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These fun Mini Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie Bites are my favorite last-minute appetizer. They’re quick, easy, and most importantly, everyone loves them! Puff pastry, creamy brie, and quick homemade cranberry jam all baked together to create the perfect cheese-filled mini pastries. Finish each cute bite off with fresh sage for a festive appetizer that’s perfect for holiday entertaining.
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without some melty Brie. It’s without a doubt one of my favorite easy appetizers to serve over the holidays. For the last four years, I’ve made either my cranberry brie pull apart bread or my cranberry brie tarts to enjoy on Thanksgiving. Some years I’ll even add my sweet, cinnamon sugar cranberry brie pastry swirls.
This year, however, things are looking a little different. I think we can all agree that everyone is being extra precautions about avoiding germs. SO, with that in mind, I wanted to make sure each and every Thanksgiving appetizer I share is personalized and bite-size. My thinking is that with these bites, no one should be touching anything but their own food. I LOVE a huge wheel of baked brie served with crackers for scooping. But if you’re worried about others touching your food, make these instead.
They might even be better than a big wheel of melty brie. Personalized means no sharing. Plus, I doubled up on the brie. You can never have too much brie, you know?
The details.
Jumping right into the details today because guys, these bites are simple and don’t need a lot of hype to build them up. Again, nothin really beats melty brie cheese.
Alight, so start with the cranberry jam. This is the easiest to throw together. You just need fresh cranberries, brown sugar…to help offset the cranberries’ tartness, orange juice and zest, and a touch of cinnamon. Bring everything to a boil on the stove. Then simmer ten or so minutes until it’s thickened down.
It’s basically thickened up cranberry sauce, which is even more delicious.
That’s the jam…now we assemble.
I mentioned the other day that one of my go-to shortcut ingredients is puff pastry. I kind of love it. Puff pastry is great for quick dinners, beyond delicious appetizers, and sweet desserts.
The one thing I love using puff pastry the most for however, brie. Brie and puff pastry are like peanut butter and jelly. They’re delicious on their own, but better together (really throwing out all the cheesy lines today).
Once the jam is made, lay the sheet of pastry out and cut it into mini rectangles. Top each with a sizeable cube of brie, then spoon the jam over the brie. Lay a sheet of pastry over the jam, then pinch each bite to seal everything up inside.
Throw the bites into the oven, bake for a bit, and done!
Quick, easy, and truly just about perfect.
Once you pull these out of the oven, you’ll know immediately that each bite is going to be delicious. Some of the brie and cranberry jam will be bursting out from the top and sides. The kitchen will have a sweet buttery smell to it, and you’ll want to serve these up right away.
Immediately, these are definitely best enjoyed warm right out of the oven, with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, and a drizzle of honey.
Delicious, and definitely one of those appetizers that you’ll have a hard time turning down. My best tip? Double the recipe. Most guests will enjoy two…at the very least!
So, can you make these ahead of time?
Almost! You can fully assemble each bite, then keep them chilled in the fridge until ready to bake. When almost ready to serve, simply throw the pan into the oven.
Easy, right? But so very GOOD. It’s hard to beat these bites. They’re classic, but with a fun twist that I swear makes them even more delicious. I can pretty much guarantee that if you put these on your appetizer table, every last bite will be gone in minutes.
Already excited to make them again soon for my family’s Thanksgiving!!
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving appetizers?? Here are my favorites:
Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread
Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates with Rosemary Honey
How to Make an Easy Holiday Cheese Board
Lastly, if you make these Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie Bites, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Mini Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie Bites
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 236 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar, use more or less to your taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 sage leaves, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 (6-8 ounce) wheel Brie cut into 12 cubes, rind on or off (see notes)
- 1 egg, beaten
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
- flaky sea salt and honey, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Add the cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, sage, and orange juice to a medium-size pot set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling use a fork to break down the cranberries a bit. Continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by 1/3. Remove the sage. Stir in the orange zest and salt. Remove from the heat. 2. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.3. Lay both sheets of puff pastry on the counter and gently roll them out to about 12x9 inch square (it doesn't need to be exact). Cut each sheet into thirds along the creases to create 6 long sheets. Cut each sheet into 4 pieces for a total of 24 rectangles. Top half of the rectangles with 1 cube of brie and about 1 teaspoon cranberry jam. Brush the edges with egg. Lay the remaining rectangles over the filling and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork. Place the pastries on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze 20 minutes or chill in the fridge until ready to bake. 4. Before baking, brush the tops with beaten egg. Make 2 small slits on the top of the pastries. Lightly sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the brie melted. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To Make Ahead: Complete the recipe through step 3. Cover the pan and chill in the fridge fo up to 4 days. Bake as directed.
