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Cranberry brie bites with puff pastry combine crisp, flaky pastry with rich, creamy brie cheese, sweet/tart spiced cranberry sauce, and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary for the ultimate holiday appetizer that’s as easy as it is elegant.
If you’re looking for the perfect easy crowd-pleasing holiday appetizer for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you found it! And it’s simple to transform it into finger food that’s perfect for any party or gathering all year long.
What Are Brie Bites?
Brie bites are an appetizer made with store-bought puff pastry, brie cheese, cranberry sauce, and a sprinkle of rosemary for a hint of piney flavor and a pop of green color.
This recipe pairs crisp, golden pastry with creamy brie and the sweet/tart flavor of cranberries for the perfect finger food that’s both elegant and easy!
It’s meant as a holiday appetizer, so this recipe combines the festive flavors of cranberry and rosemary. However, for an easy appetizer idea that’s perfect all year, you can swap out the cranberry sauce for any type of jam or preserves you like.
Fresh rosemary is optional as well, and you can omit it or substitute with your favorite type of fresh herb.
Cranberry Brie Bites Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
In these sections I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
Note that you don’t have to make your own cranberry sauce to make cranberry brie bites. Store-bought cranberry sauce will work fine, but if you have a little bit of extra time it’s well worth it to make cranberry sauce from scratch!
- Fresh cranberries – frozen cranberries will also work fine here
- Sugar – in this recipe sugar adds sweetness and also helps create the perfect jam-like texture for our cranberry sauce; if you want to cut down on the sugar and don’t mind a bit more tartness, you can reduce the sugar from 1 cup down to 3/4 cup
- Water – feel free to use apple juice, apple cider, or orange juice instead of water here
- Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves – these warm spices add a ton of festive flavor and aroma, and help make these cranberry bite bites perfect for the holidays
- Salt – a natural flavor enhancer
Puff Pastry Bites
- Frozen puff pastry – here you’ll need 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry from a 17.3 ounce box with 2 sheets; let it thaw before using
- Brie – you’ll need 1 (8-ounce) wheel of brie for this recipe; to cut it easier, cut it straight out of the fridge (don’t let it sit at room temperature)
- Cranberry sauce – if you’re pressed for time you can use store-bought whole berry cranberry sauce or cranberry relish instead
- Rosemary – rosemary is one of my favorite herbs for Christmas recipes because of its piney flavor and aroma; it also adds a pop of green (which is perfect because together with red cranberry sauce, green rosemary looks very Christmasy)
Other Ingredients
- Butter – to grease the muffin tray
- Flour – to roll out the puff pastry
- Egg – lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.
- Give it a stir.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down slightly so it doesn’t boil over. Cover the pot and simmer until the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- This is how the sauce looks when it’s done. If you have any whole cranberries left, you can use a potato masher to briefly mash the sauce. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
How to Make Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry Bites
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Butter the wells of a muffin tray. Lightly flour the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) and roll out the puff pastry dough to a square; you don’t need to make it bigger and it doesn’t have to be perfect, just roll it a little to even it out. Cut the dough into 16 pieces.
- Top each piece of puff pastry with a piece of brie. Place each piece of brie topped-puff pastry into the buttered muffin wells.
- Top each with a slightly heaping 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce and a little sprinkle of rosemary. Lightly brush any pastry that’s exposed with egg wash (don’t brush the brie or cranberry sauce). Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Transfer them from the fridge to the oven, and bake until the pastries are puffed and golden, about 15 to 18 minutes.
Variations
- Raspberry brie bites – Cranberry sauce makes this easy appetizer perfect for the holidays! However, if you want to serve this year-round, raspberry jam is a great substitute for cranberry sauce. And it doesn’t stop at raspberry jam; you can use apricot jam, blackberry jam, or any type of jam you like because just about any kind of jam pairs well with brie!
- Brie bites with crescent rolls – If you have a tube of crescent roll dough on hand or if you prefer crescent rolls to puff pastry, feel free to use crescent roll dough here.
- Add nuts – If nuts are your thing, they add a delicious crunch to these bites! You can use pecans, walnuts, or any type of nuts you like.
- Mini baked brie bites – If you want to make these bites even smaller, you can use a mini muffin pan instead of a regular-sized muffin pan. Cut 1 sheet of puff pastry into 24 pieces, cut an 8-ounce brie wheel into 24 pieces, and use a touch less cranberry sauce for each bite. Also, start checking them for doneness about 5 minutes sooner.
Different Flavor Ideas for Baked Brie Bites
- Peach and pecan brie bites – Use peach jam instead of cranberry sauce and add 1 teaspoon chopped pecans to each. Omit the rosemary.
- Strawberry walnut – Swap the cranberry sauce out for strawberry jam, add 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts to each, and omit the rosemary.
- Blueberry thyme – Use blueberry preserves in place of cranberry sauce, and thyme instead of rosemary.
