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Caramelized Onion Blue Cheese

Featured in Artful Small Plates and Sharing Dishes.

Every bite of these pastries packs so much flavor—those creamy blue cheese crumbles, the sweetness from caramelized onions, and a swipe of fig jam on a crisp crust. You’ll cook the onions until they turn deep gold and smell amazing, then spread everything onto puff pastry and bake. Honey and fresh thyme bring it all together for a pop of color and taste. Serve them warm or at room temp. You can also prep the pieces early if you need to make things easy for a party or hangout.

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Rana
Updated on Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:54:40 GMT
Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Puff Pastry Tarts Pin it
Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Puff Pastry Tarts | flavorsenthusiasts.com

Puffed pastry tarts with golden slow-cooked onions and bold blue cheese feel like your own homemade party magic. The mix of sweet onions, tangy cheese, a little thyme, and buttery pastry always wows a crowd or makes a quiet night special.

I whipped these up for a New Year's party once and they disappeared before dinner. Now my friends request them for every potluck or game night we plan.

Tasty Ingredients

  • Honey: Pour some on top after baking for a gentle sweetness. Lighter floral honey like clover is my go-to.
  • Fresh thyme: Scatter these leaves over at the end for lovely aroma and freshness.
  • Blue cheese: Go for one that's creamy yet strong, crumbled by you for top taste.
  • Fig jam: Thick jam full of fig chunks adds a sweet depth against the cheese.
  • Egg: Brush on for a deep golden shine to your pastry edges. A big egg works best.
  • Kosher salt: Sprinkle on during cooking so those flavors pop but don't go overboard.
  • Dry white wine: Splash in at the end of cooking onions for bright flavor. Grab a bottle you'd enjoy sipping too.
  • Granulated sugar: Toss in just a pinch to help brown those onions perfectly.
  • Butter and olive oil: Use both for rich, deep flavor as the onions slowly cook.
  • Onions: Choose white or yellow ones—pick the firmest you can find since they'll get oh-so-sweet.
  • Puff pastry: This is your crisp base. Buy good stuff and defrost overnight in the fridge for all those flaky layers.

Detailed Steps

Garnish and Serve:
Add a touch more crumbled blue cheese right before you pass them around for extra tang. These are great eaten warm, but still tasty at room temp.
Bake the Tarts:
Slide the trays into your hot oven. Let them puff and turn golden for 18 to 20 minutes. Pull them out, then right away drizzle with honey and scatter over thyme leaves while they're still warm.
Fill and Assemble the Tarts:
Lay your tart squares out on baking sheets lined with parchment so nothing sticks. Dab a bit of egg on the crust edges, spread a teaspoon of fig jam on each, and then drop some caramelized onions and blue cheese right in the center of each square.
Prep the Puff Pastry:
When your onions are nearly done, crank your oven to 400. Roll out both pastry sheets. Chop each into six big pieces, then slice each into three smaller ones. Take a knife and gently mark a half-inch border around the edge of every square.
Caramelize the Onions:
Pop butter and olive oil into a big pot over medium heat. Add your sliced onions, stir so they’re all coated, then let them cook without crowding. Give a good stir every four minutes for about an hour. After ten minutes, shake in some salt. At the half-hour point, turn the heat down a bit, keep stirring. When forty minutes pass, add sugar. Stir a lot so nothing burns. Once they’re deep brown at the hour mark, pour in the wine and scrape up all those tasty browned bits. Let them cool.
Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese. Pin it
Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese. | flavorsenthusiasts.com

I always top with thyme. It reminds me of a sunny garden picnic I threw in spring—everyone hung around the tray just for the scent. Now my family insists these are at every celebration.

Storage Tricks

Got leftovers? Stick them in the fridge for up to three days. Warm them in the oven at 350 for five minutes. You want them crispy—not soggy, so skip the microwave.

Swap Ideas

Not into blue cheese? Creamy goat cheese is a solid sub. For something milder, try a red or Vidalia onion. No fig jam? Grab some berry jam or caramelized apples for a new twist.

A stack of Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese. Pin it
A stack of Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese. | flavorsenthusiasts.com

How to Serve

Set these out as a fancy bite with a cold glass of white wine or bubbly cider. They’re awesome with tangy arugula salad too. They even shine on a cheese board with nuts and dried fruits.

