This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Quinoa just got so much better.
And I really loved it before.
But this quinoa? Itโs bite size and it is stuffed to the max withย ooey gooey brie.
ย And there are sweet cranberries involved too. I almost added pomegranates, but stopped myself in fear that you guys would think I was addicted or something.
I kind of am though.
And brie, I cannot get enough brie! Blame it on the time of year.ย I feel like brie is a holiday staple for most people because it has universal appeal. I mean how can you not love brie, it is so creamy and delicious?ย I basically want to pair it with anything and everything.
But who wouldnโt?
ย
If I am being honest, I hate appetizers and used to never make them.
But I only hate them because I love them so much. What?
Let me explain.
When I was a kid every summer my grandma and I would take a girls trip to Florida. Just her and I in the summertime Florida heat for a whole week. Other than Christmas, this week was probably one of my favorite weeks of the year.
We would shop, do a little lunch, I would sit in the sun (she would nap), then weโd shop some more and then it was time for dinner. Like I said, awesome. Every night before we went to dinner we would sit out on the deck and have appetizers and drinks. Wine for her, sparkling water for me (in a fun margarita glass!) and tons of cheese and crackers. It was good stuff. The only problem was, we would fill up on cheese and crackers and never be even able to make a dent in our fancy restaurant meals.
So, appetizers were something I saved for Florida. Unfortunately, we have not done that since I was thirteen.
Well, I have decided it is time to get back on the appetizer train. You would think that after all these year I would have learned some self-control, but all I learned was to make better appetizers and not to share.
Oops.
Ok, but really, these are incredible. If you are not a coconut fan donโt freak out, you will still adore these and if you really just cannot even do coconut, swap it out for more panko orโฆ gosh, go crazy and use crushed potato chips. Yum.
These little bites are perfect in every way. They come out of the oven oozing, but you can still pick them up right away and devour. The quinoa works amazingly well and stays pretty sturdy despite being stuffed with brie.
Oh, and the best part is that these areย not complicated at all and can be made and assembled ahead of time. Then just throw them in the oven ten minutes before you are ready to serve. I personally love these when theyโre hot and gooey with a little bit of the sweet cranberries, but they can also be served at room temp.
But, hear me when I say, warm and gooey is where it is at.
Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites with Sweet Cranberries
Ingredients
Quinoa Bites
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cannellini beans, mashed
- 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup blue cheese, finely crumbled (or your can swap mozzarella or goat cheese)
- 1 ounce wheel of brie, chilled, 8
For Coating
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoon coconut milk or buttermilk
- 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, or you may use sweetened
Sweet Cranberries
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- zest of one orange
- 1 jalapeรฑo, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place your round of brie in the freezer while you make the cranberries and quinoa mixture.
- Add cranberries, brown sugar, honey, water and half of the orange zest to a medium saucepan, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve.
- In the meantime, combine the quinoa, mashed cannellini beans, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then mix in the crumbled blue cheese. Mix well again and form into 28-30 equal balls. Place on a plate and put in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
- Remove the brie from the freezer and dice it into 28-30 equal chunks. Some may be bigger than others, but in general aim for the same size. Grab the quinoa balls and, working with one at a time, push one cube of brie into the middle of the ball and form the quinoa into a smooth ball around the brie, making sure all of the brie is covered. Repeat with the remaining balls. The cubes of brie may seem big for the size of you balls, but you want lots of brie! If you find that a few of you brie cubes are just too big, cut them in half.
- Place the remaining 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, the 3/4 cup shredded coconut and a good pinch of pepper in a shallow bowl. Add the eggs and buttermilk to another shallow bowl. Dip the balls through the egg and then carefully coat them in the coconut. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining balls. Bake for 10-15 minutes, just until the tops of the balls begin to brown. I like to rotate and check the balls after 8 or so minutes of baking. Do not bake longer than 15 minutes or all the brie will ooze out!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
The deliciousness is overwhelming!
are 2 c of cooked quinoa and the beans really enough for 30 balls? seems too little. just checking….
Hi Gordon,
Yes, the measurements are correct. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
After making these as apps for Christmas dinner a few observations:
1. Everyone loved them. Some of us a bit too much as out appetite for dinner was diminished b/c we ate so many.
2. While not esp complicated, they are a bit time intensive. Allow plenty of time.
3. I was unsure of the final size of the balls. I made mine about an 1.5″ across based on the prompts in the recipe – picture scale, instructions for cutting the brie, etc.. As a result the recipe made only 16. I made another half batch and ended up with 25 total. in retrospect, could have made the balls smaller and the brie pieces would have been a bit smaller.
4. The last ingredient on the Bites is confusing: “1 ounce wheel of brie chilled, 8”. I finally figured out it should be “One 8 oz wheel of brie.” Would help if that was corrected.
5. one way to cut the brie for fairly equal size pieces: Cut it like a pizza into 16 wedges. Cut each wedge about a third of the way down from the thick end. Then fold the remaining piece over on itself.
6. While very good, they could use something else in the quinoa mix…just not sure what. I added dill to some but it didn’t distinguish itself. You might experiment.
7. I used shredded mozz instead of blue cheese. Not sure why either is needed unless to help keep the balls together. I think blue cheese would maybe overpower the brie.
Enjoy!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Gordon!
These are insane. And when I say insane, I mean it in all the best, most delicious, cheesy, oozy, gooey ways possible. These little bites are so creative, Teighan! I can’t to share them with my readers! Keep these fab quinoa recipes coming girl ๐
Haha! Thank you! I love quinoa!
ok, I’m totally going crazy over these. What a perfect combination of flavors!
Thank you so much, Deborah!
Wow, brie is amazing in anything and everything, but these look absolutely incredible. I love the potato chip variation… How did you know I don’t like coconut?
Haha! The potato chips would be SO good!
You so had me with brie stuffed. Amazing!
๐ Thanks Laurie! Loved your boozy cookies today!
I saw these earlier today and I still can’t get over how awesome they look. I pretty much want to eat every single one.
Thanks so much, Becca! Wish I could share!
I love how unique these are! Quinoa is definitely my favorite grain and I love brie!
Thanks Chelsea!
Ok seriously I want to eat an entire platter of these!!!!
Haha! Wishing I could share! I made the leftovers into the best salad. You would have been so proud!
You had me at brief stuffed! Love this app!
Thanks Laura!
OH MY GOD! that is all
Thanks Jackie!!
can i come over please?
๐ Door is always open!