When the occasion calls for a truly delightful and effortless nibble, we find ourselves returning to this particular recipe again and again. There’s a certain kind of culinary magic in the beautiful harmony of flaky, buttery pastry, wonderfully gooey melted cheese, and the sharp yet sweet burst of cranberry. These baked cranberry brie bites are the quintessential party appetizer. They look so elegant arranged on a serving plate, yet they are remarkably straightforward to prepare. They are perfect little parcels of deliciousness that always disappear in a flash, making them a certified success at any gathering, from a cosy winter evening to a grand festive celebration.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A Perfect Harmony of Tastes: Each bite delivers a sensational experience. You get the crisp, delicate layers of puff pastry, the rich, creamy melt of the Brie cheese, the sweet and tangy pop of cranberry sauce, and a lovely textural crunch from the pecans. It’s a truly sophisticated and wonderful combination of flavours.
• Effortlessly Elegant: Using ready-rolled puff pastry and just a few other ingredients, you can have these chic bites assembled and ready for the oven in less than 15 minutes. It’s the ideal fuss-free recipe when you’re looking to impress without spending hours in the kitchen.
• Minimal Ingredients, Maximum Impact: You only need a handful of core components to create this stunning appetiser. This recipe is a brilliant example of how simple, good-quality ingredients can be combined to produce something truly special without a complicated shopping list.
• Fantastically Adaptable: While we are partial to the classic cranberry and pecan pairing, this recipe serves as a brilliant canvas for your own creativity. Feel free to swap the nuts, use a different jam or chutney, or add a sprinkle of fresh herbs to tailor them perfectly to your taste or event.

Choosing Your Ingredients

The charm of this Baked Cranberry Brie Bites Recipe is rooted in its simplicity, which allows the quality of each individual component to truly stand out. Let’s discuss the main elements.

• Puff Pastry: For absolute ease, we nearly always reach for a high-quality, ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry sheet. The rich, buttery flavour provides a wonderful foundation for the other ingredients. A standard puff pastry will, of course, still yield delicious results. The most important tip is to keep the pastry chilled right until you’re ready to use it, which helps ensure it puffs up beautifully in the oven.
• Brie Cheese: You certainly don’t need to source the most expensive artisanal Brie for this recipe. A good-quality supermarket wheel will work splendidly. The key is to choose a Brie whose flavour you enjoy. We suggest leaving the rind on; it is entirely edible and helps the cheese to maintain its shape, preventing it from melting out of the pastry cup.
• Cranberry Sauce: We find that a whole-berry cranberry sauce provides the best texture and a more pronounced tangy flavour when compared to a jellied version. The whole fruits add a lovely burst of flavour to each bite. If you have a homemade sauce, that’s fantastic! Otherwise, a good jarred sauce is a perfectly suitable option.
• Nuts: Toasted pecans are our favourite choice, offering a sweet, buttery crunch that complements the other flavours perfectly. Walnuts are also an excellent alternative, bringing a slightly earthier taste to the bites. Just be sure to chop them quite finely to ensure a little crunch in every mouthful.

