Make these amazing Cranberry Brie Bites for your holiday gatherings! From Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s, this savory sweet delight embraces everything wonderful about the holiday season.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and buy something, Feast + West receives a small commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are our own. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cranberry Brie Bites recipe
My holiday parties are always full of fun cocktails like a yule mule or pomegranate martini. But they need delicious food to be served alongside them! Enter baked brie bites loaded with tart cranberry sauce — can you say mouthwateringly delicious?
This super easy recipe makes one of the best holiday party appetizers you’ll ever taste. Inspired by my baked brie, these puff pastry brie bites always receive rave reviews.
The tangy cranberry sauce balances out the creamy cheese just wonderfully, and the buttery puff pastry adds in the flaky texture that rounds out the whole dish. If you need a tried and true crowd-pleaser of an appetizer, this fits the bill!
Party foods like cranberry brie bites are great because there’s no cutting and serving. These individual bites make for easy serving during special occasions. One of the holiday appetizers ever!
More appetizer recipes: Sausage Balls • Marinated Cheese • Whipped Feta Dip
Why you’ll love this recipe
These little bites of happiness always put a smile on my face! There’s so much to love about Cranberry Brie Bites.
- The best part about cranberry brie bites? They can be made ahead of time! So if you need to get a bit of party prep out of the way, build these little bite sized appetizers and then bake them just before the party.
- This easy recipe is a great way to repurpose and utilize leftover cranberry sauce from the holidays. Nothing goes to waste in our house! We love to give ingredients new life through fun recipes.
- Brie bites are incredibly adaptable. You can change up this recipe so many different ways and it would still be just as amazing.
- Do you have tons of leftover cranberry sauce from the holidays that you don’t know how to use? This is a great recipe to use it up in!
Tools & equipment
To make this baked brie appetizer, you’ll need a few different tools in your kitchen. I prefer to make mini brie bites, so this recipe uses mini muffin tins. However, you can use a regular muffin tin!
You’ll either need a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the puff pastry sheets — and a knife to cut the brie too! Make sure you’ve got a spoon to fill each pastry cup with cranberry sauce (and a can opener if you’re using canned!). Grab a few measuring cups for other ingredients, and that’s really all you need.
Ingredients
Grab these simple ingredients at your local grocery store on your next shopping trip. Then you’ll be ready to make the most amazing creamy brie cheese bites. Here is everything you need to have on hand:
- puff pastry sheets thawed
- brie cheese
- whole berry cranberry sauce
- fresh rosemary sprigs
- crumbled cooked bacon
- chopped pecans
Variations and Substitutions
If you can’t find puff pastry, you can use crescent roll dough. However, it may be a bit harder to work with because it is cut into triangles so you will have to work at rolling it out.
While this is a recipe specifically for cranberry brie bites, you can use this as a base recipe and adapt the fruit flavor! You can use a different kind of jam or spreads of any kind for other times of the year. They are so good with apple butter too. So don’t be afraid to get creative.
Make this brie appetizer vegetarian by simply omitting the bacon! You can add a salty element by just sprinkling some flakey sea salt over the bites.
I use store bought puff pastry, but you can venture out and make homemade puff pastry if you want!
How to Make Cranberry Brie Bites
Thaw the puff pastry dough according to package instructions and preheat your oven 350°F (176°C).
While the oven preheats, cut the whole wheel of brie cheese into 36 1-inch squares and set them aside.
Roll out the sheet of puff pastry to flatten the fold lines. Cut into 18 squares —a 4×6 grid should work with most pastry sheets.
Arrange the pieces of dough in a mini muffin tin to make pastry cups. Then place a piece of brie inside of each dough cup.
Spoon cranberry sauce on top of the brie and then sprinkle the top with crumbled bacon and pecans.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. You’ll want to keep an eye on them as they bake because the cranberry sauce can begin to caramelize (but I personally like the crunch).
Once the tops of the pastry cups are just golden brown, you can remove the baked brie bites from the oven.
Allow to cool slightly, then garnish with small rosemary sprigs. Serve warm and enjoy!
What to Serve with Cranberry Brie Bites
These yummy brie bites pair wonderfully with a charcuterie board and some caprese skewers. Or you could serve it with more cheesy favorites like spinach artichoke dip and beer cheese dip. Their even a great side dish for a Christmas meal of honey baked ham with all the fixins.
They also go great with a refreshing glass of Christmas spa water or non-alcoholic pomegranate Christmas punch. Or you could serve a fun adult beverage like a poinsettia drink or white cranberry mule to compliment the cranberry sauce.
Tips & tricks
Here’s a few tips to make these creamy brie cheese bites just the best ever:
- Buy pecans from the grocery store that are already chopped so that you don’t have to chop them yourself! It’ll save you some time and your future self will thank you.
- For the best flavor, make your own homemade cranberry sauce! The whole berries in the sauce add little pockets of tart flavor in each brie bites.
- Prep your brie bites ahead of time and then bake them just before your party so that they are fresh and the melted brie is still warm.
FAQ
Place leftover cranberry brie bites into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat them, reheat in the oven at 200°F (93°C) for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
The flavor of brie is always best when served warm! That is why using it at the center of things like easy brie bites make such a delicious treat. The brie warms up and becomes creamy and rich, the perfect pairing with cranberry sauce.
More Cranberry Recipes
- White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- White Cranberry Mule
- Cape Codder
- Cranberry Sauce Old Fashioned Cocktail
— Did you make this recipe? —
Please leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below.
Cranberry Brie Bites
ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
- 8 ounces brie cheese
- ½ cup whole berry cranberry sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 pieces cooked bacon crumbled
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
instructions
- Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Cut brie cheese into 36 1-inch squares. Set aside.
- Roll out the puff pastry to flatten the fold lines. Cut into 18 squares. A 4×6 grid should work with most pastry sheets.
- Arrange the pastry pieces in a mini muffin tin and place a piece of brie inside the dough.
- Add a spoonful of cranberry sauce over the brie. Sprinkle with bacon and pecans.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 15-20 minutes. (Keep an eye on them because the cranberry sauce can begin to caramelize, but I personally like the crunch. You want to remove them with the tops of the pastry is just browned.)
- Let cool slightly, then garnish with small rosemary sprigs. Serve warm.
notes
recommended products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Leave a Reply