Spinach Puffs Recipe

One of my favorite things about dinner parties are the appetizers, more specifically mini appetizers. My mom and I both enjoy cooking and coming up with new dishes to impress and what makes them even better is when they come out looking cute! My ideal party would be a tasting party, where all the food comes in mini sizes or tapas style so you can try a little bit of everything. This recipe is one out of my mom's repertoire and fits all these categories: mini, cute, tasty, and simple to make! 

Spinach Puffs Recipe

Yield: 100 puffs
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 boxes of Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Sheets thawed
1 16 oz container of spinach dip (I recommend doing the flip test - when you flip the container upside down, the contents do not fall to the other side. If the contents move to the other side it is probably too wet for this recipe)
2 egg yolks

Step 1:
Open up the first puff pastry sheet. Each box contains 2 sheets. Cut the sheets evenly into 5 rows and 5 columns to make total 25 equally divided squares as shown below. 

Step 2: 
Taking a square of dough you just cut, scoop a very small amount of spinach dip into the center: roughly 1/2-1tsp per square. Work with one square at at time to prevent the dip from melting - it is easier to work with when still cold.

Step 3:
Taking the corner closest to you, fold it over and pinch it very tightly with the opposite corner. 

Step 4:
Take the corners that you pinch and turn 90 degrees. Now take the other two corners and pinch it tightly together in the middle with the corners you have already pinched. 

Step 5:
Take the pinched corners and pinch and twist very tightly so that it does not explode and come undone when baking. 

Step 6: 
Repeat steps 2-5 until all the squares are filled. About a quarter of the way through (25 squares), preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  You will have left over spinach dip when you are done filling the puff pastry which is fine! don't try to stuff the pastries with too much dip since they can explode in the oven when the pastries expand. 

Step 7:
Line the puffs on a baking tray so they sit at least 1.5 inch apart since they will expand. 

Step 8:
Brush the top of each puff pastry with the mixed egg yolk. 

Step 9:
Bake in oven at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes until fully puffed and golden. Serve warm and enjoy. 

Note: You can also make these before hand. Freeze the folded pastries in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks prior to your event. You can also freeze them overnight, then package them into a vacuum sealed freezer bag for up to 2 months. Do not defrost before baking. Align pastries on baking sheet and brush with egg yolk. Bake directly from freezer at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. If your oven runs cooler, you can increase the temperature to 400 degrees F. 

Share your favorite "mini appetizer" recipe in the comments box below!

Happy Saturday!