Spinach Artichoke Puffs

We spent Thanksgiving with the big extended family, and with so many of us getting together, we all get assignments for food responsibilities. One of my jobs this year was to bring an appetizer, so I wanted to make something that people could grab and keep going as they were running between keeping up with kids and making their own food and trying to catch some time on the beach. I was watching the Barefoot Contessa and she made a savory palmier using a sun dried tomato pesto that looked absolutely fantastic. That sent me thinking about what fillings would be the most popular with the crowd I’d be feeding, and I came up with stuffing the puff pastry with spinach artichoke dip.

Whenever I embark on a recipe I haven’t tried before, I always start by consulting with Alton Brown. His recipe for the dip is just yummy, and I stuck right to it.

1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts (I used canned. It was easier and tasted great.)
6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. (I just defrosted in the microwave) Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

To turn this dip into puffs, you’ll also need:

Frozen puff pastry filo dough
butter
bread crumbs

There are a few different styles of puff pastry on the market. Follow the instructions on the box to defrost it. If the puff pastry is like a big sheet of dough, roll it out a little bit with a rolling pin and brush with melted butter. So apparently, there is a difference between puffy doughs. Thanks Siobhan! If the puff pastry comes in individual sheets, Filo dough comes in sheets, so take one sheet at a time and spread with melted butter and sprinkle a small handful of breadcrumbs over it. This is a tip I picked up from Ina Garten. The breadcrumbs keep the sheets from sealing together so it stays nice and puffy. Keep layering, pastry sheet, butter, breadcrumbs, until you have 6 sheets together. Brush the last sheet with butter.

Spread the dip onto your prepared dough. Roll the pastry up into a log, and slice rounds off the end. I found a serrated knife to work best for this. Place the rounds on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 350 for around 15 minutes, but check your dough box for how long they recommend. You just want the pastry to get puffy and crispy and the dip to get nice and hot.

Since Thanksgiving I’ve made these for nearly every get together I’ve attended. My friend EmaLee had a baby shower so I made a ton and the platter was nearly licked clean. It combines the yumminess of a traditional spinach and artichoke dip, but adds in the virtue of portability.

7 thoughts on “Spinach Artichoke Puffs

  1. puff pastry is the doughy stuff. what you used is phyllo (or filo) dough. they look good! like a spin on spanakopita!

  2. Awesome Siobhan! Thanks a million for the clarification. I'll have to edit the recipe so I make sense to anyone who actually knows the difference. 😉

  3. I do believe that I may be in love! these sound soooo delicious and scrumptious, I must make them!!!

  4. That looks so yummy! I love spinach artichoke dip so I'm definitely going to have to try this! Thanks for sharing!!

  5. I saw those Savory Palmiers on BC too, and thought of a few interesting ways to change it up. 🙂 I love her show.

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