Cranberry Brie Bites in Puff Pastry
Cranberry and brie are very comfortable together at a holiday gathering. Here they settle into little puff-pastry cups with pecans, rosemary, and orange zest, finished with honey after baking.
Chef Nico’s recipe makes 24 bites in a mini muffin tin. Keeping the pastry cold and letting the baked bites settle for five minutes help them lift neatly onto the serving board.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Festive flaky pastry cups layered with tart cranberry and creamy melted brie.
- Total Time0 hours
- Yield24 bites 1x
Ingredients
PASTRY CUPS
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, for dusting
FILLING
- 8 oz brie, cut into 24 small cubes
- 3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tsp orange zest
TO FINISH
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 2 tbsp rosemary leaves
Instructions
Pastry Cups and Filling
- PREP THE PASTRY Lightly flour a work surface and roll each puff pastry sheet slightly thinner. Cut into 24 squares total, sized to fit a mini muffin tin. Press each square into a greased mini muffin cup, letting the corners point upward.
- FILL Place a small cube of brie in the bottom of each cup. Top with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary, pecans, and orange zest.
- EGG WASH Whisk the egg with water. Brush the exposed pastry corners so they bake up golden and glossy.
Bake and Serve
- BAKE Bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes. The bites are ready when the pastry is deep golden and puffed and the brie is fully molten.
- COOL AND SERVE Cool 5 minutes in the tin so the cheese sets enough to lift cleanly. Transfer to a serving board and drizzle with honey. Finish with flaky sea salt and fresh rosemary leaves. Serve warm.
Notes
Cooling / resting: Cool 5 minutes in the tin
SAFETY NOTES
Bake until the pastry is fully cooked through and golden, as underbaked puff pastry brushed with egg wash should not be served.
Keep the brie refrigerated until assembly and do not leave assembled bites at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Wash hands and brushes after handling raw egg wash and do not reuse the brush on finished bites.
This dish contains tree nuts and dairy. Note both when serving guests with allergies and prepare a nut-free batch separately if needed.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 days, reheating to hot rather than warm.
CHEF NICO’S NOTES
Keep the pastry cold. Puff pastry needs cold butter layers to rise. If it softens while you work, chill the filled tin before baking.
Cheese on the bottom, cranberry on top. Reverse it and the sugar in the cranberry scorches against the hot tin.
Do not overfill. Cranberry sauce bubbles over and welds to the pan, and a mini muffin tin is miserable to scrub.
Let the corners point up. Those exposed edges catch heat and give you the flaky, dramatic tops that make these look intentional.
Honey and flaky salt at the end. That sweet-salt finish against warm brie is what elevates these past standard party food.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes active prep
- Cook Time: About 18 minutes baking
- Category: Appetizer
Chef Nico's Tips
Keep the pastry cold while working.
Place brie below the cranberry sauce as directed.
Avoid overfilling the little cups.
Let the bites cool in the tin before lifting.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm on a board or platter with small napkins. They fit a holiday appetizer spread particularly well beside fresh fruit or a lighter vegetable bite.
Sparkling wine or sparkling water with orange makes an easy pairing. These contain dairy, pecans, wheat, and egg; check pastry labels and let guests know.
Ready, Set, Cook
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