bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese. an easy & beautiful appetizer for any holiday party, this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese is always a total show stopper. dried fruits (apricots, golden raisins, figs, cranberries) get marinated with fresh herbs & pine nuts, then served over a generous portion of goat cheese. this marinated goat cheese recipe only takes 10 minutes to prep & is always a hit! this Recipe for Later!
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
oooooh henny, YAS. we’re going there today.
today’s the day we’re throwing LOADS of jewel toned pretties in a bowl to marinate with fresh herbs & pine nuts, then we’re pouring it all over goat cheese to make your holiday appetizer dreams come true.
bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese. let’s get to it.
a show-stopping marinated goat cheese appetizer: bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
i’ve been thinking a lot lately about my FAVE pwwb recipes of 2018. there have been SO many good ones. skillet red curry. tahini buckeyes. smoky chipotle cashew queso. refined sugar free margaritas. grilled chicken shawarma hummus bowls. it’s been a crazy delicious year, guys. & it feels impossible to choose just one favorite out of the bunch.
but if i had to? if you made me?
it just might be this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe. yes…it’s THAT good! 
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
if i’m being completely honest, i created this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese out of total desperation. ?
our neighborhood wine & liquor store is attached to a really fun fancy pants cheese shop that makes all my bougie, millennial dreams come true. they have an amazing assortment of meats & cheeses, & a bunch of fun specialty items that they both procure & make right in house. & their signature chevre, topped with dried fruits, green onions & pine nuts is probably one of my favorite things in the entire universe.
the only downside, actually, is the fact that it’s sold for about a bajillion dollars per pound, & every time i have one too many tastings of wine next door (free wine tastings every week! ?), i fancy myself the type of person who can afford to casually buy $30 of cheese on a random night. #whoops.
so, that’s how we arrive here, with my take on my favorite cheese dish in the cities: bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese. 
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
here’s the deal. this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese is utterly perfection, in so many ways:
- it’s easy to make. really freakin’ easy to make, in fact, because all of you have to do is marinate some dried fruits & pour them over your favorite goat cheese.
- it’s so pretty. so, so pretty, actually. the jewel toned combination of dried apricots, dried cranberries, & golden raisins will do that!
- it’s so tasty. dried fruits + goat cheese is always a match made in heaven, but when you add fresh herbs & pine nuts to the mix? totally addictive.
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
one of my favorite things about this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese, other than how gorgeous & tasty it is, is how truly easy it is to throw together. you need one bowl & 10 minutes. that’s it!
first, you’ll start with some dried fruit.
my favorites are based on the ones in that fancy pants signature chevre – dried apricots, dried figs, golden raisins & dried cranberries. you can really use whatever you love best, though, or whatever you already have in your pantry. go for a variety of colors to make your bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese extra gorgeous, but use whatever you like.
if you need some inspiration, just head to trader joe’s & peruse their dried fruits section! they have a TON of options to choose from, & they’d all pretty much be great, except for maybe a more tropical fruit like pineapple.
to keep everything really easy to pile on top of a cracker & eat somewhat gracefully at a party, you’ll want to make sure everything is about the same size. if you’re using larger dried fruits, like apricots or figs, just roughly chop them up a little bit.
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
then, you just pop it all in a bowl with your favorite neutral flavored oil (mine is grapeseed!) with some fresh herbs & nuts. i go for a ton of freshly snipped chives & some pine nuts, but again, anything would really work here! rosemary & thyme are always great with goat cheese, as are pecans & walnuts.
give the mixture a good stir, then let it sit for about 30 minutes. the oil will start to take on some of the flavor of the fruits, herbs & nuts, & vice versa – it’s so good!
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
& once the dried fruits & nuts marinate, all that’s left is bejeweling your goat cheese!
goat cheese is obviously one of the most important parts of this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe. i like using a larger piece of goat cheese, which makes for prettier presentation than the 4 ounce logs you most usually find in the cheese section of your grocery store. if you have a cheese shop you love, or your grocery store has a pretty legit cheese counter (the one at Whole Foods is great!), you should be able to buy goat cheese cut to order. I bought mine at Whole Foods – it costs about $8-$10, but will serve a crowd!
pin this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe for later!!!
last up? preparing yourself for all the “oohs” & “ahhs” you’ll get once it’s party time. 
long story short? bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese? just do it.
if you love this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe, here are a few other recipes you have to try!
- the perfect party appetizer: roasted butternut squash hummus
- great for entertaining! the ultimate dessert cheese board
- super festive:
- all
be sure to follow along with me on instagram, facebook, & pinterest for more easy, modern recipes & fun!
thank you so much for reading & supporting plays well with butter. this post includes affiliate links for products i truly love & use on the reg in my own home. all opinions are always my own! should you make a purchase using one of these links, pwwb with earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps me continue to bring you great original content. ???
bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
- Author: jess larson | plays well with butter
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes (includes inactive time)
- Yield: serves 8-10, as a snack 1x
- Category: appetizer
Description
an easy & beautiful appetizer for any holiday party, this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese is always a total show stopper. dried fruits (apricots, golden raisins, figs, cranberries) get marinated with fresh herbs & pine nuts, then served over a generous portion of goat cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- ⅓ cup grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil – canola, vegetable, etc.)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs of choice (chives, rosemary, thyme, etc.)
- ¼ cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dried figs, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 8 ounces goat cheese (see Recipe Notes)
- crackers of choice, for serving
Instructions
- Marinate the dried fruits: In a medium bowl, combine the oil, chives, apricots, figs, cranberries, raisins, pine nuts and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve: When you’re ready to serve, place the goat cheese in a serving bowl. Pour the mixture from Step 1 over the goat cheese. Serve immediately, with crackers of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Goat cheese is the most important part of this bejeweled holiday marinated goat cheese recipe. I like using a larger piece of goat cheese, which makes for prettier presentation than the 4 ounce logs you most usually find in the cheese section of your grocery store. If you have a cheese shop you love, or your grocery store has a pretty legit cheese counter (the one at Whole Foods is great!), you should be able to buy goat cheese cut to order. I bought mine at Whole Foods – it costs about $8-$10, but will serve a lot.
