Baked Feta with Honey

Why This is the Best Recipe

I love easy appetizers for sharing with friends but I think this is the best baked feta with honey recipe because:

1. Easy Ingredients: Such a short list of items are needed so you can whip this together quickly.
2. Impressive Flavor: If you've never tried a whole brick of feta before, you're going to love the flavor it gets once baked with honey.
3. Gorgeous Color: Once you pull it out from the broiler, it has a stunning golden brown topping that your friends will be eager to dig into.

Ingredients

This quick and easy appetizer takes just a few minutes to prep because the ingredient list is so short!

• Feta Cheese: You need a solid slab of feta cheese, not the crumbled feta. You'll find it in the specialty cheese section of the deli department at major grocery stores or Trader Joe's.
• Olive Oil
• Honey: If you prefer a mild sweetness to your appetizer, use a regular honey. If you want a little kick, use a hot honey infused with chiles. You can see other examples of my favorite hot honey recipes here.
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Cracked Pepper
• Toasted Crostini: You can make homemade crostini in just 10 minutes. Otherwise, you could buy pita breads or hearty crackers to serve with the dish.

Pat the Feta Dry

First, it is important to dry the block of feta cheese or the excess moisture will steam the cheese and you won't get that gorgeous golden brown color.

Simply pat the cheese dry on paper towels.

Baking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the feta cheese in a small broiler-safe baking dish.

Drizzle the olive oil over the top.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until the cheese has softened and springs back when you gently press the top.

Turn the oven off and then start the broiler.

While the broiler heats up, drizzle the honey over the cheese.

Broil the feta for 2 - 3 minutes or until it begins to brown and bubble on top.

Season with pepper and chopped basil and serve immediately.

Variations

This is such a simple appetizer that opens itself up to delicious and easy variations:

Sweet Baked Feta: Use an orange blossom honey and fresh thyme instead of basil.

Extra Spicy Baked Feta: Use spicy hot honey and add crushed red pepper flakes to the olive oil.

Baked Feta With Tomatoes: Toss cherry tomatoes in olive oil and add them to the baking dish. They will roast along with the cheese.

Baked feta with honey is best served immediately with crispy crostini toasts.

If you want to expand on the snack board, you could also serve it alongside my fresh peach blueberry salsa or even my strawberry bruschetta.

For a more savory snack board, try roasting cherry tomatoes and keep extra fresh basil on hand for stacking on the crostini. You could even add a bowl of my Italian bruschetta al pomodoro topping.