Cranberry Brie Bites

Cranberry Brie Bites are a simple yet elegant appetizer that’s ready in about 20 minutes. Flaky crescent roll dough cups hold creamy brie, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, and a touch of fresh rosemary for a festive finish. Perfect for holiday parties or any gathering where you want to impress without the stress.

Love More Christmas Recipes? Try My Turkey Cranberry Crescent Ring or this Cranberry Meatballs next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These bite-sized appetizers combine rich, creamy brie with tangy cranberry sauce in buttery, flaky pastry. Their golden-brown finish and festive red topping make them look elegant while taking just about 20 minutes to prep and bake. Perfect for parties, book clubs, or casual dinners, they’re easy to customize, can be made ahead, and are sure to impress both adults and kids alike.

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Ingredient List

For the Bites:

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cold
• 4 oz brie cheese (get the good stuff – it matters)
• ½ cup cranberry sauce (homemade or store-bought both work)

Optional Garnishes:

• Candied pecans, roughly chopped
• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Honey drizzle
• Fresh thyme leaves

Essential Tools:

• Mini muffin tin (12-cup works perfect)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Sharp knife
• Small spoon for dolloping

Why These Ingredients Work

Puff pastry is pure magic when it hits heat – those butter layers create flaky, crispy cups that hold everything perfectly. Brie becomes this creamy, luxurious base that coats your mouth. The cranberry sauce adds brightness and cuts through all that richness while giving you that festive red color.

The beauty lives in the simplicity. Three main ingredients that were basically made for each other. I’ve tried fancy versions with multiple cheeses and exotic jams, but this classic combo wins every time.

Quality matters here though. Cheap puff pastry tears and doesn’t puff right. Good brie melts smoothly instead of separating. Even store-bought cranberry sauce works great, but if you’ve got homemade, use it.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Mini muffin tin is non-negotiable. Regular muffin cups are too big and your ratios get weird. I learned this the hard way at my first attempt. Sharp knife for clean cuts on both pastry and cheese. Small spoon for cranberry sauce – teaspoons work perfectly.

Good cooking spray matters more than you think. Even “non-stick” tins can grab these little guys, and nobody wants to destroy perfect appetizers trying to get them out.

How To Make Cranberry Brie Bites

Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Tin

Heat oven to 375°F and position rack in center. Spray every single cup of your mini muffin tin generously. Like, more spray than seems reasonable. Trust me on this – I’ve pulled apart too many beautiful bites because I skimped on spray.

Step 2: Cut the Pastry

Unroll thawed puff pastry on clean surface. Using sharp knife, cut into 16 equal squares – I do 4 rows of 4. Press each square gently into muffin cup, letting corners stick up naturally. They’ll puff and look rustic, which is exactly what we want.

Step 3: Add the Good Stuff

Cut brie into small cubes, about half-inch pieces. Cold brie cuts cleaner, so keep it chilled until this step. Place one cube in center of each pastry cup. Add small spoonful of cranberry sauce on top of each brie cube. Key word: small. These pastries puff up huge and overflow isn’t cute.

Step 4: Bake Until Golden

Slide tray into oven and bake 15-18 minutes until pastry turns beautiful golden brown. Start checking around 12 minutes because ovens vary wildly. Look for puffed, golden pastry and slightly bubbly cheese.

Step 5: Cool and Remove

Let cool exactly 2-3 minutes – any longer and cheese starts firming up again. Run thin knife around each bite to loosen edges. They should pop right out if you used enough spray. If they stick, give them another minute to cool.

Step 6: Garnish and Serve

This is where you make them Instagram-worthy. Sprinkle chopped candied pecans over warm bites. Add tiny rosemary sprigs for color. Drizzle honey if you’re feeling fancy. Serve immediately while cheese is still melty and pastry stays crispy.

You Must Know

Temperature control makes or breaks these. Puff pastry needs to be thawed but still cold when you work with it. Room temperature pastry gets sticky and hard to handle. Cold brie slices infinitely cleaner than warm – stick it in freezer 10 minutes if you’re struggling with clean cuts.

Don’t overfill those cups. I know you want to pack in more good stuff, but restraint wins here. Overfilled cups overflow and make a mess, plus the pastry can’t puff properly.

Personal Secret: I poke each pastry square once with fork before adding filling. Prevents weird air bubbles and keeps everything neat. Learned this trick after my first batch looked like pastry volcanoes.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Cooking spray is your best friend. Use way more than you think you need. Even on “non-stick” surfaces. These bites want to stick, and damaged appetizers make me sad.

Set timer and check early. Puff pastry goes from perfect golden to burnt faster than you’d believe. Every oven runs different, so start checking at 12 minutes and trust your eyes over the timer.

Room temperature brie is easier to cube, but cold brie stays put during baking. Pick your battle based on timing. I usually cube room temp brie then chill the cubes before assembly.

Buy pre-made candied pecans from grocery store salad bar section. Saves time and they’re usually perfect size. Or make your own by tossing pecans with maple syrup and baking 5 minutes at 350°F.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

These bites are basically a blank canvas begging for creativity. Swap cranberry sauce for fig jam with crumbled blue cheese – total game changer for wine parties. Apricot preserves with honey drizzle brings summer vibes. Apple butter with cinnamon works beautifully for fall gatherings.

Go savory with caramelized onions and fresh thyme. Or try sun-dried tomatoes with basil for Italian twist. Even Nutella with sliced strawberries makes incredible dessert bites.

