Description
Easy bite-sized appetizers made with crescent dough filled with a sweet and savory mixture of cream cheese, dried cranberries, fresh chives, and jalapeño. Perfect for holiday parties, these golden, flaky bites take just 25 minutes to make and are always the first thing to disappear from the appetizer table!
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (I always use Philadelphia brand)
- 3 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon finely diced, seeded jalapeño chile
For the Dough:
- 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dough (original or sheet style works great)
Makes: 24 bite-sized appetizers
Substitutions & Notes:
- Cream cheese: Must be softened to room temperature. Low-fat works, but full-fat gives the creamiest texture.
- Dried cranberries: You can use Craisins or any brand. Fresh cranberries won’t work here – they’re too tart and won’t soften.
- Chives: Green onions (just the green parts) make a great substitute.
- Jalapeño: Adjust to taste! Use ½ teaspoon for mild, or up to 2 teaspoons if you love heat. Seeding is important to control spice level.
- Crescent dough: The sheet style is easier to work with, but the perforated rolls work perfectly once you seal the seams.
Instructions
Crank oven to 375°F. Tear off parchment paper, put it on two pans. One time I sprayed the pans instead and ended up soaking them overnight because everything welded itself on there. Never doing that again.
Dump cream cheese, cranberries, chives, jalapeño in a bowl. Stir it around till it looks mixed. My kids fight over who gets to do this part because it’s the easiest job. Takes like 60 seconds if your cream cheese isn’t rock hard.
Smack the can on the counter till it pops – hate that part, always makes me jump. Roll it out flat. Got the triangle perforated ones? Mash those lines together with your hand. Cut the whole thing into squares, I do 6 long cuts and 4 short cuts. Mine are never the same size. Doesn’t matter, they all bake fine.
Plop a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each square. Used to pile it on thick till they started erupting like volcanoes in my oven. Now I measure. Pull the corners up, pinch them together at the top, twist a bit. Don’t seal every tiny gap or they’ll balloon up weird. Flip them pinch-side down, space them out on the pans so they’re not touching.
Shove them in the oven, set timer for 11 minutes. My oven’s fast so I always check at 11. You want them brown, not tan. Not black either, learned that one the hard way. Let them cool a few minutes unless you enjoy burning the roof of your mouth off, which apparently I do because I never wait long enough.
Notes
- Even sizing matters: Use a small cookie scoop or measuring spoon for the filling. Consistent portions mean even cooking and professional-looking results.
- The twist-and-pinch technique: When sealing your bites, twist the center slightly as you pinch. This creates a more secure seal that’s less likely to pop open.
- Watch the oven closely in the last 2 minutes. Crescent dough can go from perfectly golden to too dark FAST. Every oven is different!
- Common mistake to avoid: Placing bites too close together. Give them space! They puff up as they bake and can stick to each other.
- Smart shortcut: Pre-chop your chives and jalapeño while the cream cheese is softening. Everything comes together in 5 minutes once your mise en place is ready!
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American