These delicious apple cheddar bites are the perfect fall appetizer with their combination of gooey cheddar cheese, sliced apple, and hot honey all combined in one puffy bite-sized package!
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One of my favorite fall flavor combinations is apple and cheddar. Whether it’s dipping apples into gooey cheddar fondue at Melting Pot or just eating a grilled cheese and apple sandwich, the two complement each other perfectly.
So I thought it’d be fun to create a shareable appetizer for fall using that iconic combo. We tried this out with crescent roll dough and biscuits first then eventually landed on using puff pastry because the added crispy outside layer really elevates the flavors.
Bu don’t worry – elevated flavors doesn’t mean these aren’t still just as easy as our other fall recipes. It’s as easy as layering cheese, apple slices and hot honey then wrapping then all up tight, kind of like cinnamon rolls. Bake, cut, and serve!
Why People Love These
- Perfect bite-sized appetizer– these flavors combine for the perfect bite that is satisfying while still leaving room for other goodies.
- Feeds a crowd – this snack is the perfect size to bring for gatherings, big or small.
- Tasty warm or cold – take away the stress of serving this hot, these bites are as good at room temp as they are fresh out of the oven.
Ingredients in Cheddar Apple Bites
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
- Puff pastry – make sure you get the package with two sheets in it and make sure you take it out about thirty minutes ahead of time so it can thaw.
- Apple – I am team honeycrisp all the way but any type of apple will do. You want something with a sweet crisp flavor like honeycrisp or gala apples.
- Cheddar cheese – sharp, mild, or extra sharp doesn’t matter as long as it’s cheddar. You can also cut your own cheese slices; just make sure they are at least 3 inches wide.
- Hot honey – the hot spicy combo from the hot honey makes this, but of course, you can just use honey if you don’t want the heat.
How to make apple cheddar bites
You’ll love how easy this is to make. I’ve included a basic outline and photos below. You can jump to the recipe as well where all of the measurements and detailed instructions are included.
Just make sure you follow the folding instructions so that you get the right number of bites at the end. If you get lost, there are pictures below for you to reference.
Prep your ingredients first
Take the puff pastry out and let it thaw for 20-30 minutes before you get started. While it’s thawing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and core and slice the apples thinly.
1 – Prep The Bites
- Gently roll out your puff pastry to make it about two inches taller and wider.
- Layer the cheese slices vertically on the right side all the way up to the edges then fold the cheese layer over so that you have it sandwiched between puff pastry.
- Add a layer of apples butted up next to the sandwiched cheese layer and fold the cheese-layered pastry over the apple layer. If there is any excess pastry fold it over again.
- Seal the edges by brushing a bit of water and the pinching method.
- Repeat steps for the second puff pastry sheet.
Tip!
Leave a little edge on the side of the cheese when you add it to the puff pastry so that you can seal it. But make sure that the apples are lined up tight next to the puff pastry so you don’t have a big gap in the pastry without any filling.
2 – Bake and Slice
- Transfer both stuffed pastries onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet then brush all over with an egg wash.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown all over.
- Remove from the oven drizzle all over with hot honey.
- Cut each log horizontally in half. Then cut vertically ten times, leaving you with twenty little bites from each log, or twenty total.
Folding Tip!
Not every cheese slice is the same size. You may have to make an extra fold to make it into a log. You’ll simply have an extra layer of pastry goodness, which is never a bad thing. You can also break cheese pieces up to make the layer as wide as you want it. There’s no perfect way to do it, as long as you can fold and seal the apple layer, it’ll work.
3 – Serve
Transfer all of the bites to a platter and serve with even more hot honey on the side! I like to add toothpicks to each individual bite so people can grab and eat them without getting their hands sticky from the hot honey, but people could easily eat these with forks as well!
While these are the best when they’re warm and the cheese is still gooey, they’re still just as tasty at room temperature.
How to store the apple cheddar appetizers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can either move them to another container and store in that or just wrap up the entire tray with leftovers using plastic wrap and keep that in the fridge. They should be good for up to three days when stored properly in the fridge.
If you want to reheat the apple cheesy bites, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in a cold oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let the bites warm up with the oven.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these ahead of time?
You can make these up to a few hours in advance. Just prep the apple cheddar logs, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. I recommend only doing this for 2-3 hours ahead of time or the apples will start to brown and lose flavor.
If you want to make these the night before, I recommend just making and baking them. Let it cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, then just reheat and slice right before serving.
Can I use a different kind of cheese?
These apple puff pastry bites really work with any cheese that will melt in the oven. Any kind of cheese that normally works well with apple should be fine. My personal favorite outside of cheddar is gouda!
Helpful Tips & Storage Info
- Bake within a few hours of making the logs so the apples don’t brown.
- Reheat in the oven or air fryer to get the crispy pastry layer. Microwaving leftovers will ruin the crisp bite you want in these apple appetizers!
- Serve hot honey on the side if you’re worried the heat will be too hot for some of your guests. I often will add regular honey and then have hot honey for dipping if anyone wants it!
- If your logs are really thick, you can cut it into thirds instead of half before cutting bite size pieces to give you more.
Apple Cheddar Bites
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed (2 sheets)
- 6 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 honeycrisp apples cored and thinly sliced
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup hot honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the first sheet of puff pastry until the creases are smoothed out and it is about three inches long and wider.1 package frozen puff pastry
- With the log laying horizontally in front of you, lay down half of the cheese slices vertically starting on the farthest left corner until you have an even layer covering the left ¼ of the log. (You may need to break them apart depending on the sizes).6 slices cheddar cheese
- Fold the puff pastry vertically so that the cheese is sandwiched between two layers of dough.
- Next, lay out your apple slices in an even layer to the right of your folded layers, you’ll want it to be the same width as the cheese layer.2 honeycrisp apples
- Fold the cheese stuffed puff pastry over the apple layer then fold it one more time to cover the excess pastry dough.
- Seal the edges of the dough using a little water and then pinching the seams together.
- Transfer the dough to the cookie sheet with the seam side up, leaving room to fit the next log.
- Repeat steps 3-8 with the second puff pastry sheet, so you have two finished logs.
- Whisk the egg with a splash of water, then brush both pastries with an even layer of egg wash.1 egg
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the puff pastry is golden on top.
- While hot drizzle with hot honey.1/4 cup hot honey
- Once cooled just slightly, cut both logs in half horizontally then into even bite sized pieces vertically. Stick a toothpick in each bite and serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info
More Apple Recipes
If you love apples as much as I do, make sure to try out these other apple recipes too. They’re perfect for any fall party or an apple party!
- Apple monkey bread – monkey bread with a caramel apple twist!
- Apple turnovers using crescent rolls – super easy apple pie turnovers!
- Apple pie cups – cinnamon rolls meet apple pies!
- Caramel apple bark – a delicious way to enjoy caramel apples without breaking a tooth!
- Homemade apple cider – this spiced drink is perfect for fall!
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