Cranberry Brie Bites

Fruity, savory, and just a little bit sweet, cranberry and Brie work together perfectly. Why not combine them into the perfect little savory snack or appetizer with this recipe for cranberry Brie bites?

Make sure that you try making your own Homemade Cranberry Sauce for this recipe. You could also use the leftover cranberries to make an Orange Cranberry Relish to pair with your cranberry brie bites!

Cranberry Brie Bites

Cranberry and Brie is an age-old pairing, something that is a tried and tested flavor combination for a good reason.

There is just something so perfect about the acidity and sweetness of cranberry paired with that funky, subtle savoriness of Brie that works perfectly.

However, instead of only eating a bit of Brie with some cranberry sauce, why not go all the way and make it into a perfect little snack? The addition of some frozen puff pastry and a little bit of a crunchy nut like a pecan turns it into the perfect little appetizer or party snack that seems like it requires a huge amount of effort.            

Cranberry Brie Bites Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Brie cheese

• Cooking spray

• Frozen puff pastry

• Cranberry sauce

• Pecans

• Sea salt

How To Make Cranberry Brie Bites

• Prepare the Brie by removing the rind from the cheese.

• Place the Brie in the freezer for about 20 minutes to help make it easier to slice

• Using cooking spray, oil a 24-cup mini muffin tin

• Lay out the puff pastry and roll it out to a 10 X 14-inch rectangle

• Cut the sheet lengthwise into four strips and across into six strips, making 24 even squares

• Place each square into the greased muffin cups and press into the muffin cups

• Take the Brie out of the freezer and cut it into 24 pieces, making each piece about 3/4 inch in size

• In each pastry-lined cup, add 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce, and then press in one piece of Brie and top it with the chopped pecans, sprinkling each with a bit of sea salt

• Place the baking tray in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but you can also prepare these the day before by covering them with plastic wrap and keeping them in the fridge for up to three days

• Bake the Cranberry Brie Bites at 400 Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown around the edges

• Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving to avoid burning hot cheese singing in your mouth!

Could You Use Other Types Of Cheese?

Brie cheese isn’t the most common of cheeses outside of Western Europe, primarily because it all has to be imported from countries like France to be considered Brie.

While Brie and cranberry are the perfect flavor combination, there is nothing stopping you from swapping out the cheeses for something totally different and making an entirely new flavor combination!

For example, instead of using Brie cheese and cranberry sauce, why not try using a piece of mature Cheddar cheese and a little bit of really strong mustard? The flavors pair super well together, and the mustard will give everything a really intense spiciness.

You could even double down on the British-ness of the recipe and use something like Branston’s pickle chutney instead!

Another great pairing would be something like Camembert cheese and a small dollop of horseradish, but play around with the flavors and find a combination that works best for you!

How To Make Your Own Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is one of those things that almost everyone buys from the store, believing it to be too difficult and time-consuming to make from scratch. However, this is actually not true at all; it’s just one of those strange myths that everyone is told for no good reason.

Homemade puff pastry consists of just four ingredients, all of which can be found in almost every kitchen.

All that you need to make delicious homemade puff pastry is plain flour, salt, butter, and a little water from the tap.

Start by cutting your butter into small one-inch chunks. You want to mix in the chunked butter into the flour and salt, crumbling it all together until it forms a soft, crumbly, wet sand-like texture.

Next, add cold water to the mixture and combine until you have a firm dough. You then want to cover it with plastic wrap and leave your dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

After dusting with flour and rolling it out, you have some perfectly tasty puff pastry that you can use in any recipe that calls for it!

Cheater Puff Pastry

Note that this is technical “cheater puff pastry,” as it doesn’t actually contain any laminating. True puff pastry is made by carefully folding a solid block of butter into a flour and water dough, folding it gently in half literally dozens of times to create a million thin layers of flaky pastry.

While the real stuff is definitely worth it, this cheater puff pastry makes for something that is almost just as good but takes literally 1% of the time!

Looking for more delicious party Snack recipes? Try these out:

• How to Make Homemade Pita Chips

• Jalapeño Grilled Cheese Rollups

• Parmesan Crisps

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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