These warm feta bites are encrusted in toasty sesame seeds and drizzled with spicy-sweet honey for an easy appetizer that hits all the right notes. Make sure to pat your feta dry so the egg can adhere to it, keeping the sesame seeds in place. Feta cheese holds its shape as it cooks but it will need a delicate touch when it’s turned and transferred to the platter.
Crispy Hot Honey–Sesame Feta Bites Recipe
These warm feta bites are encrusted in toasty sesame seeds and drizzled with spicy-sweet honey for an easy appetizer that hits all the right notes. Make sure to pat your feta dry so the egg can adhere to it, keeping the sesame seeds in place. Feta cheese holds its shape as it cooks but it will need a delicate touch when it’s turned and transferred to the platter.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon chopped Calabrian chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; rub 1 tablespoon oil on the parchment.
- Pat feta dry; cut into cubes slightly larger than 1/2-inch. Whisk egg in a small bowl. Spread sesame seeds on a small plate. Working in batches, dip the feta cubes in the egg, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge in sesame seeds, gently turning until fully coated. (Discard excess egg and sesame seeds.) Transfer the coated feta to the prepared baking sheet and freeze for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
- Drizzle the coated feta pieces with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until golden and warmed through, 15 to 16 minutes, very gently flipping the pieces halfway through.
- Meanwhile, combine honey, chiles and lemon zest in a small bowl.
- To serve, gently transfer the feta bites to a platter; drizzle with the hot honey. Sprinkle with thyme, if desired.
