These Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Bites are the party appetizer everyone will ask you about. Each one starts with a buttery homemade parmesan cracker and then is topped with a swirl of sweet and spicy pepper jelly cream cheese and a candied pecan. The crackers are easy to make in a food processor.
This recipe makes about 55 bites, so it is perfect for holidays and game day. I will definitely be making a batch for Thanksgiving!
Party-ready
Make-ahead
Quick Look: Cheesy Cracker Bites with Pepper Jelly and Pecans
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 13-15 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes (includes 1 hour chill time)
- 🧀 Servings: 55 bites
- ⚡️ Calories: 53 calories per bite (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Bake in oven at 350F
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Flour, Parmesan, Butter, Cream Cheese, Red Pepper Jelly, Candied Pecans
- 🧊 Make Ahead: Assembled bites keep in the fridge for up to 1 day
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Looks and sounds fancy but is actually pretty easy!
Mad’s Testing Notes: it took me MANY tries to get these bites just right, but the result is an appetizer that looks super fancy while actually being pretty easy! Temperature is the key for a full proof recipe. You want the cracker dough to be cold before baking, BUT you want the red pepper cream cheese to be warm enough to easily pipe. The best part about this appetizer is that you can make them the day ahead and they will still be perfect!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Homemade Parmesan Crackers – Skip the store-bought crackers! These cheesy, crispy Parmesan crackers come together easily in a food processor and really make the recipe.
- Perfect One-Bite Appetizer – Each homemade cracker is topped with a creamy pepper jelly mixture and finished with a candied pecan for the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and crunchy.
- Great for Entertaining – This recipe makes about 55 bite-sized appetizers, making it perfect for holiday gatherings, parties, and feeding a crowd.
If you’re looking for another tasty and fun appetizer, try these Mini Pretzel Dogs.
Ingredients You’ll need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make these cheesy cracker bites with pepper jelly. For a full list of ingredients and amounts please head to the full recipe.
- All purpose flour – Scoop and level the flour so the crackers stay crisp and not dense.
- Grated parmesan cheese – Finely grated parmesan gives the crackers a nutty, salty flavor.
- Granulated sugar – Just two tablespoons help the crackers brown and balance the salt.
- Kosher salt – Seasons the dough. The parmesan and butter are salty too.
- Salted butter – Keep it cold, straight from the fridge. Cold butter is what makes the crackers crisp.
- Ice cold water – Add it one tablespoon at a time. You only need just enough for the dough to come together.
- Cream cheese – Use an 8 ounce brick. It gets blended with the pepper jelly until smooth.
- Red pepper jelly – Sweet with a little heat. Look for it near the jams and jellies at most grocery stores. You can use a hotter pepper jelly if you want more spice, or a milder one for kids.
- Candied pecans – Break or cut each pecan in half. One half sits on top of each bite for crunch and sweetness.
Looking for another easy sweet and savory appetizer? Try this Whipped Goat Cheese Dip.
Can I use store-bought crackers?
Yes. If you are short on time, you can top Ritz or other round butter crackers with the same filling and pecans. The homemade crackers do add a cheesy flavor you cannot get from a box though!
What to serve with these bites
These bites go well with a holiday spread, a charcuterie board, or a soup and appetizer night. I like pairing them with some of my other appetizers like Baked French Onion Dip, Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Bang Bang Shrimp Dip.
How to make cheesy cracker bites with pepper jelly and pecans
Step 1: Make the dough. Pulse the flour, parmesan, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the cubed cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like sand. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice cold water until the dough forms a ball.
Step 2: Chill the dough. Shape it into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it for 1 hour.
Step 3: Cut and bake the crackers. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut 1 inch rounds. Bake at 350F for 13 to 15 minutes until golden.
Step 4: Make the filling. Blend the cream cheese and pepper jelly in a food processor until smooth. Pipe it into a bag and chill it.
Step 5: Top and serve. Pipe 1 teaspoon of filling onto each cooled cracker. Add half a candied pecan to each one.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best cheesy cracker bites with pepper jelly and pecans 🧀
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is the secret to crisp crackers. If the dough feels warm or sticky, chill it for 10 more minutes.
- Do not skip the chill time. The dough needs one full hour in the fridge so it is easy to roll and cut.
- Watch the crackers closely. They can burn fast, so start checking at 13 minutes.
- Cool the crackers completely. Warm crackers will melt the filling, so let them cool all the way before piping.
If you are looking for a dessert bite to pair alongside these, try these Rolo Pretzel Bites.
Make Ahead Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Bites
These bites are great for parties because you can get a head start. You have two easy options.
Option 1: Prep the parts ahead (up to 3 days)
- Bake the crackers and let them cool completely. Store them in the fridge.
- Make the pepper jelly cream cheese filling and store it in the fridge.
- When you are ready to serve, pipe the filling onto the crackers and add a candied pecan half to each one.
Option 2: Assemble the bites ahead (up to 24 hours)
- Fully assemble the bites with the filling and pecans.
- Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Serve them right from the fridge.
Other Delicious Appetizers
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Cheesy Cracker Bites with Pepper Jelly and Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour scoop and level measured
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 stick salted butter cold from fridge
- 1-2 tbsp ice cold water
- 8 oz brick of cream cheese
- ¼ cup red pepper jelly
- 30 candied pecans
Instructions
- Pour flour, parmesan cheese, sugar and salt into a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix evenly. Cut cold butter into cubes and pour into food processor. Pulse again until the butter and dry ingredient mixture has a sand like texture.
- Make a small bowl of cold water with ice cubes in it. Add 1 tbsp of ice cold water into the food processor and run. Add a touch more water if a dough ball does not form. The dough should come together with 1-2 tbsp of water and form an even dough ball.
- Take the dough out of the food processor and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Form into a rectangle, wrap in the plastic and place in the fridge for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap on a floured surface. Roll the dough out until it is about ¼” thick.
- Cut out rounds with a small circle cookie cutter (about 1” in diameter) cut out as many circles as possible and lay on the baking sheet. Re-roll the dough scraps, cut more rounds out and place on the baking sheet. Repeat this until all dough is used.
- Bake in oven at 350F for 13-15 minutes. The rounds should be golden brown and fully cooked through. They can easily burn so check at 13 minutes and cook a bit longer if needed.
- While the rounds cook, pour the cream cheese and red pepper jelly into a food processor and process until evenly combined. Pour into a plastic bag or a piping bag and place in the fridge.
- Remove the cooked cracker rounds from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, add a 1 tsp dollop of the pepper jelly and cream cheese mixture on top of each cracker. You can do this by cutting the corner off of a plastic baggie OR by using a star tip attachment on a piping bag.
- Break or cut candied pecans in half and place one half candied pecan on each dollop of cheese on the cracker. Serve immediately or if making ahead, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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