instead of cutting the crescent roll sheet into 24 pieces (6 x 4 grid cuts), you will only need 12 pieces (4 x 3 grid cuts). You can also cut the cheese into 12 pieces instead of 24.
- Flavor Variations - the best part about this recipe is that you can customize the cups to your liking. This is a great way to use up leftover cheese, meats, toppings, jams, and sauces from a charcuterie board. Get creative and make different combinations with your favorite ingredients!
FAQ
To reheat leftovers, place them on a baking sheet and heat them in the oven at 350°F for 8 - 10 minutes or until heated through, or Air Fry at 350°F for 4 - 6 minutes.
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Leftovers can be frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, bake or air fry the cups from frozen covered in foil until the centers are warmed through, about 10 - 12 minutes at 350°F
To cut down on prep time the day of serving, you can fully prepare the recipe and cover the muffin tin in plastic wrap and store in the fridge up to 1 day in advance. Just before serving preheat your oven and bake.
Swap the bacon for a plant based alternative or omit the bacon.
Use gluten free store bought or homemade puff pastry and ensure the brand of bacon used is gluten free.
More Easy _
- Prosciutto Wrapped Brie and Fig Puffs
- Boursin Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Crab Rangoon Pasta Salad
- Cold Spinach Artichoke Dip
Enjoy!
- Sab
Cheese Cups 4 Ways
Ingredients
- 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or 1 tube of Crescent Sheets, or 1 sheet of puff pastry)
Bacon Pepper Jelly Cheese Cups
- ¼ brick cream cheese (cut into cubes)
- ¼ cup pepper jelly
- 2 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Cranberry Brie Cups
- ¼ wheel brie (cut into cubes)
- ¼ cup cranberry sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- 6 pecan halves (chopped)
- Rosemary (optional)
Cranberry Fig Cups
- ¼ wheel brie (cut into cubes)
- ¼ cup fig jam
Honey Feta Walnut Cups
- 1 brick feta (cut into cubes, approximately 100 grams)
- ¼ cup honey (or hot honey)
- 6 walnuts (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 24 cup mini muffin tin.
- Unroll the Pillsbury Crescent roll sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Firmly pinch and press the cuts together to seal completely. Cut dough into 24 equal squares (6 by 4 grid cuts).
- Place 1 dough square into each mini muffin tin cup and gently press down to form the cups.
- For the bacon pepper jelly cheese cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of cream cheese, a spoonful of pepper jelly, and top with cooked bacon.
- For the cranberry brie cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of brie, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, optional top with chopped pecans and chopped rosemary.
- For the honey feta walnut cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of feta, a drizzle of honey, and top with chopped walnuts.
- For the brie and fig cups: to 6 muffin cups add a cube of brie and top with a spoonful of fig jam.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the crescent dough is golden brown.Note: ensure to bake on the middle rack of your oven for the dough to evenly bake. If baked too high the tops may burn, if baked too low the bottoms may burn.
- Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove the cups and place on a cooling rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Nutrition
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