Spinach Puffs

These spinach puffs are easy to make with flaky puff pastry, cream cheese, fresh spinach and savory bacon. One of my favorite holiday appetizers to serve at parties!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Cool Time: 10

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Equipment

2 9-cup muffin pans

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups chopped fresh spinach , packed
½ cup Parmesan cheese
5 strips bacon , cooked and crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (17.3-ounce) package Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry , thawed (2 sheets)
2 Tablespoons butter , melted

Instructions

Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray 2 9-cup muffin pans with nonstick spray.
Combine filling. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave 8 ounce cream cheese 10 seconds at a time until softened and melted but not steaming. Stir in 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until well combined.
Add spinach and bacon. Add 4 cups spinach, 1/2 cup parmesan and 5 strips bacon. Using a fork, mix in the cream cheese mixture.
Roll out puff pastry. Lightly dust flour on a work surface. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet onto the flour. Roll a couple times each way with a rolling pin to smooth it out. Using a knife or pizza cutter, slice into 9 squares. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet.
Assemble puffs. Press the pastry squares into the bottom of the muffin cups. Evenly divide the spinach mixture among the cups. Using your fingers, pull the 4 pastry points on one cup over the filling and the press them together. Repeat with remaining puffs. Lightly brush with the melted butter.
Bake 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen from the pan.

Notes

Shinier puffs: If you want to do an egg wash, combine 1 beaten egg with 1 Tablespoon water and brush each puff with the mixture. You can also use heavy cream, if you prefer.

Make-ahead: These can be prepped up to 3 hours in advance. Simply cover unbaked puffs and keep in the fridge before baking uncovered at 400°F for 20 minutes.

Storage: For the filling, store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.

Freeze: For the filling, store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw, assemble, and bake according to directions.

Freeze uncooked puffs 2 to 3 hours, remove from the muffin tin, and store in an airtight freezer container up to 2 months. Place frozen puffs in a muffin pan and bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Freeze baked puffs have cooled, place them in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.

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