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This easy cheesy puff pastry appetizer is a festive holiday appetizer. Puff Pastry filled with Brie, cranberry relish, pistachios, and thyme is always a crowd favorite. One bite and you’ll be in love!
Ho Ho Ho-oh my folks do I have such a classic holiday appetizer for you! This is probably one of my top 3 favorite appetizers to make. Now full disclosure, I make this pretty much for every gathering regardless of the time of year. It’s so easy to make, plus you can tweak it to make it your own!
Let’s Grab The Ingredients
Now you can buy canned cranberry relish but I beg of you, make my recipe. Homemade is 9 trillion times better! Trust me on this!
On a lightly floured board, place the thawed puff pastry.
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 squares.
Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray and press the squares into the wells.
How to Prepare the Brie
So the very first question I want to address is no, you do NOT need to remove the rind. It’s completely edible and honestly when it’s baked you really don’t notice it.
However, you can remove it BUT watch how much you’ll cut off so you don’t waste much cheese.
Chef’s Tip about Brie
What I do is pop it into the freezer just for about 10 minutes or so as it makes it easier to slice.
Cut the brie into small squares
Press the brie into the dough
Place a half teaspoon of cranberry relish on top of the brie.
Sprinkle on some chopped pistachios.
Brush the edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash
Pop into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
The Finishing Touches
Remove the bites from the oven and use an offset metal blade to pop them out of the muffin pan.
When you plate them, add some fresh thyme and a pinch of sea salt flakes.
New Website Feature
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Let’s Eat!
These little bites of cheesy deliciousness are one of the most popular holiday appetizers. I’ve made these for decades and they are always one of the first things to go.
Freezing, Reheating & How To Store Cranberry Brie Bites
This is one of those recipes you can make ahead, freeze, and reheat beautifully.
To Store – Store these fully baked in an airtight container in the fridge
To Freeze – Once baked, allow to cool completely. Place on a baking pan in a single layer. Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered until frozen solid. Transfer the bites to a freezer back for up to 2 months.
To Reheat – Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the bites into a mini muffin pan and bake for about 5-10 minutes or until warmed all the way through.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
Puff Pastry –If you can’t find it, use phyllo dough (just brush melted butter between 3-4 layers first), or canned biscuit dough
Cranberry Relish– apricot jam, raspberry, or fig jam works
Cuisine:holiday party foods, appetizers, finger foods, snacks
This easy cheesy puff pastry appetizer is a festive holiday appetizer. Puff Pastry filled with Brie, cranberry relish, pistachios, and thyme is always a crowd favorite. One bite and you’ll be in love!
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the Brie into the freezer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the 2 muffin tin pans.
On a lightly floured board, roll out a puff pastry sheet. Cut the sheet into 12 equal squares. Spray the muffin tin with nonstick spray. Place each square into a sprayed muffin tin.
Remove the Brie from the freezer and cut it into 24 pieces. Place one piece into each dough well. Spoon on some cranberry relish and a half of the pistachios. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to fill a second pan.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. If any Brie or cranberry relish has oozed overtop, no worries. When you remove it from the oven, use your offset spatula blade to scoop it back into the bite.
Using that same offset spatula, remove the bites from the pans and place either on a serving plate for immediate serving or a cooling rack for serving later. If serving immediately, top with fresh thyme and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yum! Look delicious!
What a great recipe, colorful and delicious. It is perfect for the holiday season and the best of all is how easy is to make it.
★★★★★