Name: Schinkengipfeli (Swiss Ham Croissants)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 16 to 18 ounces (450 to 500 grams) all-butter puff pastry ((2 sheets)); 4 ½ ounces (125 grams) sliced ham, finely chopped; 3 ½ ounces (100 grams) quark (farmer’s cheese) ((about ½ cup packed)); 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 teaspoon whole grain (coarse) mustard or Dijon mustard; ⅛ teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt; ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper; Pinch ground cayenne pepper; 1 egg, (beaten)

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Schinkengipfeli (Swiss Ham Croissants) are the ultimate appetizer or snack to enjoy with a glass of wine. They feature a savory but mild ham and cheese filling all wrapped up in a golden brown flaky pastry. Rather than using homemade dough, this recipe simplifies the process by using store-bought puff pastry.

Four croissants on a rustic plate surrounded by parsley, a jar of mustard, and quark cheese.

These Swiss ham and cheese croissants will steal the show at your next gathering. The filling is simultaneously simple yet perfectly balanced and flavorful.

The quark or farmer cheese is mild and not nearly as assertive as other potential cheeses in this popular flavor combination. Meanwhile, mustard provides a subtle background note without overpowering the filling. The dough is flaky, buttery and light, while the ham remains the true star, yet doesn't overshadow its partners.

Enjoy these schinkengipfeli as an apéro (or apéritif) with a glass of wine, or as more of a meal with a bright crunchy salad on the side. You definitely can't go wrong no matter how or when you serve these up.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for Swiss ham croissants on a greyish white concrete background.

Puff Pastry: There are many brands of puff pastry available on the market. Plan to use an all-butter puff pastry for optimal flavor (meaning it's made with butter and not shortening or other fats). My usual go-to brand is Trader Joe's. Their puff pastry sheets are about 9 ½ inches by 12 ½ inches each. The dimensions of different brands will vary, but this schinkengipfeli recipe will work regardless.
Ham: I use a simple Polish ham from my supermarket deli sliced a little thicker than normal for these schinkengipfeli, but any basic baked ham should be fine. I would avoid flavor infused hams like honey hams, etc. as that can strongly impact the flavor of the filling.
Quark: Quark is a type of fresh cheese, sometimes called farmer cheese or curd cheese. It is very traditional in Baltic, Germanic and Slavic-speaking countries. The word "quark" actually translates to "curds" in German. In Austria it's called topfen, in French it's fromage blanc (white cheese) or fromage frais (fresh cheese), in Polish it's twaróg, in Czech and Slovak it's tvaroh, and in Russian it's tvorog (творог). German-style quark has more of a creamy texture than Russian tvarog, which is a bit more dry and crumbly. In the United States you will often find it labeled as farmer's cheese. Any of those labels or names will work for this recipe. If you can't find any of the above, cottage cheese should be an acceptable substitute though I haven't tested it in this recipe to confirm.

Closeup of three small golden brown ham croissants on a plate with more in the background.

How to make it

To make the Swiss ham croissant filling, place ham, quark, parsley, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a mixing bowl.

Chopped ham, parsley, coarse mustard, quark cheese, and seasonings in a metal mixing bowl.

Combine until evenly mixed.

Swiss ham croissant filling mixed together in a large metal bowl.

Invert a large plate with a diameter matching the width of your puff pastry sheet (about 9 ½ to 10-inches in diameter for example for Trader Joe's brand puff pastry) over one of the sheets of puff pastry and use a knife or pizza cutter to trace around the edges to cut it into a circle.

A plate inverted on top of a sheet of puff pastry on a wooden board.

Discard the edges as scraps or use for a different purpose.

Cut the circle of puff pastry into 8 wedges. Very lightly brush each wedge with a little beaten egg (to help it stick together and seal when you roll it up).

Divide half the filling evenly between the 8 wedges of dough at the widest end of each wedge. Make sure to leave a small border on either side of each wedge uncovered.

A circle of dough cut into 8 wedges and each topped with ham and quark filling.

Then, starting at the wide end, roll the dough towards the pointy end, pinching the open sides together to completely seal closed as you go.

Bend the points at either end of the rolled up dough to create a crescent shape.

Assembling Swiss ham croissants with several wedges of dough topped with filling and 2 rolled up.

Repeat this process with the remaining sheet of puff pastry and the remaining filling. Place the ham and cheese croissants on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Eight small unbaked croissants on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

If you have time to spare, chill for about 20 to 30 minutes (they bake up flakier if they are cold when they go into the oven).

Before baking, brush the tops of the schinkengipfeli with more of the beaten egg.

Eight small unbaked croissants brushed with egg wash on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Then bake for about 20 to 25 minutes at 425°F (220°C), rotating the pans from top to bottom part way through baking. The finished ham and cheese croissants should be golden and puffed.

Serve hot, warm, room temperature, or even cold.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Two plates of ham croissants, parsley, a jar of mustard, and a spoon of quark cheese.

Expert tips

Assemble up to 1 day in advance, cover and refrigerate until ready to brush with egg and bake. You can also freeze them unbaked (before brushing with egg) for about 1 month.

Schinkengipfeli are best the day they are baked. Refresh leftovers in the oven or toaster oven until heated through and the pastry crisps back up. The overall texture will be slightly different but they will still taste great.

If you only bake one pan of schinkengipfeli at a time (for example if you bake half and freeze the rest), bake it in the center of the oven, and check it for doneness after about 16 or 17 minutes instead of 20. A single pan will bake faster than 2 pans in the same oven.

Cross-section of a Swiss ham croissant showing the ham and quark cheese filling.

The diameter of the circle you cut into your dough will depend on the brand of puff pastry you use. I prefer Trader Joe's brand and can usually get about a 10-inch circle because that is approximately how wide the pastry. Different brands may allow for 12-inch diameter circles. I recommend cutting your circle as wide as you can given the dimensions of your pastry.

Leftover filling? Use the dough scraps to assemble a few oddly shaped turnovers and bake them using the same instructions.

You can use the same filling and dough to make simple triangular turnovers like boreks. They are delicious and a bit less time consuming to assemble. They're obviously not the traditional Swiss recipe because of the non-crescent shape but they taste just as good.

Three small ham croissants on a plate on top of a folded striped linen napkin.

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Schinkengipfeli (Swiss Ham Croissants)

Ingredient notes

How to make it

Expert tips

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