~ This Cranberry and Goat Cheese Crostini recipe is a delightful, healthy appetizer that takes virtually no time to make (you can even prep it mostly ahead). Serve this piled beautifully on individual toasts, or offer it as a dip with crackers – so versatile! Tart and creamy, these delicious little bites are the ideal way to start any meal! Perfect for parties, and gorgeous for holiday buffets! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less • Includes Make-Ahead Steps • Vegetarian •
You know how there are some foods that are so delicious you want to eat them in multiple forms? Like, as soon as you taste a bite, you’re thinking, “Mmmm … I could eat this as a casserole! And on ice cream! Ohhhh … maybe even in a taco!”
No? You don’t do that? Humph. Maybe it’s just a food blogger thing.
Well, lucky for you, I did just that. And Shelley and I have been holding onto this recipe for nearly a year now – just because it’s awesomely perfect for the holidays!
You remember last year when we shared Shelley’s recipe for her scrumptious Easy Cranberry Sauce with Apples, Pecans and Pineapple (5 Minutes and No Cooking!) … right?
Well, the day we did our final tasting and photographing, all I could think of was how fabulous that cranberry sauce would taste with goat cheese! On a crunchy little toast! I pictured myself serving it on Thanksgiving Day to my extended family, everyone having a grand ol’ time laughing and happily munching on Cranberry Crostini with Goat Cheese. Yes. I needed to make this happen.
As we were photographing, I mentioned my little idea to Shelley (’cause I tell her everything anyhow), and she immediately went and grabbed the goat cheese from her fridge. Because she just has goat cheese at all times. That lady has a well stocked fridge. No joke there.
Sadly she didn’t have any crunchy little toasts, so we substituted flat pretzels. (Works equally well in a pinch … just an FYI.)
Even before we’d finished the pictures for our original cranberry sauce, we’d made a note on the calendar to share cranberry crostini for this year (as we happily wiped crostini crumbs off our chins and grabbed for more).
You probably know that Shelley and I essentially share a brain, so it should come as no surprise that we both had the exact same idea to make Cranberry and Goat Cheese Crostini last year to share with our families on Thanksgiving. It was just like I pictured … loads of our loved ones (mine in PA, and Shelley’s in OH) enjoying each other’s company over a delicious cranberry appetizer. Ahhh … perfection.
The only difference was that when we each separately created this yummy treat before the big meal – I made each crostini individually, while Shelley combined the goat cheese and cranberry sauce and let everyone spread the mixture themselves.
Friends … it’s delicious either way. Trust me.
Since cranberries are unofficially the official fruit of fall, this appetizer is literally begging to be made next week and shared at your Thanksgiving feast. It’s a special little way to let your family know how much you care. (And to keep them from getting the hungry-grumpies before the potatoes are mashed!)
Your sweet (and not grouchy!) families will be head-over-heels for these crunchy, creamy, sweet-tart little bites. A healthy snack that looks like you slaved in the kitchen all day? Mmmmhhmmmm. Everyone’s happy … just like Thanksgiving should be!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, loyal THKers! We count you among our blessings, and are so thankful for you!
Cranberry and Goat Cheese Crostini
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 1/2 Ambrosia or Honeycrisp apple (or other firm, sweet-tart variety), peeled and coarsely chopped (to equal about 3/4 cups)
- 3/4 cup (about 4 ounces) dried chopped pineapple
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- Toasted mini breads or crackers, for serving
Directions
- Put cranberries, apple, pineapple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency, scraping the sides once or twice if needed (see note).
- Spoon cranberry sauce onto individual toasted mini breads (the exact amount will depend on the size of breads or crostini that you purchase), and sprinkle goat cheese on top, dividing it evenly amongst all crostini.
- Alternately, you can gently mix the goat cheese directly into the cranberry sauce to serve as a dip with crackers.
Recipe Notes
Consistency: The exact consistency of this recipe is entirely up to you. We think it’s gorgeous and has great texture when the cranberry mixture is left a bit chunkier. If you prefer, however, you can make it smoother. The exact consistency you choose will affect the final yield.
Make-ahead tips: The cranberry sauce can be made a day or two in advance. Keep refrigerated until serving. Add goat cheese before serving.
I’ve never eaten raw cranberries. How is the taste and texture, honestly? Thank you.
Hi Mary! Gosh, let me see if I can try to describe … So, raw cranberries are a bit firm. I don’t know if I’d quite say they’re crunchy exactly, but almost. They’re also delightfully tart, just the way unsweetened cranberry juice is. The sweet pineapple and touch of brown sugar counterbalance that tartness, though, and the sweet-tart apple mirrors both flavor profiles in its own way. The goat cheese has lush, rich creaminess that provides terrific underlying body, and the vanilla and cinnamon add comforting, subtle background notes. You don’t typically just eat raw cranberries, straight-up, on their own – I mean, you could, but that’s not typically how most people enjoy them. What’s important here and makes this recipe work so beautifully is how their taste and texture is leveraged against contrasting flavors and textures from the other ingredients. Also, note that if you want the texture of the cranberry bits to be less prominent, you can process the cranberry mixture a bit more – you don’t want it to be smooth and soupy, certainly, but you can make it more or less craggy, depending on how chunky you like the bits of ingredients. If you pop over to the recipe for Cranberry Sauce (https://twohealthykitchens.com/easy-cranberry-sauce-with-apples-pecans-and-pineapple-5-minutes-and-no-cooking/) that inspired this appetizer recipe, you can see a photo of three different textures for the cranberry mixture – from a bit smoother to a bit chunkier – that you can achieve by simply processing the cranberry mixture a little more or a little less. I hope that description helps you! And I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ~Shelley
My sister offered several appetizers at our Thanksgiving gathering.
The cranberry and goat cheese crostini was a huge hit! There was a long wait for all guests to arrive and so, all of this yummy dish was gone before the last guest appeared!!
We’re so delighted that these were such a big success! They’ve definitely been a huge hit when we’ve taken them to parties to share, and we’re so glad to hear that your family loved them, too! Great appetizers definitely are a key, even on Thanksgiving, to keeping everyone happy until ALL the guests finally arrive (or the turkey finally is done!). Happy holidays to one of our most dedicated readers! We always appreciate your feedback! 😀 ~G&S