To Make Ahead and Freeze: Complete the recipe through step 3. Cover the pan and freeze fo up to 3 months. Bake, frozen, for an additional 5-10 minutes.
For the Brie: I use an 8 ounce wheel of brie and my bites are STUFFED. Some of the Brie usually melts out the sides while baking. If this happens, just scoop the cheese up and place it on the pastry. If you use 6 ounces of Brie, your pastries will be less stuffed and less like to ooze out. But I like more Brie!
These look delicious, and I can’t wait to serve as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. Regarding the freezing aspect, do you think I could vacuum seal them? I’m concerned that they would stick to the inside of the bag after they thaw.
Hey Sandra,
Hmmm, I’m not sure about that! I would just put them in an airtight container, I think the vacuum sealing would squish them! xx
Tieghan, I’m so excited to make this recipe tomorrow! I can’t find fresh cranberries anywhere though. Can I use the canned “cranberry sauce” and perhaps drain the cranberries, then cook as you propose? Or how would I change the recipe? Thank you!
Hey Lizzie,
How about frozen cranberries? I think those would be your next best bet! Let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope this recipe turned out well for you! xT
Made these on Christmas Eve and froze them overnight, baking them for 20-25 min from frozen for a Christmas app. They were a hit! The sugar on top added sweetness to the brie and the tart cranberry, and they were beautiful on a platter to. I cut slightly smaller squares than your recipe called for to make them smaller/more bite like, and it worked well. Thanks for a great recipe for a hard to please in-law family.
Hey Clare,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xT
I’m just not a Brie girl *sigh* Is there any other cheese you can recommend that would pair well?
Hi Jo,
Sure, gruyere would be yummy! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
An absolute staple in our house for the winter season since 2020. So flippin good.
Hey Hannah,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) Happy Thanksgiving! 🍽
Wanted to make these for a Friendsgiving today but unfortunately the top burned! Oven was set at 425 and for 15 so unsure where I went wrong. Scraped off the burnt bits and it was still delicious though!
Hi Samantha,
Thanks for trying this recipe out, so sorry to hear about the tops…is it possible they were just too close to the top of your oven? Maybe a lower rack would have worked better for you! xx
Hello, I have only dry cranberries, how can I proceed to this recipe with them? Or maybe I cannot? All the best! Looks delicious!
Hey! I’m so sorry I haven’t tried this with dried cranberries before! xTieghan
Ok, I will try to make this experiment 😉
Love to see us Polish gals here!
Na zdrowie ~ Lusia
I haven’t tried this yet but excited to give it a try. Do you cut the white coating of the Brie off? Haven’t cooked with Brie
Hi Laurie! Yes, you can cut the coating off the brie if you’d like! xTieghan
Hi! Would it work to make these ahead of time up until the baking and then leave overnight? I made these last year and they are SOOOO good and wanted to make for a Friendsgiving coming up, but need to prep a lot of stuff the day before!
Hi Elizabeth! I haven’t tried that before so I’m not too sure! xTieghan
Is there any way to bake these the day before and microwave right before guests arrive? I have a very small oven and the turkey will take up most of the room. My fear is that they will be very soggy if I microwave.
Hi Laura! I haven’t made these ahead before, so I’m not sure! xxTieghan
Delicious! Perfect pastry to taste and feel fancy for a fall occasion, and a simple enough recipe for any day! It’s a new go-to recipe for me
Hey! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂 xxTieghan
The Brie was chewy even when it was fresh out of oven. It may have something to do with that I used low fat Brie?
Hey Nao,
So sorry you had issues with the brie, you want to be sure to always use a good quality cheese. Let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Made these several times during the holidays! My family devoured them every time. Awesome recipe.
Hey Sonia,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I am so glad you enjoyed! xTieghan