One of the easiest recipes on this site has to be these ham and cheese squares. Even if you have very little cooking ability, you can whip up these tasty snacks in less than 20 minutes (the majority of that being baking time). Not to mention you can find everything you need in your pantry or the grocery store.
This canape recipe features ham and cheese (obviously) sandwiched between two layers of flaky puff pastry and cut into squares – hence the name. I’ve also added some seasonings and an egg wash but to be honest you don’t even need that; I do recommend it however.
Another great thing you’ll love about these ham and cheese squares is that everything is substitutable. You can use any type of ham you want, any type of cheese you want, and even different types of pastry. It’s perfect for entertaining and always a hit.
What You’ll Need
I consider this a no-measurement hors d’oeuvre, so it is up to you to eyeball the ingredient levels. Don’t worry, it is nothing to worry about. You can add as much or as little of each ingredient to suit your particular taste. All you need to start with is a pack of puff pastry. In the recipe card down below I do add my measurements, but think of them more as a general guide – you don’t need to follow it at all.
- Puff Pastry – 1 pack, frozen
- Cream Cheese
- Seasonings – I used Italian, Garlic Powder, and Salt. You can choose whatever you want.
- Ham – I used mortadella, but again, you can use whatever you want.
- Egg – For egg wash, optional
- Seeds – For topping, optional
Why I Love This Recipe
This ham and cheese squares recipe is so easy and fun, and entirely customizable. I make these for pretty much every house party, but often change up the type of cheese, ham, and seasonings I use. This is a pretty general American style version, but you can go Spanish (manchego and jamon iberico for example) Greek (feta and pastourma) or more if you so choose.
How To Make These Ham And Cheese Squares Canape
Like with all other puff pastry recipes you have a choice to make. Do you take the complex route and make your own puff pastry? Or do you just buy a pack from the store. I will always recommend the latter. Making it yourself is a great thing to do, once. After that you realize store-bought is not only easier but often better. There are a few things I recommend using store bought over homemade, and puff pastry is definitely one of them.
Roll out your sheet of puff pastry with a rolling pin (I prefer using a French style rolling pin made of oak) until it is about half the thickness it started as. Then smear cream cheese on half of the pastry. I like to consider this a no measurement recipe since you can eyeball it completely. Everything is ‘to taste’ so if you want to add more or less feel free to do so.
After smearing on the cream cheese I sprinkle some Italian seasoning and garlic powder and a little bit of salt. Again, everything is ‘to taste’. Feel like using different seasonings? Absolutely go for it.
Next step is to add the ham on top of the cheese (hence the name). You can use whatever ham or pork product you want, or even an entirely different meat like smoked turkey or chicken. I opted for thin, deli-style cuts of mortadella as it just happened to be what I had already. I’ve also made this recipe with prosciutto and it tastes great, although prosciutto is a little harder to cut when it comes time to make the squares.
Fold over the dough so you have a giant, sealed pocket. You don’t need to crimp the sides, and I actually prefer not to. This way the top and bottom layer both cook and puff evenly. Don’t worry, the insides will not slide out.
Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into squares. I like to do 4-5 cm (1.5-2 inches) so they are bite size pieces, but you can cut to the size you prefer. Place the squares on your baking sheet.
You can optionally make an egg wash. Just beat an egg with a little water and brush it over the top. I also sprinkle over a seed mix and some salt before popping the tray in the oven.
Bake the squares according to the instructions on the puff pastry. For example I did mine at 200C for 12 minutes. Your pastry instructions or oven are likely different so just follow what they say.
More Canapes You’ll Love
- Sprat And White Bean Crostini
- Summer Peach Bruschetta
- Ratatouille Octopus Tarts
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Spanish Tortilla
Ham And Cheese Squares
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 pack Puff Pastry frozen
- 100 grams Cream Cheese or to taste
- Seasonings I used Italian, Garlic Powder, and Salt. You can choose whatever you want.
- 150 grams Ham Or to taste. I used mortadella but again, you can use whatever you want.
- 1 Egg For egg wash, optional
- 1 tbsp Seeds optional, For topping
Instructions
- Roll out your puff pastry with the help of a rolling pin until it is half its original thickness.
- On half of the pastry smear the cream cheese then sprinkle with seasonings. Top with ham and fold over the empty half of the puff pastry.
- Cut pastry into 4-5cm (1.5-2 inch) squares using a sharp knife or a bench scraper and place the squares on a baking try. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds or salt or whatever you want.
- Bake in the oven according to your puff pastry instructions. Remove and serve. Enjoy!
