This is probably the easiest Christmas nibble you can make but with the most impressive results. These are melty Brie Puff Pastry Bites. Golden puff pastry with melted, oozy brie and sweet cranberry sauce, all in one little mouthful.
If you’ve seen my other festive recipes with brie or camembert like my Camembert en Croute or Brie Crescent Wreath, these are really big centrepieces and can feel like a lot if you’re just having a few friends round. These little bites are far from that, so cute and individually baked so it’s easy to serve.
Think of them as the low-maintenance cousin of the Brie Crescent Wreath. These take 4 ingredients and are done within 30 minutes. The recipe is easily doubled if you need to make more than 16 and you can prep them ahead of time too. I really think you’ll find these nice and easy for the Christmas season.
Why you will love this Brie Puff Pastry Bites recipe:
- They are quick and simple to make.
- Only four ingredients are required to make them.
- They are individually baked so it’s easy to share around with guests and keeps the melted cheese all in one vessel!
- You can make a large batch ahead of time and either freeze or fridge them until ready to use.
Ingredients:
Pre rolled puff pastry - this is one of the best things to keep in the fridge around this time of year. Jus Rol never lets me down if you’re in the UK.
Cranberry sauce - you can use homemade or shop bought. The tart, fruity flavour pairs perfectly with the creamy brie.
Brie - a soft and creamy French cheese known for its mild, buttery flavour. It melts beautifully, making it perfect for these brie puff pastry bites.
Egg - this adds a glossy finish to the puff pastry. I always use free-range eggs.
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Substitutions and Variations:
Pre-rolled puff pastry: If you can't find the pre-rolled puff pastry but can find the blocks, that works too. Just lightly flour a surface and then use a rolling pin to roll the pastry out into a rectangle around 35x20cm. You may only need half the block to make 16. Continue the recipe as normal.
Cranberry sauce: you could also use fig jam, raspberry jam, apricot jam, marmalade, redcurrant jam. Or go more savoury and use an onion chutney, tomato chutney or chilli jam.
Brie: camembert would also work very well here too. You could try with goat’s cheese too. Look for one with a rind so that it should melt in the same way as brie.
Additions: as for garnishes/decorations, there are a few options. You could roughly chop some walnuts or pecans. Sprinkle over around halfway through baking the bites so that they melt into the topping and stay stuck down. You could also decorate them after but I find then the nuts just slide off before you have a bite. I like to also garnish these bites sometimes with a drizzle of honey once out of the oven. This would be really good if you used goat’s cheese. Otherwise, once out of the oven, some thyme or rosemary leaves are a good option too. Plus they look pretty. I used chopped chives.
Adding pancetta/prosciutto: You could also add some prosciutto or pancetta too. A few pieces of crispy cooked pancetta between the brie and the cranberry sauce would be good. Or how about some crispy prosciutto on top? Lay a few slices of prosciutto on a baking tray and bake at 200c for around 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to firm up. Then crack into shards and scatter on top. This will add a salty bite.
Here's how to make simple Brie Puff Pastry Bites:
Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
ONE: Roll out the puff pastry on the parchment paper that typically comes in the pack. Cut into 16 squares.
TWO: Press each square into a mini muffin tray.
THREE: Place one piece of brie in each puff pastry cup.
FOUR: Add 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce to each, on top of the brie.
FIVE: Beat 1 egg until mixed then use a pastry brush to smooth egg over the pastry.
SIX: Bake for 20 minutes until the brie is melted and the pastry is golden and puffed up. Top with chopped chives once out of the oven.
Cooking Tips:
A tip to slice the brie: To make slicing the Brie easier, chill it in the freezer for about 15 minutes before using. Brie’s creamy texture can get stuck to the knife and get rather messy when cutting so keeping it very chilled helps.
To Store: Keep leftover Brie Puff Pastry Bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat the bites in a mini muffin tray or on a baking tray at 180c/160c fan for around 10 minutes until hot all the way through.
To Freeze: After baking and cooling the bites completely, arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray and freeze until firm. You can then transfer the frozen bites to a tupperware or a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake them directly from frozen at 180c/160c fan until warmed through, around 15-20 minutes.
