Brie Bites with Cranberry

• servings: 48 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry (thawed overnight in the refrigerator)

8 ounces Brie cheese

1 cup Homemade Cranberry Sauce (or whole berry cranberry sauce or jam of choice)

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (such as Maldon or fleur de sel)

1/2 cup finely chopped raw pecans

4 springs fresh rosemary (cut into 6 pieces)

Directions

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the Brie in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. VERY generously coat 2, 24-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick spray (if you only have 1 pan or if you have 2, 12-cups pans, make the Brie bites in batches).

Unroll 1 sheet puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface (leave the second sheet in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it). Roll into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Cut the sheet lengthwise into 4 even strips. Cut crosswise into 6 even strips. You will have 24 squares total (each square will be about 2 1/2 inches on each side). Gently separate the squares and press them into the mini muffin tins to create a puff pastry cup. With the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of each puff pastry in 2 to 3 places.

Cut the piece of Brie in half, then place 1 half back in the freezer. Dice the remaining Brie into 24 pieces (they will be between 3/4 and 1/2-inch on each side). Place one piece of Brie in the center of each mini muffin cup. Top each piece of Brie with 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then half of the chopped pecans. Place in the refrigerator. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry, second half of Brie, and the remaining salt and pecans.

Place each muffin pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any cheese or cranberry that bubbles over. Bake the pans on the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and the corners are golden brown, switching the pans' positions on the upper and lower racks once halfway through. Let cool in the pans for 3 minutes. If any of the Brie or cranberry has bubbled out, use a fork to scoot it back into the center of the bites (no one will know!).

Gently transfer the bites to a serving plate (I find a fork works well to transfer them). Garnish each with a small piece of fresh rosemary. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.

Notes

Quick Tips: How to Prepare Brie for Brie Bites

•Do I Need to Cut the Rind of Brie Before Baking? No, you do not need to remove the rind before baking the Brie. It is edible and barely noticeable once the Brie is baked. If you prefer to cut the rind off, you can cut it off and use only the inside, but I find it wastes a lot of cheese.

•I recommend popping the Brie into the freezer for about 15 minutes before preparing the recipe. This will make it easier to slice into pieces for these bites; Brie is so creamy, it tends to come part otherwise (delicious for regular snacking but less convenient for a Brie appetizer).

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

•To Store. Store leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

•To Reheat. Place bites in a mini muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees F until warmed through. You can also serve these bites at room temperature.

•To Freeze. Bake the Brie bites as directed and let cool completely. Then arrange the bites in a single layer on a baking sheet, and place in the freezer until solid. Store the frozen bites in a single layer in an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, reheat directly from frozen in a 350 degree F oven until hot.

MEAL PREP TIP

Fully assemble the bites in the muffin pan, and refrigerate them unbaked for up to 3 days before baking. You can also fully bake and freeze these bites for up to 2 months.

Recommendations + A Note on Batch Size

This recipe yields 48 bites, which means that you can either:

•Bake ONE Batch (fastest option) using two, 24-cup muffin pans like this. Bake both pans at the same time, placing one pan in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third of the oven; switch the pans’ positions once halfway through.

•Bake FOUR Batches using two, 12-cup mini muffin pans like this. Bake two pans at the same time, rotating the pans’ positions as directed above.

•And if you only have one mini muffin pan of any size you can bake these bites in as many batches as it makes sense. I own two, 12 cup pans, so I baked 24 bites (filling both pans) one day, froze the bites, then baked the second 24 bites the next day. I reheated the frozen bites just before party time. No one could tell the difference!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bite
• Calories: 73 kcal
• Total Fat: 5 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 5 mg
• Sodium: -14 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 2 g