Plum Pastry Bites: Can You Make Them Fast Enough?

One afternoon I was looking after my siblings. It was a slow-paced, relaxing day; we were going to watch a movie, but I really felt like we needed some kind of yummy snack to go with it. So you know what? I whipped up a batch of these pastry bites; I stuck them in the oven just as the movie was starting, and all but two were gone by the time the movie was over. They were a smash-hit; I ate several while they were hot out of the oven, and one or two after they had been sitting awhile and gotten cold. They were awesome either way, like something from a restaurant!

They would be great finger-foods to bring to parties, or even, like I did, just to make for you and somebody special for a night in with a movie. Whatever you decide to do though, I HIGHLY advise that you try them. They are fun to make, and probably one of the best new recipes I’ve tried in a long time.

Ingredients:
1 fourteen inch pie crust
2 ounces of cream cheese, cut into sixteen cubes
8 teaspoons plum preserve jam
water

Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie crust dough from the middle outward to create a square eleven by eleven inches. Cut and patch here and there to make the square shape. Cut four rows by four rows to make sixteen smaller squares of pastry.

In the center of each little pastry square, drop 1/2 teaspoon of plum preserve jam, and place one little cheese cube on top of that. Moisten the edges of the square with water, then bring the four corners up to meet at the top, and seal the moistened edges together to make a nice little pocket.

Place them on the lined cookie sheet and slide them into the oven. Let them bake for 14 to 17 minutes, or until the pastry gets nice and golden. Slide them out and eat them right then, or let them cool slightly and add a tiny dollop more plum preserves on the top to make them look pretty before serving.

THEY ARE DELICIOUS. I’m not even kidding you. Go. Try some. Right now.