Hot Olive Cheese Puffs

Hot olive cheese puffs are a vintage cocktail-party trick that still earns its keep: a thumbprint of sharp cheddar dough wrapped around a single brined olive, baked until the pastry shatters and the olive inside turns warm and salty. Three tablespoons of softened butter is what makes the dough pliable enough to seal cleanly without cracking.

Use the sharpest aged cheddar you can find. Mild cheese disappears against the olive; aged cheddar fights back with bite. A pinch of paprika in the dough adds warmth and a faint blush of color to the finished puffs.

The big advantage with this appetizer is that the unbaked puffs freeze beautifully, so you can roll them weeks ahead, freeze on a sheet pan, then bag them up. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.

Pro Tips

• Pat the olives dry with paper towel before wrapping. Wet olives cause the dough to slip and split during baking.
• Seal each puff completely, pinching any cracks closed. A leaky seam means the olive pops out as the dough bakes.
• Use room-temperature butter, not melted. Melted butter makes greasy dough that won’t crisp.
• For the cleanest finish, chill the wrapped puffs for 15 minutes before baking. Cold dough holds its shape.

Variations

• Swap green olives for pitted Kalamatas and add a pinch of dried oregano for a Greek twist.
• Stuff the olives with a sliver of almond before wrapping for a crunchy surprise.
• Use smoked paprika instead of sweet for a deeper, smokier flavor.