These easy Président Goat cheese pastries are an unexpected but delicious, Thanksgiving dessert that will have everyone asking for more!
This post was sponsored by Président®. All opinions are my own.
If you've never had goat cheese for dessert, you've been missing out! Goat cheese pairs incredibly well with sweet, tart and crunchy elements, all of which make up this dessert.
For this recipe, I used Président® Goat cheese which is super creamy and slightly tangy.
It is easy spreadable straight from the package which I am a huge fan of! Cheeses that need to be warm or melted before serving makes prepping food in advance very difficult.
Make sure to check out my other holiday desserts!
Puff pastry
Puff pastry is an ingredient I love to use for fancy desserts. I keep a box in my freezer at all times because the dessert possibilities are endless.
Those flaky and buttery layers are always a hit at holiday parties and make bite -sized desserts a piece of cake...or in this case...a piece of pastry. 😉
For these Président Goat cheese puff pastries, I used one large sheet of puff pastry dough. A box typically comes with two sheets so you can keep the other one frozen or double the recipe, which you might have to do considering how delicious these are.
To make these, you want to cut a sheet into thirds and bake your puff pastry while it's still cold!
Then you want to brush butter some melted over top before baking. I used a Président Salted Butter Bar. It adds a subtle nuttiness and more flavor to your pastry.
Tip* Bake your puff pastry while it is still COLD for an airy and thick pastry.
When puff pastry is cold, the bits of butter that are folded in the pastry bubble up and release air when baked. The air that is released causes the puff pastry to puff up nice and high! This is what we want, a flaky, airy pastry.
Take your pastry out when it is golden brown.
Spreading your goat cheese
Once your puff pastry sheet is done and almost cool, you will need to spread a nice thick layer of your goat cheese.
This is the trickiest part! You do not want to compress the pastry too much or you will squish all of the air out. To make the goat cheese a little more "spreadable", add small dollops of goat cheese onto your pastry while it's still hot. This will help to warm the cheese a bit helping it spread easier.
The pumpkin spiced maple pecans
The pecan topping is what helps to bring together all of those delicious Thanksgiving flavors together. It's simple to do and can be tweaked as needed. Since Thanksgiving is all about pumpkin, I used pumpkin pie spice to flavor my pecans. They sell this in the store premixed. If you want to create your own pumpkin pie spice blend, here is a recipe.
If you do not have pumpkin pie spices in your cabinet, cinnamon would work just fine.
Make sure to check out more bite-sized recipe ideas HERE to round out your Thanksgiving dinner!
Other Thanksgiving party foods you will love:
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Puree Spice Dip (With Gingersnaps)
Creamed Corn Biscuit Cups (An Easy Thanksgiving Appetizer)
Maple Bacon Butternut Squash Skewers
Maple Sweet Potato Rounds with Président Brie and Walnuts
Canape Crackers with Président rondelé and Caramelized Onions
Pumpkin & Maple Sausage Flatbread with Président Camembert
Président® Goat Cheese Puff Pastries with Maple Spiced Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough
- 3 tablespoon Président® Butter, melted
- 4 oz. Président® Goat cheese
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and allow your goat cheese to come to room temperature.
- Thaw your puff pastry just enough for you to unfold it. You want it to still be cold when it goes into the oven.
- Cut the sheet into thirds (along the folds), and prick the entire sheet all over using a fork. Brush lightly with butter and bake for 7-10 minutes or until it puffs up nicely and is golden brown.
- While this is baking, mix together your pecans, pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Remove puff pastry and while it is still hot, add small dollops of goat cheese all over the top of each sheet. Let it sit on top for 10 minutes and then use a butter knife or spoon to spread it out as much as you can.*The residual heat from the pastry will soften the cheese allowing it to spread easier.
- Spoon your maple spiced pecans over each sheet and use a large serrated knife to cut your pastry into strips that are 2-3" wide.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!