Fondue Bites

If you thought fondue belonged in the 1970s, think again! We’ve hauled this retro party classic into the 21st century by turning it into cheesy bite-sized party snacks, perfect for any festive occasion. 

Traditionally, fondue features a blend of cheese melted with wine and a bit of cornstarch to create a dreamy dip. Our twist includes a blend of cheddar and Gruyère spiked with hard cider and Dijon mustard, which is baked inside a crispy little bread cup until it becomes a bubbling cheesy sauce. No skewers, no molten hot cheese dripping over everybody, and no cheese-encrusted slow cooker to clean out at the end of the night.

Read on for tips on these one-bite appetizers. Looking for more? Check out these fried mashed potato balls.

How do we make the crispy bread cups?

These little bread cups couldn’t be simpler. Start by rolling out sandwich bread until it’s super-thin, then cut out rounds and tuck them into greased mini muffin cups. A 10-minute bake in the oven dries out the bread, transforming it into sturdy little cups, perfect for holding that molten hot cheese.

How do I keep my cheese sauce from getting greasy?

Cheese sauces become greasy if they’re overheated, which causes the oils in the cheese to separate. To avoid this, we recommend removing the sauce from the heat before folding in the cheese. The residual warmth from the sauce should be enough to melt the cheese. If for some reason yours doesn’t melt completely, you can return the pot to low heat for 10-second bursts, stirring constantly, until it’s melted. This should add enough heat to melt the cheese without splitting the sauce.

Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below.