Mini muffin tray: If you don't have a mini muffin tray, you could make these in a regular-sized muffin tin. They will be bigger and so less bite-sized but they would work and be delicious. Just adapt the size of the puff pastry squares to fit. Likewise, if your muffin tray is really mini, just make smaller squares of pastry. You'll end up with more bites in the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, I never do. Once it’s baked, it’s not noticeable and I find it wastes a lot of cheese otherwise. When baking, the rind also keeps the brie together to stop it melty so rapidly.
You can fully assemble the Brie Puff Pastry Bites in the muffin tin and pop them in the fridge, unbaked, for up to 3 days. Then bake when ready. I find the fridge chilling helps the pastry become extra flakey. You can also bake them then freeze. After baking and cooling the bites completely, arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray and freeze until firm. You can then transfer the frozen bites to a tupperware or a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake them directly from frozen at 180c/160c fan until warmed through, around 15-20 minutes.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
I have so many Christmas recipes like these brie puff pastry bites. Try my honey mustard sausages, filo cranberry parcels, brie crescent wreath or my camembert en croute.
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!
PrintBrie Puff Pastry Bites
This is probably the easiest Christmas nibble you can make but with the most impressive results. These are melty Brie Puff Pastry Bites. Golden puff pastry with melted, oozey brie and sweet cranberry sauce, all in one little mouthful.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 16 bites 1x
- Category: Christmas
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 200g brie, chopped into little chunks
- 150g cranberry sauce
- 1 egg
Optional
- Chives, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan.
- Roll out the puff pastry on the parchment paper that typically comes in the pack. Cut into 16 squares. Press each square into a mini muffin tray. The edges will fold over one another but this is fine, it creates texture and looks nice once all puffed up so don't worry about being too neat.
- Place one piece of brie in each puff pastry cup.
- Add 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce to each, on top of the brie.
- Beat 1 egg until mixed then use a pastry brush to smooth egg over the pastry.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the brie is melted and the pastry is golden and puffed up. Top with chopped chives once out of the oven.
Notes
Cranberry sauce: you could also use fig jam, raspberry jam, apricot jam, marmalade, redcurrant jam. Or go more savoury and use an onion chutney, tomato chutney or chilli jam.
Brie: camembert would also work very well here too. You could try with goat’s cheese too. Look for one with a rind so that it should melt in the same way as brie.
Additions: You could roughly chop some walnuts or pecans. Sprinkle over around halfway through baking the bites so that they melt into the topping and stay stuck down. You could also decorate them after but I find that the nuts just slide off before you have a bite. I like to also garnish these bites sometimes with a drizzle of honey once out of the oven. This would be really good if you used goat’s cheese. Otherwise, once out of the oven, some thyme or rosemary leaves are a good option too. Plus they look pretty. I used chopped chives.
Add meat: You could also add some prosciutto or pancetta too. A few pieces of crispy cooked pancetta between the brie and the cranberry sauce would be good. Or how about some crispy prosciutto on top? Lay a few slices of prosciutto on a baking tray and bake at 200c for around 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to firm up. Then crack into shards and scatter on top. This will add a salty bite.
To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat the bites in a mini muffin tray or on a baking tray at 180c/160c fan for around 10 minutes until hot all the way through.
To Freeze: After baking and cooling the bites completely, arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray and freeze until firm. You can then transfer the frozen bites to a tupperware or a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake them directly from frozen at 180c/160c fan until warmed through, around 15-20 minutes.
To make ahead: You can fully assemble the Brie bites in the muffin tin and pop them in the fridge, unbaked, for up to 3 days. Then bake when ready.
Mini muffin tray: If you don't have a mini muffin tray, you could make these in a regular sized muffin tin. They will be bigger and so less bite-sized but they would work and be delicious. Just adapt the size of the puff pastry squares to fit. Likewise, if your muffin tray is really mini, just make smaller squares of pastry. You'll end up with more bites in the end.
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