Cultural Background

Slow-cooked onions and blue cheese pop up throughout European menus, especially cozy French bistros where deep flavors are the main event. This snack is a little wink to classic French onion tarts, but tweaked for easy American kitchens with just the right kick of sweetness.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ What’s the best way to caramelize the onions for these?

Give yourself about an hour with the onions over medium-low, stirring here and there. Toss in a dash of sugar plus a little white wine if you want bigger flavor.

→ Is it fine to switch up the blue cheese?

If you’re not feeling blue cheese, go for goat cheese or even feta for a tangy swap. Just know blue cheese brings a living sharp bite to the table.

→ Can I sub something else for the fig jam?

You bet—try apricot jam or an onion spread for a similar feel. Or slip on a little honey if you’d rather keep it more on the savory side.

→ Any tips for working with puff pastry?

Keep it cold until you’re ready, so it gets puffy and awesome. Move fast after you take it out of the fridge so it doesn’t get too soft.

→ Could I make these ahead of time?

Yep! Put them together and chill before baking, or bake them in advance and let them sit out—they stay yummy at room temp.

→ Which herbs are good for finishing on top?

Fresh thyme is solid! Rosemary or chives are also tasty and add a pop of green.

Caramelized Onion Blue Cheese

Flaky pastry with jam, blue cheese, and slow-cooked onions. Tasty, a bit sweet, and awesome for parties.

Prep Time
20 Minutes
Cook Time
80 Minutes
Total Time
100 Minutes
By: Rana


Difficulty: Intermediate

Cuisine: American

Yield: 18 Servings (18 little tarts)

Dietary: Vegetarian

Ingredients

→ Pastry

01 490 g puff pastry, left to chill in the fridge overnight

→ Caramelized Onions

02 1.1 kg yellow or white onions, sliced into half moons, 3 mm thick
03 15 ml olive oil
04 15 ml dry white wine
05 Kosher salt to taste
06 14 g unsalted butter
07 5 g regular sugar

→ Topping & Assembly

08 Honey to drizzle on top
09 140 g blue cheese, crumbled up
10 255 g fig jam
11 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
12 1 large egg, whisked

Instructions

Step 01

Pop butter and oil in a big pot over medium. Toss in the onions and stir them around till they're coated. After 10 minutes and a sprinkle of salt, give them a stir every handful of minutes. When 30 minutes pass, lower the heat. At the 40-minute mark, add sugar. Keep stirring now and then till the onions turn a rich, golden brown—this takes about an hour.

Step 02

Pour in white wine to loosen up those dark bits stuck to the bottom once the onions look jammy. Stir, then move onions off the heat to cool for a little while.

Step 03

Switch your oven on to 200°C. Roll out the puff pastry and cut both sheets along the seams so you get 6 pieces. Chop each one into 3 squares so you have 18 in total. Lightly score a border, about 1.3 cm around each square, for the edges to puff up nicely.

Step 04

Set out two baking trays lined with parchment. Lay the pastry squares out and keep a couple of fingers’ width between them.

Step 05

Use the egg to brush just the edges of your pastry squares. Plop a teaspoon of fig jam right in the middle, then a spoonful of onions, and top with a good pinch of blue cheese.

Step 06

Slide those trays in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. You want those pastries super golden and crispy.

Step 07

Pull the tarts out when they're ready. Scatter over some fresh thyme and give each tart a quick honey drizzle. These are awesome warm but honestly, room temp is good too.

Notes

  1. If you want a bolder blue cheese punch, sprinkle some extra on top right after baking.
  2. Don't let your puff pastry get too warm—work fast for the best lift and crunch.
  3. See brown spots on the pan while caramelizing onions? Those will come right off when you add wine.
  4. You can swap in pie crust or crescent dough, but the texture will feel different from regular puff pastry.

Tools You'll Need

  • Big pot
  • Good sharp knife
  • Baking trays
  • Parchment
  • Pastry brush

Allergy Information

Please check ingredients for potential allergens and consult a health professional if in doubt.
  • Has gluten because of the puff pastry.
  • Made with dairy—there’s butter, egg, and blue cheese.
  • Uses egg.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: 138
  • Total Fat: 8.2 g
  • Total Carbohydrate: 14 g
  • Protein: 2.6 g