- Caramelized onion – If you like the sweet and savory flavor of caramelized onions, this appetizer is the perfect place to use them! Or if you don’t have time to make caramelized onion, you can use store-bought caramelized onion jam instead. Rosemary or thyme works well here.
- Red pepper jelly – For another sweet and savory combination, red pepper jam is a great choice! Swap out the rosemary for thyme.
Storage and Reheating
Once they’re cool, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
The best way to reheat brie bites is in the oven so the pastry re-crisps. To do so, place the bites on a baking tray and reheat in a preheated 350F oven until heated through, about 5 to 10 minutes. You can serve them warm or at room temperature.
Brie Bites with Puff Pastry FAQs
Can I Make These Brie Bites Without Puff Pastry?
Absolutely! You have a few different substitution options if you want to make this brie appetizer without puff pastry:
- Crescent roll dough – sold in tubes in the refrigerated aisle of the grocery store
- Mini phyllo pastry shells – look for it in the frozen aisle, and let them thaw before using
- Store-bought pie dough – this is usually in a box in the refrigerated section near dairy
- Homemade pie dough – I always use the same flaky, golden all-butter pie dough recipe for making sweet or savory pies; you can find my pie dough recipe (along with step-by-step photo instructions for how to make it) in my pumpkin pasties recipe
How Do You Make Brie Bites with Crescent Rolls?
For this recipe, you’ll need 1 (8-ounce) tube of Crescent Rolls Dough or Crescent Dough Sheets.
- Unroll the dough and spread it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Use a lightly floured rolling pin to even out the dough.
- Cut the dough into 16 pieces.
- Follow the rest of the recipe as written, but bake at 375F for about 15 minutes.
Can I Use Store-Bought Cranberry Sauce?
Definitely! You don’t need to make homemade cranberry sauce to make this recipe. (Although if I’m being honest, homemade cranberry sauce takes them to the next level and it makes your whole house smell like Christmas as it cooks!)
You can either use store-bought whole berry cranberry sauce or cranberry relish instead of homemade cranberry sauce. And lingonberry jam is another great substitute for cranberry sauce!
Do You Take the Rind Off Brie Before Baking?
No, you don’t have to take the rind off brie before baking.
Brie’s rind is edible, and if you try to remove it you will likely sacrifice a lot of the delicious cheese. Additionally, removing the rind is an extra step that unnecessarily complicates this recipe.
What Do You Serve with Brie Bites?
These hand-held bites are the perfect party food, which is one of the reasons they’re great for the holiday season! You can serve them along with other finger foods so people can nibble as they walk around and mingle.
Also, brie bites make a lovely first course for an elegant holiday meal.
More Puff Pastry Appetizers to Make
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Cranberry Brie Bites with Puff Pastry Recipe
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Ingredients
Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce:
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries rinsed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Puff Pastry Bites:
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed (from a 17.3 ounce box with 2 sheets)
- 8 ounce wheel brie cut into 16 pieces
- 1/2 cup homemade spiced cranberry sauce or store-bought cranberry sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary plus more for garnish if desired
Other:
- Butter to grease the dish
- All-purpose flour to roll out the puff pastry
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
Instructions
For the Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce:
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down slightly so it doesn’t boil over. Cover the pot and simmer until the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes. (The sauce will thicken more as it cools.)
For the Puff Pastry Bites:
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Butter the wells of a muffin tray.
- Lightly flour the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) and roll out the puff pastry dough to a square; you don’t need to make it bigger and it doesn’t have to be perfect, just roll it a little to even it out.
- Cut the dough into 16 pieces and top each with a piece of brie. Place each piece of brie topped-puff pastry into the buttered muffin wells. Top each with a slightly heaping 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce and a little sprinkle of rosemary. Lightly brush any pastry that’s exposed with egg wash (don’t brush the brie or cranberry sauce).
- Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Transfer them from the fridge to the oven, and bake until the pastries are puffed and golden, about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- Cranberry Sauce: This recipe for homemade spiced cranberry sauce makes about 2 cups. You’ll only need 1/2 cup to make the cranberry brie puff pastry bites, so you’ll have extra cranberry sauce. If you prefer, you can use store-bought cranberry sauce, cranberry relish, or lingonberry jam instead.
- Storage: Once they’re cool, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat brie bites is in the oven so the pastry re-crisps. To do so, place the bites on a baking tray and reheat in a preheated 350F oven until heated through, about 5 to 10 minutes. You can serve them warm or at room temperature.
How to Use Crescent Roll Dough Instead of Puff Pastry
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- For this recipe, you’ll need 1 (8-ounce) tube of Crescent Rolls Dough or Crescent Dough Sheets. Unroll the dough and spread it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Use a lightly floured rolling pin to even out the dough.
- Cut the dough into 16 pieces.
- Follow the rest of the recipe as written, but bake at 375F for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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