Spiced Cranberry Brie Bites
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Servings
24 bites
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
What makes them addictive: The combo of buttery pastry, creamy melted brie, intensely concentrated cranberry, and bloomed herbal notes from the toasted Herbes de Provence. Every element is optimized for maximum flavor impact.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 8 oz wheel of brie, cut into 24 small cubes (freeze for 30 min before using)
- ¾ cup whole berry cranberry sauce (homemade or canned)
- 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp butter, melted (divided)
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional, but recommended)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a mini muffin tin. Freeze brie cubes for 30 minutes (can be done ahead).
Make the cranberry filling: In a small saucepan, simmer cranberry sauce and honey over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until thickened to jam consistency. Meanwhile, toast Herbes de Provence in a dry pan for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir herbs into cranberry mixture and let cool.
Prep the pastry: Roll out puff pastry sheets slightly and cut each into 12 squares (24 total). Press each square into a mini muffin cup, letting corners stick up rustic-style. Brush each cup lightly with melted butter (use 1 tbsp).
Prep pecans (optional): Toss chopped pecans with remaining 1 tbsp melted butter.
Assemble: Place one frozen brie cube in each pastry cup. Top with a generous teaspoon of the cooled cranberry mixture. Sprinkle with buttered pecans if using.
Bake: 15-17 minutes until pastry is deeply golden and puffed, and brie is melted and bubbly but hasn't leaked out.
Finish: Remove from oven, let cool 3 minutes in pan. Pop out carefully. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Serve warm and watch them vanish.
Recipe Note
Pro Tips
Make ahead: Cut and freeze brie cubes up to 1 week ahead. Make cranberry filling up to 3 days ahead. Assemble up to 4 hours before, refrigerate unbaked, add 2-3 minutes to bake time
Why freeze the brie? It prevents the cheese from melting out before the pastry sets, giving you perfect creamy centers
No mini muffin tin? Use regular muffin tin and make 12 larger bites (bake 18-20 minutes)
Don't skip toasting the herbs - this 30-second step amplifies their flavor exponentially and creates that signature "what IS that?" taste
Lower temp is crucial: 375°F instead of 400°F gives the pastry time to set before cheese escapes
