Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Squares
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These Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry parcels combine flaky all-butter puff pastry dough with creamy Brie, caramelized onions, and Dijon mustard for a bakery-worthy pastry that tastes even better than it looks.
As a trained pastry chef and former personal chef, I’ve made a LOT of puff pastry recipes. In fact, I wrote a whole Puff Pastry Magic ebook! And I’ll tell you, these ham and cheese pastries really make the most of their flaky puff pastry crust. Unlike some recipes that just wrap cheddar and ham in puff pastry dough and bake, this version has two big upgrades you’re going to love.
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Why You'll Love These Ham and Cheese Pastries
- High-End Ingredients: All-butter pastry and Brie cheese really up the taste of this dish.
- Caramelized Onions: These add a sweetness and depth that are so worth the time to make them.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Assemble the day before, freeze, and bake when guests arrive.
- Hot Honey: A drizzle of hot honey at the end is chef’s kiss!
🥗 Ingredients
- Puff Pastry: I highly recommend using Dufour puff pastry dough, an all-butter version with great flavor and puff. That said, any store-bought puff pastry works here. Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets will give you good results and are easy to find in grocery stores.
- Brie: Love the combination of this with the ham and the onions. Camembert makes a great substitute, and you could also use another good melting cheese like fontina, Swiss cheese, or mozzarella cheese.
- Ham: Good deli ham works great here. This is also a great way to use up leftover ham from your holiday celebration.
- Dijon Mustard: Sub whatever mustard you prefer. Whole-grain mustard is delicious as well, as is mustard with a little horseradish in it.
- Hot Honey: I use Mike's Hot Honey, but you can easily make your own as well. Try this easy Hot Honey Recipe.
- Fresh Chives: These make a pretty green garnish. Feel free to substitute chopped fresh parsley or fresh thyme leaves.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Defrost 1 sheet of puff pastry (14 ounces) in the refrigerator per package instructions. You can defrost at room temperature, but be very careful not to let it warm up too much.
2. Caramelize the onions: Peel and thinly slice 1 large onion into half-moons. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in a small bowl.
3. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12 x 12-inch square. Cut into thirds horizontally and vertically to make nine 4-inch squares. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Cut 4 ounces of Brie into ¼-inch thick slices. (The rind is edible, so your choice whether to leave it on or cut it off.)
5. Assemble: Swipe a bit of Dijon mustard across each square, then layer with a piece of sliced ham, a tablespoon of onions, and a slice of Brie. Tuck the ham around the onions and cheese so you can fold two opposite corners of the dough over the filling.
6. Make egg wash: Whisk 1 large egg with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt.
7. Fold and seal: Brush one corner of each pastry with egg wash, then pull both corners up and over the filling. Press the egg washed corner on top of the other corner to seal.
8. Freeze: Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F. Reserve the egg wash in the refrigerator.
9. Brush all exposed pastry with the remaining egg wash. For best results, make sure every exposed surface is well coated. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden brown.
10. Garnish with chopped fresh chives and a drizzle of hot honey. Serve warm.
Storage Tips
Best eaten fresh. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in a 350° F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. You can also reheat in an air fryer. Reheating in the microwave is not recommended, because it won’t crisp up the pastry again.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Recipe
Yes! Assemble and place the unbaked pastries in an airtight container, then refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead. You can also freeze the unbaked pastries for up to a month. Freeze on a baking sheet, then you can transfer to a freezer-safe bag after they are fully frozen. Bake from frozen at 400° F, adding 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time.
Yes. Camembert is the closest swap. Gruyere would also be delicious, though it’s a stronger flavor. Avoid dry, crumbly cheeses that won't melt well.
The pastry should be a deep golden brown, and should not have any pale spots that look uncooked. If you lever up the bottom of a pastry with a spatula, it should be browned and firm.
👩🍳 Expert Tips for Ham and Cheese with Puff Pastry
Keep the dough cold. If the pastry starts to feel soft or sticky while you're assembling, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing.
Note: it's perfectly ok if your packages unfold, as mine did! The sealing of the corners on top is really just to make sure that the filling stays in there as it bakes. If it stays together, great. If not, also great!
Don’t rush the onions. Give yourself at least 15 to 20 minutes for proper caramelization. (In fact, great caramelization takes even longer at a lower heat, but I think this middle ground version works best here.)
Don't skip the freezer time. This is one of the most important techniques in this recipe. Cold butter hitting a hot oven is what creates all those beautiful flaky pastry layers.
If your baking sheet doesn’t fit in your freezer, just transfer the puff pastry ham and cheese bundles to a parchment-lined cutting board or large plate instead.
You can cut into smaller squares if you want a bite-sized party appetizer.
Want to get creative with flavors? Once you have the technique in this easy recipe down, you can sub in other ingredients. Replace the ham with turkey or prosciutto. Try fig jam, strawberry jam, or honey mustard instead of the Dijon mustard.
You could also add fruit like a slice of apple with the Brie for a sweet-savory twist! Add sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or Everything Bagel seasoning. If you’ve got Thanksgiving leftovers, you could put in turkey, cranberry sauce, and Brie. And of course, you could do a vegetarian version with just apples and Brie.
Other Savory Puff Pastry Recipes
If you love puff pastry as much as I do, you’ll want to check out some of my other puff pastry recipes. After all, you might have a second sheet of puff pastry left in your package! Try one of these next:
If you try this Cheese and Ham Puff Pastry recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Squares
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry dough Dufour preferred
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 ounces Brie cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 4 ounces sliced ham
- 1 egg
- Chopped fresh chives to garnish
- Hot honey to garnish
Instructions
- Defrost puff pastry in the refrigerator, per package instructions.
- Peel and thinly slice onion into half-moons.
- Cut Brie into ¼-inch thick slices.
- Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and lightly browned around the edges (about 15-20 minutes). Scrape onions into a small bowl to cool.
- Lay out puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.
- Use a rolling pin to roll into a 12 x 12-inch square.
- Cut dough in thirds horizontally and vertically, so that you have nine 4-inch squares. Place onto a parchment-paper lined sheet pan.
- Swipe a bit of mustard onto each pastry, then add 1 piece of ham on each one.
- Top ham with a tablespoon of the onions, and a slice of cheese.
- Tuck the ham around the onions and cheese, so that you can fold over the two opposite corners of the pastry dough.
- Crack egg into a small bowl, and whisk with a teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt.
- Paint one exposed corner of each pastry with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Then lift up the opposite corner of the dough and press the egg washed corner on top of it to seal. Repeat for all of the pastries.
- Cover the egg wash with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
- Move baking sheet into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
- While pastries are chilling, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- After 30 minutes, remove the pastries from the freezer and paint all of the exposed pastry dough with egg wash.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until pastry is cooked through and golden brown.
- Garnish pastries with chopped chives and a drizzle of hot honey.
Notes
- Keep the dough cold. If the pastry starts to feel soft or sticky while you're assembling, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Don’t rush the onions. Give yourself at least 15 to 20 minutes for proper caramelization. (In fact, great caramelization takes even longer at a lower heat, but I think this middle ground version works best here.)
- Don't skip the freezer time. This is one of the most important techniques in this recipe. Cold butter hitting a hot oven is what creates all those beautiful flaky pastry layers.
- If your baking sheet doesn’t fit in your freezer, just transfer the puff pastry ham and cheese bundles to a parchment-lined cutting board or large plate instead.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
