Cranberry brie bites are small cups of puff pastry, each holding a cube of brie and a spoonful of cranberry sauce, baked in a mini muffin tin until the pastry is golden and the cheese has melted. Cut one thawed sheet of puff pastry into 24 squares, press them into the tin, add the brie and cranberry, and bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve them warm, straight from the tin to the board.
They are the one-bite version of a baked brie. No knife at the table, no wheel to cut into, and they are easy to eat standing up with a glass in the other hand.
What to set out
For 24 bites:
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight.
- An 8-ounce wedge or wheel of brie, cold from the refrigerator.
- About 1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce, homemade or canned. Leftover Thanksgiving sauce is ideal.
- A small handful of pecans or walnuts, for chopping.
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary.
- Flour for dusting, and a 24-cup mini muffin tin.
Optional: a drizzle of honey or a pinch of flaky salt after baking, and an egg beaten with a spoonful of water for a glossier crust.
Cut the brie cold
This is the step that makes the rest easy. Cold brie is firm and cuts into clean cubes; brie at room temperature smears across the knife and folds over itself.
Take the cheese straight from the refrigerator to the board. Cut the wedge or wheel into slabs about 1/2 inch thick, then cut the slabs into 1/2-inch cubes. Leave the rind on: it holds each cube together as it melts, so the cheese slumps into the cup instead of running over the edge. You need 24 cubes; eat any spare ones.
Wipe the knife on a damp cloth between rows. Soft cheese builds up on the blade, and a clean edge gives a clean cube. The same cold-cut rule, applied to a whole cheese board, is in how to slice cheese for a board.
Put the cubes back in the refrigerator on a plate while you deal with the pastry.
The rest of the board work
Nuts. Chop the pecans or walnuts coarsely, to pieces about the size of a lentil, so they sit on top of the cranberry without rolling off. A rocking chef’s knife does this in under a minute; the technique is in how to chop nuts.
Herbs. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems, or chop rosemary needles very fine. A little goes a long way on a bite this small.
Brie is soft and rich, and it leaves a film on a board. A wooden board takes this kind of prep well and goes straight from the counter to the table when the bites are done. The WONAMU. acacia cutting board is 12 by 9 inches with a perimeter juice groove, enough room for the cheese, nuts and herbs side by side, and a warm, varied grain that suits a winter table.
Shape the pastry cups
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease the mini muffin tin, or use a nonstick one.
- Unfold the pastry on a lightly floured sheet of parchment. If it cracks at the folds, press the seams together with your fingertips.
- Roll it once or twice with a rolling pin to smooth the creases, without making it much thinner.
- Cut it into 24 squares, a grid of four strips one way and six the other. A pizza wheel gives the cleanest lines.
- Press each square into a cup, letting the corners stand up above the rim. Those points turn crisp and brown and make each bite look finished.
Work steadily. Puff pastry handles best cold, and if the squares turn soft and sticky, put the whole tin in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before you fill it.
Fill and bake
Drop one cube of brie into each cup. Top with about 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce, then a pinch of chopped nuts. Brush the exposed pastry corners with the egg wash if you are using it.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden at the tips and the brie has melted under the cranberry. Let the bites cool in the tin for about 5 minutes. They lift out cleanly with the tip of a small knife once the cheese has set a little, and they are far too hot to eat straight away.
Finish with the herbs, a thread of honey or a few flakes of salt.
Serving them
Arrange the bites in loose rows on the board with a small bowl of extra cranberry sauce at one end. Two or three per guest is a fair count when other appetizers are out; plan on more if they are the main event. A dish of pear slices or a few clusters of grapes beside them gives the eye somewhere to rest.
They are best within 20 minutes of leaving the oven, while the cheese is still soft. For a long party, fill and refrigerate a second tin and bake it when the first board is half empty.
Brie is a perishable food. The FDA advises refrigerating perishables within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F, so after that the bites come off the table and go into the refrigerator or the bin. The full layout for a party spread is in how to set up a holiday buffet.
Making them ahead
You can do almost all of the work hours before guests arrive:
- Morning: cube the brie and refrigerate it, covered. Chop the nuts and store them at room temperature.
- An hour before: cut the pastry, press it into the tin, fill it, cover the tin and refrigerate it.
- When the doorbell rings: bake straight from the refrigerator. Cold, filled cups may need a minute or two longer.
Leftover bites keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for a day or two. Reheat them in a 350°F oven for a few minutes to crisp the pastry again; a microwave makes it soft.
Cleaning up
Scrape any cheese from the board with a bench scraper or the back of a knife, then wash it with warm water and a little dish soap, rinse, and towel it dry. Stand it on its edge to finish drying. Melted brie and cranberry both come off with little effort when the board is washed the same evening rather than the next morning. The routine for boards that go to the table is in serving on a cutting board.
The short version
Thaw one sheet of puff pastry, cut it into 24 squares and press them into a mini muffin tin. Cube 8 ounces of cold brie into 1/2-inch pieces, rind on.
Fill each cup with a cube of brie, a teaspoon of cranberry sauce and a few chopped nuts. Bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, rest 5 minutes, finish with herbs or honey, and serve warm on a board.
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WONAMU. makes an acacia cutting board, 12 × 9 inches, acacia, with a perimeter juice groove. Available on Amazon.
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