Ingredients

• 1 x 320g sheet of all-butter puff pastry, ready-rolled and kept cold
• A 200g wheel of Brie
• 100g of whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 50g pecans, chopped into small pieces
• 1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten for an egg wash
• Fresh rosemary or thyme, to garnish (optional)
• Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling (optional)
• Sea salt and black pepper, to season (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare Your Equipment: Before we begin, let’s get everything in order. Start by preheating your oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6). Lightly butter the cups of a 24-hole mini muffin tray. If you only have a standard 12-hole tin, that will work too; your finished bites will just be a little larger.
2. Cut the Pastry: Unroll your chilled puff pastry sheet onto a surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, neatly slice the pastry into 24 equal squares, each approximately 5cm by 5cm.
3. Form the Pastry Cases: Carefully take each pastry square and gently press it into one of the prepared mini muffin cups. Use your fingertips to guide the pastry so it lines the base and sides, creating a small, tart-like case for the filling.
4. Prepare the Brie: Take your chilled Brie from the refrigerator and slice it into 24 small, bite-sized cubes. There is no need to trim the rind; it is completely edible and helps the cheese to hold its shape as it bakes.
5. Assemble the Bites: Now for the fun part. Place one cube of Brie inside each of your pastry cases. Then, top the cheese with a small spoonful (about half a teaspoon) of the whole-berry cranberry sauce. Try not to overfill them, as the filling will expand in the heat.
6. Add Toppings and Egg Wash: Scatter the chopped pecans over the top of the cranberry sauce in each cup. For that lovely golden-brown finish, take a pastry brush and lightly coat the exposed edges of the pastry with the beaten egg.
7. Bake to Perfection: Place the muffin tray into your preheated oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes. They are ready when the pastry is beautifully puffed, a deep golden-brown, and the Brie is wonderfully molten and bubbling.
8. Cool and Garnish: Once baked, let the bites cool in the tray for a few minutes. This allows them to set slightly, which makes them easier to remove. You can then transfer them to a wire rack or directly onto your serving platter. For a final flourish, garnish with fresh rosemary or thyme and a little drizzle of honey before serving them warm.

Serving Suggestions and Variations

While this recipe is truly wonderful as it is, we always encourage a little creativity. These bites are at their absolute peak when served warm from the oven, with the cheese molten and irresistibly gooey. They are a fantastic feature on any party platter, perhaps served alongside our Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders for a brilliant mix of sweet and savoury options.

For an extra festive flair, consider adding a pinch of orange zest or a dash of cinnamon to your cranberry sauce. If cranberry isn’t your preference, a high-quality fig jam, red onion chutney, or even apricot preserves would make a delicious substitute. For any guests with nut allergies, you can simply omit the pecans; the bites remain just as delightful. And after everyone has enjoyed the appetisers, why not present a stunning dessert like our Peach Crumb Cheesecake? It’s a wonderful way to conclude a memorable meal.

Frequently Asked Questions

And there you have it – a simple yet incredibly elegant holiday appetiser that we are sure will become a firm favourite. These Baked Cranberry Brie Bites are a true celebration of flavour and texture, neatly presented in one perfect mouthful. They are proof that you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to create something truly impressive for your friends and family. We do hope you enjoy making (and eating!) this recipe as much as we do. If you give it a go, please let us know how they turned out in the comments section below. We always love to hear from you!

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 x 320g sheet of all-butter puff pastry, ready-rolled and kept cold
• A 200g wheel of Brie
• 100g of whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 50g pecans, chopped into small pieces
• 1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten for an egg wash
• Fresh rosemary or thyme, to garnish (optional)
• Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling (optional)
• Sea salt and black pepper, to season (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare Your Equipment: Start by preheating your oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6). Lightly butter the cups of a 24-hole mini muffin tray.
2. Cut the Pastry: Unroll your chilled puff pastry sheet onto a surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Neatly slice the pastry into 24 equal squares.
3. Form the Pastry Cases: Carefully take each pastry square and gently press it into one of the prepared mini muffin cups, creating a small case for the filling.
4. Prepare the Brie: Take your chilled Brie from the refrigerator and slice it into 24 small, bite-sized cubes. There is no need to trim the rind.
5. Assemble the Bites: Place one cube of Brie inside each pastry case. Then, top the cheese with a small spoonful of the whole-berry cranberry sauce.
6. Add Toppings and Egg Wash: Scatter the chopped pecans over the top. Take a pastry brush and lightly coat the exposed edges of the pastry with the beaten egg.
7. Bake to Perfection: Place the muffin tray into your preheated oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden-brown.
8. Cool and Garnish: Let the bites cool in the tray for a few minutes. Transfer them to your serving platter and garnish with fresh herbs and a drizzle of honey before serving warm.

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