Blackberry Goat Cheese Crostini

These easy blackberry goat cheese crostini are perfect for summer entertaining! A simple whipped goat cheese, fresh summer blackberries, basil and lime make for a decadent bite that’s sure to be a hit.

This post is sponsored by my friends at The Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission!

In a hurry? Click here to jump straight to the recipe!

You know how everyone has that one story they tell oooover and over again? I’m talking at PARTIES, over COFFEE, at MORE parties, over DRINKS, and again and again and again until you’re almost kind of ready to punch them right in their face? (But, like, in a LOVING way?)

My everyone-wants-to-punch-me-in-the-face party story is how I grew up in Oregon, where we got to pick the most amaaaaaazing berries out of all the berries in the whole world ever.

(OMG JESSIE, NO WAY, I HAD NO IDEA, YOU LITERALLY NEVER TALK ABOUT HOW YOU’RE FROM OREGON AND HOW GREAT IT IS ⬅⬅ I know, right?!)

Growing up, we had gorgeous blackberry bushes right in our backyard (Fun Fact: Blackberries grow wild in the Pacific Northwest!) and U-Pick berry farms in every direction. I spent most of my childhood a block away from a blueberry farm and elbow-deep in fresh strawberries and blackberries from our local farmers. AND I FREAKING LOVED IT.

(Then, of course, I moved to the midwest for college. But that’s another story for another crostini post).

I still get strangely nostalgic about Oregon Berries, probably more so than any other childhood food. Maybe it’s because I was lucky enough to grow up with such a strong connection to those berries – seeing firsthand how they grow, knowing the farmers that produced them, experiencing the satisfaction of eating a fresh blackberry ten seconds after it’s picked – or maybe it’s because they’re just THE BEST. I’m not totally sure.

Even now, living 3,000 miles away and having been an ex-Oregonian for nearly a decade (SAD), I get straight up GIDDY when I find frozen Oregon Blackberries at the store.

Like, launching into my “hey, did I ever tell you I grew up with blackberries all over the place and how wonderful it was?” routine giddy.

SO ANYWAY.

When The Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission asked me if I wanted to create a summertime blackberry recipe, my answer was ONE THOUSAND TIMES YES. Partially because I love blackberries LIKE WHOA, partially because I love Oregon LIKE WHOA, and partially because working with my Oregon Berry peeps meant I could talk about Oregon berries all.of.the.time and no one could get mad at me for retelling my blackberry story over and over again because THIS IS FOR WORK.

Speaking of work…should we maybe talk about these crostini? Yes? Ok.

I actually think this might be one of my favorite crostini recipes of all time. Which is saying a lot, because we all know me + crostini are the best of BFFs.

But for real – this one’s a gamechanger.

These goat cheese crostini were the perfect outdoor-entertaining-made-easy appetizer. I made a batch last weekend for a barbecue we were hosting, and even though they look très fancy (BOOM! All of the hostess points!) it only took me a few minutes to put them together and have them on the table.

The key is to do all the prep ahead of time – whipping the goat cheese (OH YES DID I MENTION THERE IS WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE BECAUSE THERE IS WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE), chopping up the herbs, etc. I prepped all the components in the morning before our friends came over (it takes a whopping ten minutes. for serious), and once we were ready for some snackin’ all I had to do was toast the bread and pile the goods on top.

(Goods = whipped goat cheese + THE BLACKBERRIES + fresh chopped basil + lime zest + rosemary-infused honey).

PS – You could also totally serve this dip-style, especially if you’re feeding a big crowd and don’t want to assemble all the individual crostini – just layer the crostini toppings in a shallow bowl and serve some toasted baguette slices or crackers on the side for dipping.

PPS – (You could ALSO also make these crostini for yourself for dinner on a random Tuesday and share them with no one. Just, y’know…so you have all your options and stuff).

Blackberry Goat Cheese Crostini

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Jessie
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6-8 as an appetizer 1x

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Description

Whipped goat cheese crostini – perfect for summer entertaining!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

FOR THE WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE:

• 2 oz. cream cheese
• 8 oz. goat cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE CROSTINI:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 baguette, sliced (I used a multigrain baguette)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 oz. fresh blackberries
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 lime, zested (you won’t need to juice the lime for this recipe, so use a microplane to shave off the zest and save the lime itself for later!)

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Instructions

FOR THE WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE:

1. Crumble cream cheese and goat cheese into the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 10 seconds or so, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Blend again for 10-20 seconds until cheese is creamy and well-blended.
2. Scoop whipped goat cheese into a small bowl and set aside.

FOR THE CROSTINI:

1. Pour honey into a small saucepan.
2. Roll the rosemary sprig around a bit with your hands or hit it a few times with the back of a knife to help it start releasing some of its flavor. Add rosemary to honey and stir to combine.
3. Warm honey over very low heat – we don’t want it to simmer at all! – for 10-15 minutes to help it absorb the rosemary flavor. Remove from heat and set aside to cool briefly while you prep the rest of the crostini ingredients.
4. Lay baguette slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle bread with olive oil and bake at 375 degrees until bread is lightly toasted, about 4-7 minutes.
5. When crostini is toasted, it’s time to assemble! Top each crostini with a bit of whipped goat cheese, then 1 or 2 blackberries. Sprinkle chopped basil and a pinch of lime zest over each crostini.
6. Finally, use a small spoon to drizzle a bit of warm honey over each crostini. Serve immediately.

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Notes

If you don’t want to use the oven, you could also grill your crostini bread or eliminate the olive oil and use your toaster.

Fresh blackberries are so important for this recipe! I love using fresh local blackberries. If berries are out of season around you, I’d recommend using a nice berry jam or berry puree instead of opting for whole frozen berries.

Thinly sliced prosciutto would be a great addition to these crostini.

Use any berries you have on hand – I loooooove this recipe with blackberries, but use whatever is in season around you!

You can make the whipped goat cheese ahead of time – just store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

If you’re short on time, you can skip infusing the honey with rosemary and just use plain ol’ honey – but if you have the time, the rosemary-infused honey is definitely worth the extra step!

Save any extra rosemary-infused honey for toast or salads throughout the week! To store, remove the rosemary sprig and store honey in an airtight container (I use a mason jar) in a cool, dry place.

To strengthen the rosemary flavor in the honey, give it more time to infuse. The longer you let the rosemary steep in the honey, the more pronounced the flavor will be.

This recipe is really more like “assembly instructions” – use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like to customize the crostini to your own tastes!

Nutrition

• Calories: 383

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