Easy Holiday Appetizers That Impress Without Stress
Nothing sets the mood at a holiday gathering like a table full of appetizers. Fun to grab, simple to make, and always the first thing to disappear. These recipes use affordable ingredients, come together quickly, and make you look like you put in way more effort than you did. My favorite crowd pleaser here is the Beer, Bacon, Cheddar Dip! but I’ll let you be the judge.
1.Crescent Roll Brie Bites
Ingredients
1 Can crescent roll dough
1 small wheel or wedge of brie
Honey or jam (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Cut brie into small cubes
3. Roll out crescent dough and cut into small squares
4. Place a cube of brie in the center of each square and fold dough around it or you can pinch corners together to make them look like tiny crab Rangoon.
5. Place on baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.
6. Serve on a dish with two small bowls, one with honey and the other with jam.
💡Pro Tip: Invest in a pack of disposable serving trays, I love this one Charity Leaf, because they are microwave and oven safe so if anything, I bring needs to be heated they are still useful. The best part… the host doesn’t need to get anything back to you, just toss it. Just cover with press & seal before traveling to your destination. If you need to add dips, jams, or sauces to your serving tray consider these
2. Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Ingredients
1 Block Philadelphia cream cheese
1 Cup cranberry sauce canned or homemade
Crackers for serving
Instructions
1. Place softened cream cheese on a plate or serving dish
2. Warm cranberry sauce for 20-30 seconds in the microwave
3. Pour cranberry sauce over the cream cheese
4 Surround with a variety of crackers and serve
Garlic Parmesan Pinwheels
Ingredients
1 Sheet puff pastry
3 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup parmesan
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Roll out puff pastry and brush evenly with melted butter and garlic paste
3. Mix the parsley and parmesan cheese together and sprinkle evenly over pastry
4. Roll pastry evenly into a tight log
5. Slice into 1/2- inch rounds
6. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 min until golden
Beer, Bacon Cheddar Dip
Ingredients
1/2-pound bacon
2 tbsp. bacon fat
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup beer of choice *I have used Guiness, Sam Adams, and Yuengling. Of those three we liked the Yuengling best.
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. stone ground mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
1. Chop bacon and pan fry in a 12″ skillet. Once bacon reaches desired level of crispiness, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, placing on paper towels to drain.
2. Remove the hot bacon grease from the pan by pouring into a ramekin or coffee mug. Gently scrape with a rubber spatula to remove excess grease, but do not wash.
3. Measure 2 TBSP of the hot bacon grease back into the pan. The remaining bacon grease can be reserved for later or allowed to harden then disposed of in the trash.
4. Adjust your heat to med/low. Add the flour and whisk together with the bacon fat to make a roux. Allow to cook 1 – 2 minutes, until it turns a light golden brown.
5. Slowly while whisking constantly add in the milk and beer this will avoid clumping, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all of the extra bits of bacon flavor from the bottom of the pan. As the mixture comes to a simmer, it will begin to thicken.
6. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Whisk to combine.
7. Chop or shred the cheese, then stir into the sauce, allowing the cheese time to melt completely.
8. Chop the cooled bacon again to make the chunks even smaller. Reserve a few tablespoons of bacon for garnish, then stir the rest into the beer cheese dip.
9. Serve with soft pretzel bites and small crunchy pretzels on the side.
💡Pro Tip I bring mine to parties in a small crockpot, with some baskets of pretzels on the side, The dip stays warm for as long as it lasts…which isn’t long trust me !
Mini Sausage Skewers
Ingredients
Smoked sausage, sliced
Cubes of cheese
Toothpicks
Optional add on mini pickles, olives, or cherry tomatoes
Instructions
1. Cut cheese into cube or save some time by purchasing it that way.
2. Slice the sausage into bite-sized rounds
3. Layer your ingredients on your toothpicks, arrange on a plate and serve.
4. Add a small dish of mustard for dipping
Final Thoughts
Holiday appetizers don’t need to be stressful or expensive. The main objective is always…don’t show up empty handed, these quick recipes keep you out of the kitchen and in the moments that matter. Try one or mix a few together – they’re all crowd-pleasers!
Happy Holiday’s to you and yours – Hey Ivy🌿
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