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Cranberry Brie Bites are a delicious handheld, bite-sized appetizer that is just perfect for the holidays. Sweet and tart cranberry and orange flavors on top of creamy brie cheese all piled into a buttery, flaky crescent dough cup.
Cranberry is my favorite holiday flavor. I love combining it with orange like in these Cranberry Orange Scones, Cranberry Bliss Bars and Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce. But it really takes these brie bites over the top!
Table of Contents
Cranberry Brie Bites Appetizer
These little beauties are the perfect handheld bite. They’ve got everything a good finger food should have – sweetness from the cranberry and orange sauce, creamy cheesy brie and a crunchy vessel made from bread dough to hold it all in!
The brie melts very nicely but holds its shape, making it perfect for holiday snack recipes. One way to enjoy it is Baked Brie with Jam – baking an entire wheel of cheese in a pastry crust, topping it with jam, and using crackers to scoop up the melted goodness.
The best thing about these Cranberry Brie Bites? You bake bite-sized pieces of brie in small squares of crescent dough and top with cranberry orange sauce for individually sized appetizers!
How To Make Cranberry Brie Bites
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Prep: To start, you’ll need a mini muffin pan, the one with 24 cups. Spray them really well with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat your oven – it will be ready to bake once you finish prepping the ingredients.
Prepare the Brie Cheese: Cut up 6 ounces of brie into small squares that will fit into the mini muffin tin cups. Mine were about 3/4-inch to 1-inch in size. You can find a wheel of brie in 6 ounce wheels at my grocery store, but If you need to buy a larger one, just eat the rest! Feel free to leave the rind on because it’s edible. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the bites.
Mix Topping: Combine cranberry sauce and orange marmalade and set that aside as well.
Prepare the Dough: Roll out crescent roll dough and cut it into 24 squares. Use flour on your cutting board to keep it from sticking. Press the cracks in the dough together and stretch the dough out into a square shape so you can cut evenly. Press those squares into each muffin cup.
Assemble the Bites: Grab the brie squares and set one into each muffin cup. Drizzle a little of the cranberry sauce mixture on top and around the cheese square. Sprinkle on some chopped pistachios or pecans.
Cook: Bake for 10-13 minutes. Oven temperatures can vary so watch closely after 10 minutes so your cranberry brie bites don’t burn. Just before serving, top with a sprig of rosemary.
Serving Suggestions
Let the bites cool slightly then serve immediately; it’s best to eat them warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven to melt the cheese. I don’t recommend freezing them.
Storage and Freezing
Can cranberry brie bites be made in advance? Because we’re using Pillsbury crescent dough to keep it super simple, these are best baked and served immediately. If you want to make them in advance, I’d recommend using puff pastry dough instead.
How do you reheat cranberry brie bites? Place the bites on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes or until heated through.
How do you store leftovers? Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months and reheat from frozen in a 350 degree oven.
Expert Tips
- To really spice things up, try mixing a pepper jelly with the cranberry sauce instead of orange marmalade.
- You can definitely use puff pastry if you prefer. I like the crescent roll because it’s just a little easier to work with. If using puff pastry, roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper.
- To make the dough glisten, brush just the edges with a little egg wash (whisked egg with a tablespoon or so of water.
More Appetizers You’ll Love
- Beer Cheese Dip
- Chicken Crack Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Nachos
- Cranberry Meatballs
- Bruschetta
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- Sausage Rolls
- Fried Ravioli.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounce tube crescent roll dough
- flour for rolling out the dough
- 6 ounces Brie cheese
- ¼ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup whole cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios, pecans or walnuts
- fresh rosemary or candied orange pieces for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 24-count mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cut the brie into small, about 1-inch (or a little less) squares and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, mix together orange marmalade and cranberry sauce. Set aside.
- Lightly flour a flat surface, like a large wooden cutting board, and roll out the tub of crescent dough. Stretch slightly to form an evenly sided rectangle and pinch seams together. Cut into 24 even sized squares.
- Place the squares into the prepared muffin cups. Top with brie cheese square and a teaspoon (or a little less) of the orange-cranberry mixture. Top with a few of the chopped nuts and a small sprig of rosemary.
- Slide the muffin pan into the oven and bake for about 10-13 minutes, or until golden brown and dough is cooked through.
- Let cool 5-10 minutes and serve warm.
I don’t know if you got my comment, but I only have a twelve cup pan, can I double the recipe? And, if I do, will it come out like it’s supposed to?
