When entertaining for the holidays I like to make good use of the ingredients I have on hand. It’s not uncommon that one ingredient will also show up in another dish. These Cranberry Brie Bites are a good example, because I make them with the ingredients I also have for our holiday meal - puff pastry, cranberry sauce, and brie. The cranberry sauce is also in the table with the turkey, the brie is also found on the cheese plate, and the puff pastry is also used in desserts!
What I love about this quick appetizer is how easy it is to pull together in the oven. I always appreciate a good cheese plate, but serving warm appetizers fresh from the oven can be a nice change. They don’t take long to pull together and can even be taken to a friend’s house if you need something to pass around.
I always begin with frozen puff pastry because puff pastry is extremely difficult to make from scratch. (I don’t recommend attempting it at all!) Instead, thaw the puff pastry and roll it out with a rolling pin and cut it into squares. Then, pop the squares in the mini-muffin tins with the brie on top. They bake for a little while, then the cranberry sauce is added at the end and they’re baked a little more. It’s actually that easy!
You can’t go wrong with a cheese and fruit combination during the holidays. If you don’t have frozen puff pastry you can definitely use phyllo squares, or even toasted baguette slices. We all need a few easy appetizer recipes in our back pocket and I promise that this is one you’ll absolutely love. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Cranberry & Brie Bites
This is a fun, easy appetizer for any holiday party. I even put my kids in charge of making them because they are that simple to make. The nice thing is that these are made with ingredients you probably already have on hand so they’re easy to whip up in a flash.
Makes 24 bites
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
24 1-inch pieces of brie
1 recipe of fresh cranberry sauce ( https://www.nikkiglekas.com/post/cranberry-sauce )
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll the puff pastry dough a few times to make it into 24x24-inch square.
Cut the puff pastry until 24 1 1/2-inch squares.
Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin.
Place one puff pastry square in each muffin tin and place a piece of brie in the middle.
Bake the pastry for 25 minutes, or until the puff pastry is just beginning to firm up.
Remove the pastry and add about ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce to each bite, place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
Nikki Glekas is the owner of Nikki Glekas Events, a full-service catering and events company located in Stamford, CT.. To discuss further please contact team@nikkiglekascollective.com or call 203.658.8659.
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