Trio of Cheese & Jam Appetizers in Mini Toast Cups

When you can’t decide which cheese and jam pairing to serve at your next party, why not offer more than one option?

This trio of cheese & jam appetizers in mini toast cups is a festive, colorful way to serve a variety of flavors in just one platter.

For this recipe, I chose cranberry and Brie, cheddar and apricot, and Parmesan and fig. Each option on the platter will offer a different flavor combo, but they all share the same base: golden, crispy mini toast cups.

These little appetizers will look super elegant and cute on your party table, but best of all, they’re inexpensive and simple to make with pantry staples like bread, jam, and a few different cheeses.

Just remember, they will taste their best when served warm, so plan to bake them close to serving time.

What You’ll Need

To make a full batch of 24 assorted bites, you’ll need:

• Bread slices (white bread will look the best with all the different colors, but wholemeal bread will work just fine, too)
• Three types of cheese: Brie, cheddar, and Parmesan (or another hard Italian cheese)
• Three jams: cranberry, apricot, and fig
• A handful of walnuts
• Honey and thyme for topping
• Olive oil for brushing the toast cups

How to Make This Trio of Cheese & Jam Appetizer Bites

Step one is preparing the toast cups:

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a mini muffin pan with olive oil.

Using a sharp knife, trim the crusts from all the bread slices as close to the edges as possible and cut each slice into four roughly equal squares.

Flatten each piece with a rolling pin, working both lengthwise and widthwise to help the bread become thin and easily pliable. When all the pieces are rolled, press them all into the muffin tin to form little cups. Brush the tops lightly with oil again.

Cut the Brie, cheddar, and Parmesan cheese into 1-inch cubes. Place one piece of cheese into each bread cup, dividing evenly so you have 8 Brie, 8 cheddar, and 8 Parmesan cups.

Bake the cups for about 7-8 minutes, until the cheeses begin to melt. Then switch the oven to broil for a couple of minutes to lightly brown the edges of the bread and get a golden finish. Keep an eye on the cups so that the edges don’t burn!

While the cups bake, crush walnuts with your hands or a mortar and pestle into smaller pieces. In a small bowl, mix honey with thyme until well blended. If you’re using crystallized honey, you need to melt it first.

When the toast cups look ready, remove the tray from the oven and top each set of cups with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam each, matching the cheeses like so:

• Brie + cranberry jam
• Cheddar + apricot jam
• Parmesan + fig jam

For final touches, sprinkle the Brie and cranberry toast cups with crushed walnuts and drizzle the honey-thyme mix on the rest.

Serve warm for the best gooey, melty texture. If needed, you can pop them back into a warm oven for a few minutes just before serving.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You’ll prepare one tray, but you’ll get three flavors: Instead of having to choose just one jam and cheese pairing, this recipe offers ideas for three different options that are easy to make in bulk.
• It’s a simple recipe, but the result is elegant and totally party-worthy: The toast cups look super fancy with all the different colors, but the whole thing comes together in just 30 minutes max.
• It’s easily customizable: If the pairings I’ve offered here aren’t to your taste, you can always swap out the jams and/or cheeses based on your favorites.
• It’s budget-friendly: The recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and uses cheap pantry staples you’re likely to already have.
• The cheese and jam bites look gorgeous on a platter: The trio of cheese and jam appetizer cups looks beautiful arranged together on a serving platter, making it perfect for holiday entertaining and parties all year round.

Tips for Success

• Use day-old bread – stale bread shapes more easily and crisps better.
• Cut the cheese evenly so the cups bake at the same rate.
• Add jams only after baking to keep them glossy and prevent drying or burning.
• Keep warm until serving by leaving them in the oven at a low temperature.
• Try different seasonal options: swap in peach jam, apple butter, or even spicy chutney for different events and occasions.

📌 Trio of Cheese & Jam Appetizers in Mini Toast Cups (Recipe Card)

Ingredients (Makes 24 bites)

• 6 slices of bread (white or wholemeal)
• 2 oz Brie cheese
• 2 oz cheddar cheese
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese
• Cranberry jam or sauce
• Apricot jam
• Fig jam
• Handful of walnuts
• 2 tablespoons honey, liquid or melted
• 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dried
• Olive oil, for brushing

Equipment

• Mini muffin pan (or regular muffin pan)
• Rolling pin
• Knife and cutting board
• Pastry brush
• Small bowls

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a mini muffin pan with a bit of olive oil.
2. Trim crusts from all the bread slices and cut each slice into four roughly equal squares.
3. Roll each square flat with a rolling pin, working both lengthwise and widthwise to get thin, pliable pieces.
4. Press the bread squares into your muffin pan to form little cups and brush the tops with a bit of olive oil.
5. Cut cheeses into about 1-inch cubes. Fill 8 bread cups with Brie, 8 with cheddar, and 8 with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for about 7-8 minutes until the cheeses start to melt. Switch oven to broil for another 2–3 minutes, until the edges of the cups are golden.
7. While the cups are baking, crush walnuts into smaller pieces and mix honey with thyme in a small bowl.
8. Remove the tray from the oven and top each set of cups with their pairing:
   • Brie + cranberry jam + crushed walnuts
   • Cheddar + apricot jam + honey-thyme drizzle
   • Parmesan + fig jam + honey-thyme drizzle
9. Serve the cheese and jam cups warm. Keep in oven on low heat if serving later.