These Cranberry Baked Brie Bites are a quick and easy bite-size appetizer to serve at your next holiday get together. Each brie and phyllo dough cup is full of melted Brie cheese, cranberry sauce, toasted pecans, and topped with a tiny sprig of fresh rosemary.
And if you love the combo of cranberries and brie cheese, you’ll love this Baked Brie with Cranberries. Or, you can also try it in these Brie Bites with Puff Pastry.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sweet, savory, creamy, and crunchy in one bite. Melted Brie, tart cranberry sauce, and toasted pecans give these little appetizers a great mix of flavors and textures, with fresh rosemary adding a savory finish.
- They look fancy but take just 25 minutes. Frozen phyllo dough does the heavy lifting, while a mini muffin tin makes it easy to create uniform, bite-sized pastries that look party-ready.
- An ideal make-ahead appetizer. You can assemble them up to 2 days ahead, or freeze them for up to 2 months, so they’re especially convenient for holiday entertaining.
Baked Brie Bites With Cranberry
Cranberry brie bites are one of those perfect appetizers that are equally delicious, stunning, and super low-maintenance. They are made by pressing frozen phyllo dough squares into mini muffin tins, then stuffing with Brie cheese, cranberry sauce, and chopped pecans before baking until golden brown and melted. Top with a tiny sprig of fresh rosemary and you’ve got a fancy appetizer that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.
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You can feel free to mix and match different preserves, bacon jam, fig jam, nuts, and even pastry shells. Sometimes I like to serve a couple of different flavors for guests to choose from. No matter what, expect them to disappear very quickly.
Key Ingredients
- Mini Phyllo Shells – find them in the freezer section near the pie crusts. They bake straight from frozen and stay crisp.
- Brie Cheese – you’ll need an 8 ounce wheel of your favorite Brie cheese to make this recipe. If baked Brie somehow isn’t your thing, Chevre goat cheese is a good substitute.
- Cranberry Sauce – you can use store bought cranberry sauce, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, or substitute any other kind of preserves. Bacon jam, fig jam, orange marmalade, raspberry jam, apricot jam, or even pepper jelly would all taste amazing. In fact, you could make a few different flavors.
- Rosemary – fresh rosemary makes a pretty garnish that tastes amazing with the brie, cranberry, and pecans. Make sure to use just the leaves removed from the thick stem.
- Pecans – chopped pecans taste amazing, as would toasted walnuts or pistachios.
How To Make Cranberry Brie Bites
- Assemble. Place the phyllo shells on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a cube of Brie in each shell, then top with about 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce and a few chopped pecans.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes, until the Brie is melted and the shells are lightly golden.
- Serve. Garnish each bite with a tiny sprig of rosemary and serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
The rind from Brie cheese is completely edible and does not need to be removed before using or eating. It even has a nice earthy flavor. Of course, if you don’t like the taste you can remove it but you may find that you are throwing away quite a bit of cheese. Especially once it has baked, you really shouldn’t even notice it.
Look in the freezer section, usually near the pie crusts and puff pastry. Athens is the most common brand, and each box has 15 shells. They bake straight from frozen, so there’s no need to thaw.
Yes, but it takes more work. Stack 4 thawed phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with melted butter, then cut them into 2½-inch squares and press them into a greased mini muffin tin. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Yes! Cut a thawed puff pastry sheet into 9 squares, press them into a greased mini muffin tin, fill, and bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Or try my Brie and Fig Puff Pastry Bites.
Assemble them up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, then bake right before serving. Filling them much earlier can make the shells soggy.
Yes. Freeze the baked bites on a baking sheet until firm, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, until warm.
Plan on 2 to 3 per person if you’re serving several appetizers, or 4 to 5 per person if they’re the star of the spread.
Recipe Variations
These brie bites are easy to switch up for any party. Here are a few favorite ideas:
- Different jams. Swap the cranberry sauce for fig jam, raspberry jam, apricot preserves, or pepper jelly. Make a few flavors for a pretty platter.
- Honey walnut. Skip the jam and top each bite with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey after baking.
- Bacon jam. Top with a spoonful of my Bacon Jam for a sweet and savory bite.
- Hot honey. Drizzle the baked bites with hot honey and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Apple cinnamon. Top each bite with a small slice of apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a cozy fall flavor.
- Pistachio. Use chopped pistachios instead of pecans for a pop of green at Christmas.
- Puff pastry version. Prefer flaky puff pastry? Try my Brie and Fig Puff Pastry Bites.
- Whole baked brie. Love the combo? Try my Baked Brie with Cranberries.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t overfill: A small cube of brie plus 1 teaspoon jam prevents overflow.
- Grease or line the pan: Use a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray or parchment squares.
- Vent Edges: lightly press pastry into the cups but don’t seal tight-steam helps them puff.
- Bake Hot: 375 to 400 degrees F until golden and bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.
- Serve Warm: Let them cool 5 minutes so the cheese sets but stays gooey.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: store baked Brie Cheese Bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: to freeze, place phyllo Brie Bites on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes before storing frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- To reheat: place back into muffin tins and reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven until warm.
- Make-ahead: you can prepare this recipe up to 2 days in advance, then cover and store in the fridge. When you are ready to bake, pull the pan from the fridge while you preheat the oven and bake as directed.
More Appetizer Recipes You’ll Love
Cranberry Brie Bites with Phyllo
Ingredients
- 2 (1.9-ounce) boxes frozen mini phyllo shells, (30 shells)
- 8 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
- 5 sprigs rosemary
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the phyllo shells on a rimmed baking sheet. There's no need to thaw them.
- Place a cube of Brie in each shell, then top with about 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce and a few chopped pecans.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the Brie is melted and the shells are lightly golden.
- Garnish each bite with a tiny sprig of rosemary and serve warm. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storing leftovers: store baked Brie bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: freeze flat on a sheet tray for about 30 minutes before storing frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- To reheat: place back into muffin tins and reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven until warm.
- Make-ahead: you can prepare this recipe up to 2 days in advance, then cover and store in the fridge. When you are ready to bake, pull the pan from the fridge while you preheat the oven and bake as directed.
- Substitutions: You can also use 2 Crescent Roll cans or 2 sheets of puff pastry in place of the phyllo dough.
Nutrition
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More Easy Appetizer Recipes to Try
These Cranberry Baked Brie Bites are the perfect appetizer to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday get together. They’re made with phyllo dough stuffed with Brie cheese, cranberry sauce, and toasted pecans.
Categories:
Appetizers, Christmas, Fall Recipes, Holiday Favorites, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Winter Recipes,
I used Philo pastry, but you should stipulate Phyllo “puff pastry”. It’s very different from Philo plain pastry, which makes spanakopitas so my squares didn’t look great, but I just put a little bit of melted butter on them and they seem to be a bit better- they certainly weren’t puffy. Next time I’ll use the Pillsberry dough instead.
Thx
Hi Kerry! I actually just recently updated this recipe, using mini phyllo shells instead of the full sheets. It makes things way simpler and keeps these nice and puffy!