Hi Christine, I answered your other question but didn’t realize what you are asking. A 12 count pan will have larger cups so they final result won’t really be bite sized. A mini muffin pan would be best, but a 12-cup could work (but isn’t the best option, if that makes sense).
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes it’s very easy to double. Just click the “2x” in the recipe card.
What can I substitute instead of Marmalade. I don’t like the taste of orange in cooking.
You could substitute with another jam or just use the cranberry by itself.
Delicious
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by Linda.
Wondering if I can make this up and freeze it for a few days.
You can, but since it uses crescent dough the texture may change slightly.
Doubling this recipe to take to my sister’s next Saturday. Her son is coming to Illinois from Alaska for a big get together. Excited to bring them and see Matt.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Shery.
I want to make these for my Christmas potluck at work (planning ahead lol), but there is no oven in our lunchroom. Would you recommend heating them in the microwave or serving room temperature?
These are best when served fresh. Refrigerated would dry out the crescent roll base and they shouldn’t be left out unrefrigerated more than 2 hours.
Can I put paper liners in my mini muffin tins before assembling them? My pans have some spots of ??? On them Thanks Erin
I haven’t used liners with this recipe, but it’s definitely worth a try and I think it would be fine.
I took these to a recent Christmas happy hour with some of my neighbors. They were a huge hit! There were about 4 left on the plate when the party ended and 2 of the ladies asked if they could take them home. So I brought home an empty plate. I did notice that a couple of reviews thought they weren’t sweet enough so I used a maple, cranberry and orange spread from Trader Joe’s instead of the cranberry and orange marmalade mixture. I used about 1 tsp in each bite and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing, I have a feeling I will be asked to make these at our next gathering. I was also thinking a sour cherry jam might be good too
You are so welcome Sharon! Awesome feedback, thanks for taking the time to share.
This were a family winner this Thanksgiving. Very tasty. I used fig jam with honey and added some walnuts along with the brie. They were cooked in about 8-9 minutes. I will be making these again in a few weeks for a holiday gathering!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Lisa.
Had to use cranberry jelly, since we couldn’t find whole this year at Thanksgiving. Didn’t turn out as pretty as the picture, but we’re gone in a flash! Will try again at Christmas
Thank you so much for your feedback Maryz!
The bites were enjoyed by all. Definitely will make again.
Served them for a luncheon with soup. Great.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Theresa.
What kind of Brie do you use? Is there a brand you like best? Is it triple or double creme?
I buy what I can find at the grocery store, honestly.
I don’t see what the temp of oven is for baking the brie cranberry bites. Am I missing it?
All of the details are in the recipe card near the end of the post, including the temperature, which is 375℉.
Made these as an appetizer for Christmas dinner. They were sensational. Everyone from 4 years old to 70 years old loved them! Thank you for the pretty, tasty, festive idea!
You are so welcome Vickie! Thanks for stopping by.
My daughter was the first one to make these. Sooo yummy. i make them often. i could eat tase asa meal. love all the recipes i have tried from you.
Thank you Betty! That’s so awesome, so glad you like them.
Hi! I’m baking the Brie appetisers now since we’re not eating at my house. How is the best way to reheat them?
You can reheat them in the oven. Maybe cover the pan loosely with foil so they don’t dry out.
Can you assemble bites say around 10:-11:00 A. M. Then bake around 4:00 P. M. Without pastry becoming soggy in order to serve warm at cocktail
Hour? 5-6:00 P M?
Hi Ruth, I haven’t made them that far in advance but I’d worry that the dough would become soggy.
Hi Kristen!
I’m looking so forward to making these appetisers for Thanksgiving. I was just wondering what you used to cut the 24 squares?
Thank you!
Hi Jeanne, I just used a sharp knife. You could also use a pizza cutter.
I can’t wait to try these! Do you think I could substitute puff pastry instead of crescent rolls?
Yes you could do that.
Can these be frozen and then reheated?
Frozen, yes, but no need to reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter. Enjoy at room temp.
Can you use Phyllo Cups instead of Crescent Rolls?
Yes you can, just make sure the dough is fully cooked.
Can you put everything in the pan and then wait 30 minutes to put in the oven? We want to make this for thanksgiving but we are going to a friends house. Would like to assemble at our house first and then bake when we get there.
Honestly, I wouldn’t. I would probably bake at home then reheat.
Thank you! So reheating would be ok? Same time?
They probably won’t take time to reheat. Just keep in mind that fresh is best, so they will lose some quality in reheating.
Simply delicious! Loved it and plan to use them for hosting next year as well.