Fruit and Cheese Kabobs with Croissant Croutons

These fresh Fruit and Cheese Kabobs with Croissant Croutons are a nutritious snack that both kids and adults will love. This colorful combination of sweet fruit, savory cheese and flaky croutons comes together in a snap.

Five years ago, when basically everybody in my friend group was childfree, I would get very ambitious and creative when it came to what food I would bring to a party. I’d show up with a Smoked Salmon Platter or Roasted Corn Salad or General Tso’s Meatballs.

But if you’re in your mid-thirties like me, you can probably relate: our “parties” are now just kids running wild everywhere. So many kids. And most kids aren’t really into food they haven’t seen before.

So perhaps I’m saving the more unique recipes for an adults only brunch buffet or New Year’s Eve snack board, and bringing out the sure bets for Memorial Day appetizers for a family gathering with lots of kids. The surest of sure bets? FRUIT AND CHEESE ON A STICK.

I haven’t met a kid yet that doesn’t love fruit and cheese, and anything on a stick is 1000x more fun than anything not on a stick.

But even when making a kid-friendly snack, I still like to find a way to make it special. I added homemade croissant croutons to these fruit and cheese kabobs, and they really did add a touch of whimsical fanciness to a snack on a stick.

The ingredients for these Fruit and Cheese Kabobs are easy to find at your store:

• strawberries
• blackberries (buy an extra carton for blackberry muffins!)
• grapes
• cheddar cheese
• croissants
• honey

Tips for making these Fruit and Cheese Kabobs successful:

• Choose the freshest fruit available for whatever season you’re in. When making these in August, I took advantage of berry season. Also, the grapes at my store looked great, so I used those.
• Other ideas for fruit include melon balls, pineapple cubes, or even apple wedges dipped in lemon juice so they don’t brown.
• Make sure your fruit is washed, but then make sure it is dried very well.  You don’t want wet fruit making your croutons soggy!
• Fruit and cheddar cheese is a classic, crowd-pleasing combination. While traditional white cheddar would be great here, I made these kabobs a little extra special by using cubes of Great Midwest Cranberry Cheddar Cheese and Blueberry Cobbler Cheddar Cheese. Both of these cheeses mix creamy, sharp white Cheddar cheese with tart, sweet dried fruit, making them the perfect pairing for juicy fresh fruit.
• For ease of eating and serving, it’s important to make sure that the fruit pieces, cheese cubes, and croissants are roughly the same size. I like to keep one piece of fruit or cheese that is the “ideal” size on the corner of my cutting board while I cut up the rest of the ingredients, so I have a reference point for what size I’m shooting for.
• A drizzle of honey makes these kabobs extra special.

How To Make Croissant Croutons:

• For the best croutons, buy the best croissants. I try to look for all-butter ones, because they have the best flavor.
• Cut the croissants into 1-1/2-inch cubes.
• Like all croutons, the croissant cubes need to be tossed in melted butter or olive oil so that they evenly brown and crisp in the oven. Since all-butter croissants already have enough butter flavor, I like to toss them in olive oil to add a different depth of flavor.
• I also like to sprinkle these croissant croutons with flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper. I find that adding this slight savory note to the croutons works well with the sweet fruit and creamy cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes or until the cubes are golden brown and crunchy. You’ll want to stir and turn a few times during the bake to ensure even browning.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.