22 Amazing Last-Minute Appetizers

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Sometimes the best parties aren't planned at all. When friends descend unexpectedly, you'll just need a few pantry ingredients to create these deceptively sophisticated snacks.

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Parmesan-and-Pepper Sticks

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Romulo Yanes

These crunchy breadsticks are puffed-up pastry dough cut into strips.

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Marinated Olives

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Fresh citrus and spices make assorted olives a little more special.

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Wonton Cups with Cream Cheese and Chutney

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Bake wontons in a muffin pan to create mini cups that can be filled with almost anything. We like this creamy mango chutney.

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Speedy Smoked-Salmon Crackers

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Hector Sanchez

Store-bought crackers are elevated to a classy snack with radishes, salmon, and horseradish.

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Roasted Red Pepper, Olive, and Caper Bruschetta

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These ingredients can be kept on hand so you'll always have apps up your sleeve.

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Raspberry Pastries

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Offer visitors a little something sweet; these pastries require only three ingredients.

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Homemade Hummus

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Creamy and customizable, you'll never want store-bought hummus again after trying this essential recipe.

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Artichoke-Parmesan Crostini

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When mixed with fresh herbs and grated cheese, guests will never guess these artichokes just came from a jar.

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Tuna and Caper Dip

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Just mix everything together and this dip is ready to serve.

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Garlic-Herb Pinwheels

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Try any kind of leafy green herb with this easy puff-pastry wheel. (Pick one that suits the flavors of the rest of your meal.)

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Easy Red-Pepper Dip

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Whip up this quick concoction in a food processor for a perfect pairing with toasted pita.

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Bacon-Wrapped Dates

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Sweet, salty, smoky, and crunchy all wrapped up in one bite. Need we say more?

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Warm Marinated Olives

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Our tip: Heating spices and oil until they're fragrant allows the olives to absorb the flavors even faster.

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Antipasto Skewers

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Bite-size ingredients threaded onto small skewers make an elegant and easy party snack.

Get the Cheddar and Pickle Skewers Recipe

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Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

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Baking canned chickpeas gives them a nice crunch, and they take less than 20 minutes to make.

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Olive-Caper Spread

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The salty, briny flavors of this easy dip are great with homemade toasts or store-bought crackers.

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Piquillo Pepper and Cheese Toasts

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Johnny Miller

This appetizer couldn't be easier: Toast the bread, pop a cube of cheese into the pepper, and let everything get gooey.

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Wonton Crackers

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Have wonton wrappers on hand but nothing to fill them with? Turn the sheets into crisp crackers.

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Marinated Bocconcini

Marinated Bocconcini

Mini mozzarella morsels are the perfect size for a party snack and can be found in the cheese section of most supermarkets.

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Sun-Dried Tomato-Parmesan Crisps

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A little tomato paste gives these oven-basked crisps a concentrated burst of flavor.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Breadsticks

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This two-ingredient snack requires no cooking, yet looks as good as it tastes.

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Parmesan Spirals

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These delicate spirals come together in a flash with frozen puff pastry and basic pantry ingredients.

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