1-Step 1: Prepare Your Equipment Start by preheating your oven to 400°F. This temperature ensures the pastry puffs up beautifully while cooking the filling through completely. Spray 9 cups in a standard muffin pan with cooking spray. This prevents the pastry from sticking and makes removal much easier after baking. If you only have a 12-cup muffin pan, simply spray 9 of the cups and leave 3 empty.

2-Step 2: Create the Creamy Base Take your cream cheese and microwave it in 10-second intervals until soft and melted. Be careful not to overheat it stop before you see any steam. The cheese should be smooth and easily stirrable. Once softened, add one large egg, one tablespoon of olive oil, and half a teaspoon of dried dill to the cream cheese. Stir everything together until well combined and no streaks of egg remain. This creamy mixture will hold all the filling ingredients together and create a luscious texture.

3-Step 3: Prepare the Spinach Filling In a separate mixing bowl, combine two cups of chopped fresh spinach, three-quarters cup of crumbled feta cheese, and two teaspoons of bacon bits. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the spinach mixture and fold everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then mix thoroughly with a fork until evenly distributed. The spinach should be well coated with the creamy mixture for the best flavor in every bite.

4-Step 4: Prepare the Pastry Take your thawed puff pastry sheet and cut it into 9 equal squares. A standard pastry sheet typically yields 9 perfect squares when cut in a 3×3 grid. Line each prepared muffin cup with a pastry square, pressing the dough gently into the bottom and up the sides. The corners will hang over the edges, which is exactly what you want for sealing later.

5-Step 5: Fill and Seal the Puffs Evenly distribute the spinach mixture among the 9 pastry-lined cups. Each one should get roughly the same amount of filling. Once filled, bring the 4 corners of each pastry square together over the filling and gently press to seal. This creates that classic puff shape with the filling enclosed inside. Lightly brush the tops with melted butter for that gorgeous golden color during baking.

6-Step 6: Bake to Perfection Place the muffin pan in your preheated 400°F oven and bake for about 20 minutes. The pastry should turn golden brown and puff up nicely. You will see the tops become beautifully bronzed and the filling will be hot and bubbly inside. Every oven is slightly different, so start checking at the 18-minute mark.

7-Step 7: Cool and Serve Let the spinach puffs cool in the pan for 10 minutes before handling. This resting time allows the filling to set slightly and makes removal much easier. Run a knife around the edges of each cup to loosen any stuck areas, then gently lift them out. Serve warm for the best flavor and texture experience.