Cheese and Charcuterie Hot Pockets

When I was younger I would beg my mom to buy me hot pockets—the pepperoni pizza flavor, not the ham and cheese because those were gross—and she would indulge me every now and then. It was rare though. I loved them when I was younger, but I recently tried one and it wasn’t all that I remembered it to be. That might have to do with the fact that I was impatient and didn’t warm it enough and so the middle was cold and then I just ate it cold anyway because I was lazy. But also, they might just not be good? These Cheese and Charcuterie Hot Pockets are a grown up version that you can whip up in no time at all, and taste 100 times better than the frozen kind. The grocery store does all the work for us because it uses frozen puff pastry filled with grainy mustard, fig jam, prosciutto, capicola or salami, and brie cheese. Finish it off with a drizzle of honey and you’d swear you were eating from your favorite cheese board.

Working with one puff pastry square at a time, spread each with a teaspoon of mustard and a teaspoon of fig jam. Place a slice of prosciutto and salami on top (you might have to fold each to make them fit). You might have to fold each to make them fit. Then top with a slice of brie.

**Note: If your puff pastry isn’t already sold in squares, unroll the thawed sheets and cut into 8 equal squares. My store sells them in a package of 8 squares which makes this so much easier. So if you can find the squares just use that!**

Brush the edges of the puff pastry square with egg wash and then fold over in half to form a rectangle. Use a fork to seal and crimp the edges. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining puff pastry.

Once all the hot pockets have been filled and sealed, use a sharp pairing knife to make a couple of slits on top of each. This will allow steam to escape. Brush them each liberally with egg wash. In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan and black pepper and sprinkle on top of the puff pastry.

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Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until deep golden brown and flaky, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before eating.

**Tip: Don’t be afraid of putting all eight hot pockets on one baking sheet. They can be pretty snug as they don’t spread out, but rather just puff up! As long as they’re not touching, you’ll be good to go. Of course, you can divide them between two baking sheets if you prefer.**

If you want to make these ahead of time, you can make them all and freeze them unbaked. Then when you’re ready to bake, you can place them frozen on the baking sheet, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with the parmesan and black pepper mixture and bake.

**Note: Just keep in mind that you’ll need to bake them about 10 minutes longer from frozen.**

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You can enjoy them warm or they’re just as good at room temperature. All on their own they’re delicious, but they’re also great with a drizzle of honey or even hot honey right before serving. It’s just like all of my favorite flavors from a cheese board!

The best part about them is that you can really play around with the filling. Try different mustards, switch up the jam flavor, swap out the charcuterie or use your favorite cheese! These are great as a snack or appetizer, but they’d also be delicious with a simple arugula salad on the side.

If you were a big fan of pizza hot pockets as a kid—or even now as an adult, I’m not judging—then you’ll love these. They’re like a grown up hot pocket and I think you deserve to treat yourself to a glass of wine and a few of these this week. Be sure to let me know what you think below. As always, thank you so much for reading and following along!