These fall crostini are filled with flavors of apple, pecan, and honey. They're the perfect appetizer bite (made in just 30 minutes) to serve at a dinner party or holiday.
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The secret to a good appetizer, in my opinion, is a dish that looks fancy but doesn't take too much time to make.
That's exactly why these apple pecan crostini are one of my favorite fall appetizers. They come together in just 30 minutes with minimal effort on your end.
If you need a dinner party appetizer bite or some hors d'oeuvres for Thanksgiving, this would be a great option!
Don't forget to check out my grilled peach crostini (great for summer grilling) if you enjoy this recipe.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- How to toast bread for crostini.
- A honey and thyme ricotta spread.
- Tips for making these crostini ahead of time.
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Ingredients You Need
- Baguette: Don't be tempted to skip the toasting step for the bread. That's what gives crostini their iconic crunch and texture.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Avocado oil will also work for this recipe.
- Morton kosher salt/black pepper: This will ensure the crostini are properly seasoned.
- Ricotta cheese: I prefer ricotta made with whole milk.
- Honey: You can use less honey if you'd prefer a less sweet crostini.
- Dried thyme: Feel free to use fresh thyme, if you have it on hand.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter to help control the amount of salt added to this recipe.
- Granny Smith apple: I prefer a Granny Smith apple variety for the tartness, but you could also use your other favorite variety of apple.
- Pecans: You could also substitute with chopped walnuts or thinly sliced almonds.
How To Make This Recipe
These apple pecan crostini come together in just 30 minutes. Here's how they're made.
1. Toss the baguette rounds in extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook the bread slices at 350°F (175°C) for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking, until the bread is golden brown.
2. While the bread is cooking, mix ricotta, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper togther. This is the creamy spread that we'll use to top the crostini.
3. Next, cook the apple and pecans in the melted butter. These just need to cook for 2 - 5 minutes until the apples have softened slightly and the pecans smell toasted.
4. Lay the baguette rounds on a serving tray or platter and top each slice with about 1 tablespoon (20 grams) of the ricotta mixture. Next, top each baguette with the apple and pecan mixture. Optionally, garnish with additional honey.
Expert Tips
- Make ahead: You can toast the bread and make the ricotta mixture ahead of time. Store the bread in an open-air container at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Store the ricotta mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- Making this for a holiday? Once all of the components of the dish are made (toasted baguette slices, ricotta mixture, and apple topping), this is an easy appetizer to hand off to a friend for the final assembly of the crostini.
- If you need a larger appetizer, you can pair these crostini with a charcuterie or appetizer platter.
Recipe FAQs
Be sure that the bread is fully toasted before assembling. Additionally, ensure you don't assemble the crostini too early before a party. I would suggest only assembling up to 1 hour before you're ready to serve.
I'd suggest making the crostini right before serving them. Crostini is not the easiest food to reheat. If you have leftovers, it is possible to reheat the crostini in the toaster oven or air fryer. However, the bread normally remains a bit soggy if the crostini sits overnight.
Crostini are an easy appetizer because they're served slightly warmed. Meaning, it's not important that the crostini are piping hot when served.
If you make the bread and ricotta mixture ahead of time, you'll just want to ensure the apple and pecan mixture is slightly warmed for serving.
More Appetizer Recipes
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Apple Pecan Crostini
Equipment
- light colored baking sheet
- nonstick pan
Ingredients
- 1 baguette sliced into ¾ inch (2 cm) thick rounds
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper divided
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons honey divided
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large granny smith apple cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a light colored baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss baguette rounds in extra virgin olive oil, then season with ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) black pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking, until the bread is golden brown.
- While the bread is cooking, add ricotta, 2 tablespoons (42 grams) honey, thyme, the remaining ½ teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) black pepper to a medium sized mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Melt butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon (21 grams) honey, sliced apples, and pecans. Cook for 2 - 5 minutes until the apples have softened slightly and the pecans smell toasted. If you notice a burnt smell, turn down the heat.
- Lay the baguette rounds on a serving tray or platter and top each slice with about 1 tablespoon (20 grams) of the ricotta mixture. Next, top each baguette with the apple and pecan mixture. Optionally, garnish with additional honey. Serve immediately.
Jenny
Just made these for a dinner party this weekend and everyone absolutely loved them!!