Goat Cheese with Honey & Chili (Printable Version)

Creamy goat cheese with honey and chili flakes inside crispy sourdough—tangy, sweet, and perfectly spiced.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Dairy & Cheese

01 - 4 ounces soft goat cheese (chèvre), at room temperature
02 - 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

→ Bread & Fats

03 - 4 slices sourdough bread, 0.5 to 0.75 inch thick
04 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 teaspoons olive oil

→ Sweeteners & Spice

06 - 2 to 3 tablespoons honey, plus extra for drizzling
07 - 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

→ Seasoning

08 - 0.25 teaspoon fine sea salt
09 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Add-ins

10 - 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
11 - Zest of 0.5 lemon
12 - 1 handful baby arugula or spinach
13 - Thinly sliced ripe pear, apple, or fresh figs

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - In a small bowl, combine goat cheese and cream cheese. Mash with a fork or spatula until smooth and creamy.
02 - Add honey, chili flakes, salt, and black pepper. Mix well and taste; adjust honey and chili to your preference.
03 - Stir in fresh herbs and lemon zest if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning.
04 - Lay out bread slices. Spread a thin, even layer of softened butter on one side of each slice for the exterior.
05 - Flip the slices and spread cheese mixture evenly onto two slices on the unbuttered side.
06 - Layer sliced fruit if using and arugula or spinach. Drizzle with extra honey for added sweetness.
07 - Top with remaining bread slices, buttered side facing out, to form two complete sandwiches.
08 - Preheat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Swirl in olive oil if desired.
09 - Place sandwiches in the skillet, buttered sides down. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until golden brown and crisp. Lower heat if bread browns too quickly before cheese softens.
10 - Transfer sandwiches to a cutting board and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes.
11 - Slice each sandwich in half. Arrange on plates or a serving board.
12 - Drizzle with extra honey, sprinkle with chili flakes and black pepper, and garnish with herb leaves if desired. Serve immediately.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes fancy enough to serve at a lunch party but comes together in under 30 minutes with ingredients you probably already have.
  • The honey and chili flakes create this addictive sweet-spicy balance that makes you reach for another bite before you've swallowed the first one.
  • Soft goat cheese becomes impossibly creamy when warmed, creating a filling that's luxurious without being heavy.
02 -
  • Room temperature cheese is non-negotiable—cold cheese won't spread smoothly and will create lumps that won't melt evenly, which I discovered on my second attempt and felt genuinely silly about.
  • The butter-on-the-outside method is what transforms this from a nice sandwich into a crispy-edged, golden-crusted masterpiece that looks like it came from a fancy bistro.
  • Resting the sandwich for even two minutes prevents the molten cheese from escaping everywhere and gives you a chance to breathe between finishing cooking and eating, which somehow makes it taste better.
03 -
  • If your cheese mixture seems too thick to spread, let it sit out for another five minutes or stir in a tiny drizzle of milk to loosen it—you want spreadable, not pourable.
  • Cast iron holds heat more evenly than nonstick, creating a more consistently golden crust, though nonstick works perfectly fine if that's what you have.
  • Toast the sandwiches over medium heat rather than high heat; this gives the cheese time to actually melt while the bread browns, and there's no worse feeling than serving bread that's blackened on the outside while the cheese is still cold in the middle.
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