From the roundup: 12 Easy Appetizer Recipes for a Party
These sausage and cream cheese crescent roll bites are the one appetizer I can throw together on a weeknight and still feel like I planned ahead. The active work is maybe 15 minutes: brown the sausage, mix in the cream cheese, cut the dough, roll, done. The oven takes it from there in about 13 minutes.
The filling is two ingredients plus seasoning, which means it is actually fast and not just “fast” in that way recipes say when they mean 45 minutes. One pound of sausage and a block of softened cream cheese make enough filling for 32 little bites, which is plenty for a crowd or more than enough for a family that keeps circling the kitchen.
They reheat well, they travel fine in a covered pan, and the filling stays put inside the dough instead of leaking out the sides. That last part took me a couple of tries to figure out, and I will save you the trouble in the tips below.
How these became my potluck default
The first time I brought these to a neighborhood get-together, I made one batch thinking it would be plenty. I was wrong. I stood there watching a plate of 24 bites disappear in about eight minutes, and two people asked me for the recipe before I even sat down. Now I always make a double batch and hide half of them in the kitchen until the first plate is gone.
My middle three will eat anything wrapped in crescent dough, so this one has never been a hard sell at home either. I usually use hot sausage for the adults and set aside a few bites made with mild for the younger ones before I mix the filling together. Same recipe, no complaints from anyone.
Why you will love this
- Total time is under 30 minutes, including browning the sausage
- You can assemble them up to 4 hours ahead and bake right before serving
- One pound of sausage fills 32 bites, enough for a real crowd
- The filling stays inside the dough when you roll them correctly, no mess on the pan
- Leftovers reheat in a 350-degree oven and the dough crisps back up
Tips for success
- Let the cooked sausage cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the cream cheese. I skipped this once and ended up with a greasy, soupy filling that soaked through the dough before it could bake. Ten minutes of patience fixes that completely.
- Cut each crescent triangle from the wide base all the way to the tip, not just partway. Smaller triangles wrap more evenly and you get a better seal at the seam.
- Place the bites seam side down on the pan and press the tip gently underneath. If the seam faces up, it pops open in the oven and the filling bubbles out.
- Pull them when the tops are deep golden, not just pale yellow. Pale dough usually means the inside is still a little doughy around the filling. 12 to 14 minutes at 375 degrees is the range, but ovens vary, so check at 12.
If your bites turn out greasy or leaky
- Greasy filling: the sausage was probably still too warm when the cream cheese went in. Cool it longer next time, and drain the fat thoroughly before transferring to the bowl.
- Filling leaking out: the seam was likely facing up or the tip was not tucked under. Seam side down, every time.
- Dough feels soft and pale after 14 minutes: your oven may run cool. Give them 2 more minutes and check again. The dough should feel set, not squishy, when you press the top lightly.
- Too salty: this usually comes from the sausage brand. If yours is salty on its own, skip the added pepper or taste the filling before rolling so you can adjust.
Substitutions
Hot breakfast sausage works well if your crowd likes heat. Turkey sausage is a fine swap and makes the filling a little lighter without changing the texture much. If someone in the house avoids pork, turkey is the easiest one-to-one replacement. Neufchatel cheese can stand in for the cream cheese and behaves almost the same way in the filling.
For picky eaters who want something milder, plain mild pork sausage with just the garlic powder is a safe bet. You can also stir a small handful of shredded sharp cheddar into the filling if you want a little more flavor without changing anything else about the recipe.
Make-ahead and storage
To make these ahead, assemble the bites on the parchment-lined pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Take the pan out of the fridge about 10 minutes before baking so the dough is not ice cold going into the oven. Bake as directed. Leftover baked bites keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, put them on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes. The exterior crisps back up nicely that way. The microwave works in a pinch but the dough goes soft, so the oven is worth it if you have the time. You can also freeze unbaked assembled bites: freeze them flat on the sheet pan first, then transfer to a zip bag. Bake from frozen at 375 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes.
Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescent Roll Bites
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. You want it fully browned with no pink remaining, about 8 to 10 minutes. Tip the skillet and spoon off as much of the fat as you can, then transfer the sausage to a mixing bowl.
- Let the sausage cool in the bowl for at least 10 minutes. This step matters. If the meat is too hot it will soften the cream cheese too fast and the filling gets greasy instead of creamy.
- Add the softened cream cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper to the cooled sausage. Stir everything together until the cream cheese is fully mixed in and you have a thick, uniform filling with no white streaks.
- Open both cans of crescent dough and unroll them on a clean surface. Separate at the perforations to get individual triangles, then use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut each triangle in half lengthwise from the wide base to the tip. You will have 32 smaller triangles total.
- Place a heaping teaspoon of the sausage filling near the wide end of each small triangle. Fold the two outer corners of the wide end up over the filling, then roll the dough toward the point, tucking the tip underneath the bite. Press the seam gently so it stays closed.
- Arrange the bites on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and the dough feels set when you press it lightly. Garnish with parsley if using and serve warm.
Notes
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