Herb variations work great too. Fresh thyme instead of rosemary brings earthier flavor. Sage leaves get crispy and delicious in the oven. Even a tiny sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning adds unexpected depth.

Nut options beyond pecans: chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, or pistachios all work. Toast them lightly first for extra flavor.

Make-Ahead Options

This is where these bites really shine for entertaining. Assemble completely in muffin tin up to 4 hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When guests arrive, just pop in oven and bake. Add 1-2 extra minutes to cooking time if going straight from fridge.

For longer storage, assemble and freeze right in the muffin tin up to one month. Cover tightly with plastic wrap then foil. Bake straight from frozen, adding about 5 minutes to total cooking time. They come out just as perfect as fresh ones.

You can also prep components separately. Cut pastry squares and store covered. Cube brie and refrigerate. Having everything ready makes final assembly super quick when you’re rushing before a party.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Mini muffin tins vary in size more than you’d think. Standard 12-cup tins work perfectly for this recipe. If your cups are tiny, you might get 20 bites instead of 16. If they’re bigger, you might only get 12. Adjust filling amounts accordingly.

No mini muffin tin? You can make these free-form on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut pastry into circles instead of squares, add filling in center, and fold edges up slightly. They won’t look as neat but taste identical.

Leftover puff pastry keeps frozen for months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then foil. Or just make extra bites – they disappear fast and everyone always wants more.

Different brie brands melt differently. Some get super creamy, others stay more solid. Both work fine, just gives slightly different textures. Avoid brie that’s rock hard or overly ripe and runny.

Serving Suggestions

These bites work for literally any occasion. Holiday parties love them because they’re festive and easy to eat while mingling. Wine tastings appreciate the sophisticated flavors – pair with Prosecco, Pinot Noir, or even champagne. Book clubs get excited because they’re fancy but not messy.

Date nights at home become special with a plate of these and good wine. Game day gets elevated when you skip chips and serve these instead. Even kids’ parties work because children love the combination of pastry and cheese.

Present them on white platters for classic elegance, or wooden boards for rustic charm. Scatter extra rosemary sprigs around the plate. Add small serving spoons nearby, though most people eat them by hand.

Temperature matters for serving. Hot from oven is absolute perfection – melty cheese, crispy pastry. Room temperature still tastes great but loses that wow factor of warm, gooey centers.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Soggy bottoms: Usually means too much cranberry sauce or not enough oven heat. Use less filling next time and make sure oven is fully preheated.

Burnt tops, raw bottoms: Oven rack too high. Move to center position and maybe drop temperature 25 degrees.

Bites stuck in pan: Not enough cooking spray or you let them cool too long. Use more spray next time and remove while still slightly warm.

Cheese leaked out: Overfilled cups or brie was too warm when you assembled. Use less filling and keep brie cold until assembly.

Pastry didn’t puff: Pastry was too warm when it went in oven, or oven wasn’t hot enough. Keep pastry cold and make sure oven is fully preheated.

I’ve made every mistake possible with these over the years. Now they’re foolproof because I learned from all those kitchen disasters.

Sometimes I pretend the recipe is more complicated than it actually is when people ask. Let them think you’re a culinary genius – you deserve the credit for choosing such a perfect appetizer.

How to Store Your Cranberry Brie Bites

Fresh from the oven is always best – that’s when the cheese is perfectly melty and pastry stays crisp. But life happens and sometimes you have leftovers.

Store cooled bites in refrigerator up to 2 days in airtight container. The pastry won’t be as crispy but they still taste great. For longer storage, freeze up to one month in freezer bags.

Reheating instructions: Oven at 350°F for 3-4 minutes brings back most of the crispiness. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Microwave works in a pinch but makes pastry chewy – only use if you’re desperate.

Allergy Information & Substitutions

Contains: Wheat (puff pastry), dairy (brie cheese)

Dairy-free options: Vegan brie or cashew cheese work, though they don’t melt exactly the same way. Miyoko’s brand gives closest results to real brie. Some people use cream cheese with herbs as substitute.

Gluten-free version: Look for gluten-free puff pastry in freezer section. Pepperidge Farm makes decent one. Or serve filling mixture on gluten-free crackers instead of baking in pastry.

Nut allergies: Skip the candied pecans entirely or use seeds like pumpkin seeds for crunch. The bites are perfect without any garnish.

Low-carb version: Skip the pastry and serve brie and cranberry mixture in mushroom caps or endive leaves. Different texture but same great flavors.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use fresh cranberries instead of sauce?

Fresh cranberries are too tart and won’t break down enough during short baking time. If you want to use them, cook with sugar and water first until they burst and thicken.

My puff pastry tore when cutting. Is it ruined?

Not at all! Just patch it back together in the muffin cup. Once it bakes and puffs up, you’ll never see the tear. Happens to everyone.

Can I use regular muffin tin instead of mini?

Regular tins are too big and throw off the ratios. You’d need way more filling and longer baking time. Mini tins or baking sheet work best.

How do I know when the brie is perfectly melted?

Look for slightly bubbly, soft cheese that’s just starting to ooze a tiny bit. It doesn’t need to be completely liquid – residual heat finishes the melting.

What if I don’t like brie?

Try camembert for similar creaminess, or even cream cheese mixed with herbs. Sharp cheddar works too but gives totally different flavor profile.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I love hearing about your kitchen adventures and any creative twists you’ve added. Tag me on social media when you make them – seeing your versions always makes my day!