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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!
very good! This year for Thanksgiving, I was assigned the most important and coveted dish of the whole Thanksgiving meal. that’s right, I’m talking about appetizers. I am humbled to have this great honor. Anyways, I made these as one of them and could not be happier with how they turned out! super easy to make, great flavors – this one is a keeper!! thank you
Thank you so much Marissa! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Do you mean roll out pastry to a 9×12 Inch rectangle? It says square. Thanks.
Hey Kam,
Yes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Very good – we all loved these. I had plenty of cranberry and brie in them and they didn’t explode at all — in fact, next time I’d add more. Unique and tasty for a get together.
Love that! Thank you so much Kell! xTieghan
Hi! I know you stated to fully assemble before baking, but i’m worried about the cranberry sauce making the puff pastry a little soggy on the bottom, do you know if this happens? Please lmk! Trying to impress the family by making these for tomorrow’s big day!!
Hey Erin,
As long as you keep them in the fridge they will be fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Huge fan and love all of your recipes. But ahh, I accidentally brushed the top with the beaten egg and sprinkled the sugar but I don’t want to bake them until tomorrow. Will they still turn out okay?
Hey Lauren,
Yes they will be fine:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan
I love all of your recipes and cookbooks.
Question: what do I do with the cinnamon stick when making the cranberry sauce? I have always used cinnamon powder but I am sure that using a cinnamon stick will bring it to the next level.
Wishing you and your family a safe and happt Thanksgiving!
Hey Debbie,
Once you are done with the stick you will pull it out of the sauce. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
These were unfortunately WAY too tart for me even though I used the full amount of brown sugar recommended. Next time I’ll probably just go back to using jam
Hi Lindsay! I am sorry about that! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Could you use craisins to make the filling? I can’t find fresh! Thanks 🙂
Hey Marybeth,
Yes, that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I would love to make these for thanksgiving this year, but oven space is an issue. Do they need to be eaten right out of the oven? How do these taste room temperature? (I have the same question/issue for your bacon wrapped dates please).
Thank you!
Hey there,
I think these are best served warm but will still be good at room temp. I hope you love the recipe, Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hi! I absolutely love the work you’re doing (so does my family! ?✨⚡️) My question is, I’m heading to my in laws for Thanksgiving and they use their oven to warm everything, so I’m unable to use it to bake these there. They live about 5ish mins away. Would you say it would be cool to bake them at home throw them in a warm towel and serve immediately once there. Or should I bake at home and zap them in the microwave there? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks for everything you do!!
Hey Kasey,
I think either of these options would be totally fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look delicious! If using fig preserves instead of cranberries, how much sugar would you recommend? I don’t want them overly sweet!
My friend requested those for the friendsgiving I a made. I am honestly not a big brie fan but really liked them. My friend aswell as my family absolutely loved them and they were gone in no time
I am really happy this turned out so well for you, Bianca! xTieghan
I just made these and they were fantastic!
I am so happy you enjoyed this Laura! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Instead of puff pastry can I use the crescent rolls? They were all out of puff pastry at my store.
Hey Katina,
Sure that would be good! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I would love to bake these at the same time as your Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates. Is there anyway to bake them simultaneously? Which oven temp would you recommend?
Hey Amanda,
That is fine to do, I would bake at 425, just keep an eye on the dates towards the end. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan