If you’ve never experienced Southern Ham Delights, I hope your taste buds are ready to party. These insanely delicious mini ham and cheese sammies deliver a blast of sweet, salty, buttery, cheesy, meaty, and savory flavor in every single ooey-gooey bite!
Ham delights are a popular option on food tables at potlucks, holiday parties, and game day gatherings in the south. Unfortunately, they aren’t quite as common elsewhere, so if you aren’t familiar: a classic ham delight is ham and cheese on sweet dinner rolls.
The platter of ham and cheese sandwiches is then drenched with a buttery poppy seed marinade and baked until hot, toasted, and oozing with melted cheese.
This recipe is my healthier spin on my Mother-in-law’s ham delights. Her truly traditional Southern recipe calls for FOUR sticks of margarine! My version uses ¼ less butter plus a double layer of ham for more protein. Each serving (2 sliders) has 22 grams of protein!
I used Hawaiian sweet rolls and enhanced the marinade; we think it’s better and even more delicious than the original recipe! You may want to double the batch because these melt-in-your-mouth ham delights tend to disappear quickly! Seriously, everyone LOVES these bite-sized morsels of finger-licking-good sliders!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is an excellent way to repurpose leftover holiday ham.
- This recipe is a crowd-pleasing appetizer that’s easily doubled or tripled for larger crowds. Believe me, you will want to make more because they won’t last long!
- They’re great to make ahead, so you can finish your other party-throwing rock star tasks before guests arrive.
- The combination of sweet, savory, salty, and buttery flavors is just so insanely GOOD!
- These pleasantly sticky ham and cheese sliders are easy to make and even easier to eat!
Ingredients You'll Need
- King’s Hawaiian original sweet rolls – No other rolls compare to soft and fluffy Hawaiian rolls. Classic southern ham delights call for white dinner rolls, but Hawaiian rolls add just the right sweetness to enhance the savory flavors. You’ll need two 12-count packages (at least). If you can find a 24-pack, it fits perfectly in a 9x13 pan.
- Deli ham – There’s no need to get fancy with Italian hams and premium cold cuts. Straight deli ham sliced thinly off the hock is perfect.
- Swiss cheese – If possible, use swiss cheese shredded directly from the block, as it will melt much better than bagged shredded cheese. Swiss is classic with Hawaiian ham delights, but provolone, white cheddar, and Havarti are also delicious.
- Melted butter – This is the base of the marinade. It helps keep the Hawaiian rolls incredibly moist and tender as they bake.
- Brown sugar – If you can imagine what melted butter and brown sugar do to French toast, you already know how amazing the rolls are in ham delights.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a hint of zing to the marinade.
- Worcestershire sauce – Gives the marinade a bit of umami to complement the sweet, caramelized flavors from the butter and brown sugar.
- Poppy seeds – These wouldn’t be classic ham delights without adding poppy seeds to the marinade.
- Dried herbs and seasonings – Dried minced onion, garlic powder, and dried parsley. Taste the marinade and adjust the seasonings if needed.
How To Make Ham Delights
Step 1: Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13” baking dish with olive oil spray. Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half by slicing each roll horizontally through the center.
Step 2: Assemble ham and cheese sliders. Arrange the bottom halves of the rolls in the baking dish. Top each roll with a layer of ham, followed by a layer of swiss cheese, and then the second layer of ham. Top with the other halves of the rolls.
Step 3: Make the delightful marinade. Heat butter in a microwave-safe dish until melted (30-45 seconds), then stir in the Dijon, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and dry seasonings until smooth.
Step 4: Soak sliders in marinade. Slowly pour the butter mixture over the top of the rolls in the dish, making sure it seeps down the sides of the pan. I use a pastry brush to coat the rolls with the marinade evenly. Let soak for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Bake. Loosely cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until lightly golden on top (5-10 minutes). Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Take your time slowwwwly pouring the poppy seed butter sauce over the sliders, so it drips down the sides of the sandwiches and seeps into the bottom pieces of bread. I use a pastry brush to get it nice and evenly dispersed.
- To make gluten-free ham delights, swap the Worcestershire sauce for gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos, and use a light and fluffy homemade or store-bought brand gluten-free dinner roll.
- To avoid the rolls from over-browning check for doneness 5 minutes after the foil is removed during baking.
Variations and Serving
If you’re after ham delights soaked in classic Southern poppy seed sauce, I don’t recommend deviating too far from the recipe as it’s written. HOWEVER, adding a pineapple ring, a few thin slices of red onion, and a few jalapeno slices to each delightful ham and cheese sammie is never a bad idea!
As for serving, I like pairing these mini-sandwiches with other casual party foods like:
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Let cool and keep leftovers covered in plastic in the fridge for two days. When you’re ready to reheat, cover with foil and bake at 350°F until warm and the cheese is restored to its original glorious gooeyness.
Freezing: Leftover ham delights can also be wrapped tightly in plastic in the freezer for 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Recipe FAQ
You sure can. These delicious sliders are a fantastic make-ahead party appetizer. Just assemble the sandwiches in the baking dish the night before. Wrap with plastic and keep covered in the fridge. The following day make the poppy seed sauce, marinate the sandwiches, and bake!
Classic Southern ham delights actually call for white dinner rolls, so those are always an option. Still, if you’re looking for something similar to soft and sweet Hawaiian rolls, brioche is the most similar.
More Fun Party Appetizer Recipes
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Ham Delights
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 24 Kings Hawaiian original sweet rolls If you can find the 24-count party pack, it fits perfectly in a 9x13 pan. Otherwise, go with two 12-count packages
- 1.25 lb deli ham thinly sliced
- 8 oz swiss cheese thinly sliced
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ½ tablespoon dried minced onion
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9x13" baking dish with olive oil spray.
- Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half by slicing through the middle of the rolls and place the bottom of the rolls in the baking dish.
- Add a layer of ham, followed by a layer of swiss cheese, then another layer of ham. Cover with the top of the rolls.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish until melted (about 30-45 seconds) then stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Slowly pour the butter mixture over the top of the rolls in the dish, making sure that it gets down into the sides of the pan. I use a pastry brush to evenly coat all of the rolls with the marinade. Allow the rolls to marinate for 10 minutes then loosely cover with foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until lightly golden on top. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Take your time slowwwwly pouring the poppy seed butter sauce over the sliders, so it drips down the sides of the sandwiches and seeps into the bottom pieces of bread. I use a pastry brush to get it nice and evenly dispersed.
- To make gluten-free ham delights, swap the Worcestershire sauce for gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos, and use a light and fluffy homemade or store-bought brand gluten-free dinner roll.
- To avoid the rolls from over-browning check for doneness 5 minutes after the foil is removed during baking.
Nutrition
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Jennifer FIsher
Pool party food . . . whoohoo! Hope you are having a good summer!
Amee Livingston
Thank you Jennifer! Same to you!!
Josephine
What fabulous looking sliders!! I cannot wait to try this delicious recipe!
Amee Livingston
Thank you Josephine!
Brad Snyder
So, so good! And the instructions were easy ro follow. They were a big hit!
Amee Livingston
Hi Brad! I'm so glad that you enjoyed them! Thank you for the feedback!