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Quinoa just got so much better.

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

And I really loved it before.

But this quinoa? It’s bite size and it is stuffed to the max with ooey gooey brie.

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

 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.

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

And brie, I cannot get enough brie! Blame it on the time of year. 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? I basically want to pair it with anything and everything.

But who wouldn’t?

 

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

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 we’d 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.

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

Ok, but really, these are incredible. If you are not a coconut fan don’t freak out, you will still adore these and if you really just cannot even do coconut, swap it out for more panko or… 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 are 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 they’re 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 | halfbakedharvest.com

Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites with Sweet Cranberries

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 30 30 Bites
Calories Per Serving: 126 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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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 jalapeño 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

*These can be fully assembled ahead of time and baked right before serving. Just rewarm the cranberries on the stove or in the microwave. *Quinoa Adapted from these [burgers. | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/epic-crispy-quinoa-burgers-topped-sweet-potato-fries-beer-caramelized-onions-gruyere/]
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Coconut Crusted Brie Stuffed Quinoa Bites | halfbakedharvest.com

The deliciousness is overwhelming!

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Comments

      1. 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!

        Reply

  2. 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 🙂

    Reply

  4. 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?

    Reply

  6. 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.

    Reply