These Baked Brie, Cranberry and Pecan Bites are a quick, easy and delicious appetizer that's perfect for the holidays or any time of the year!
Crescent roll dough is filled with soft and melty brie cheese, tart-sweet cranberry sauce, crunchy pecans and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary for the ultimate sweet-and-savory bite!
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If you're looking for a last-minute holiday appetizer recipe that's super simple yet a little fancy and sure to impress your guests, this is it.
I don't know where these little gems of deliciousness originated, but they've been popping up in my feeds for years looking all cute and yummy, and I've always wanted to try them.
And I finally did when my nephew's fiancée brought them to a family dinner this past Thanksgiving (thank you, Marianna!).
They were so good that they were out of the oven and gone within about 5 minutes. Seriously. Everyone, including me, really enjoyed them!
The use of refrigerated crescent roll dough makes these a snap to put together (and I don't know anyone who doesn't love crescent rolls). Unroll it, pinch the seams together, cut it into squares, put the squares in a mini muffin pan, fill, and then bake until golden brown and bubbly.
It'll only take you about 30 minutes from start to finish!
Ingredients You Need
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour (just a small amount for rolling out the dough)
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough
- Cooking spray
- Brie cheese
- Cranberry sauce (canned whole berry or homemade cranberry sauce)
- Pecans
- Fresh rosemary (optional, for garnish)
Special Equipment Needed
- 24-cup mini muffin pan (preferably non-stick)
How to Make Baked Brie, Cranberry & Pecan Bites
Note: This video is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe with detailed instructions.
Recipe Tips & Tidbits
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough now also comes in a solid sheet so you don't have to fuss with pressing any seams together. You can use that if you can find it. My local grocery stores don't have it yet, so I just use the classic crescent rolls.
- Although the rind on brie is completely edible, when I'm making a recipe where I melt the cheese, I prefer to cut the rind off. You can keep it on if you'd like.
- Because brie is very soft, I find it easier to remove the rind after the brie is cut into smaller pieces.
- Not into or allergic to nuts? Just leave them out...these are still delicious without them!
- Variations:
- Swap out the cranberry sauce for any type of jam, such as raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, fig, orange marmalade or even hot pepper jelly (yum!).
- Use different kinds of chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or cashews.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers and Freezing
- Make-Ahead: As usual, I will say that these are best when freshly baked, but you can make them ahead. You have two options:
- Unbaked: Assemble them in the muffin pan (don't bake), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to several hours until ready to bake.
- Bake as directed (keeping in mind that, since they are cold, they make take a few extra minutes).
- Baked: Assemble, bake and cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or freeze for longer storage (see below).
- Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven just until heated through (tent with foil, if needed, to avoid over-browning).
- Unbaked: Assemble them in the muffin pan (don't bake), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to several hours until ready to bake.
- Leftovers: Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days (if you made them ahead of time, be sure to take that time into account). Or freeze for longer storage (see next).
- Reheat as directed above for make-ahead.
- Freezing: Once cooled, place the bites on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper and freeze until firm. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 1 month (for best quality, the sooner you use them, the better).
- Reheat as directed above for make-ahead.
And although these are absolutely perfect for the winter holidays, you really can serve them any time (and, for the adults, they go great with a glass of wine, especially a nice, chilled rosé).
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and I wish everyone a very joyous holiday season filled with family, friends, love, and lots of good food!
I hope you try these Baked Brie, Cranberry and Pecan Bites and love them as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Baked Brie, Cranberry and Pecan Bites
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour, just a small amount for rolling out the dough
- 1 (8-ounce) tube refrigerated crescent roll dough
- cooking spray
- 8 ounces brie cheese, cut into 24 equal pieces, rind removed
- ½ cup cranberry sauce, canned whole berry or homemade
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, optional (for garnish)
Special Equipment
- 24-cup mini muffin tin (preferably non-stick)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Press or roll the seams together to make one solid piece of dough.
- Cut the dough into 24 equally-sized squares (I cut 4 even strips longways and then 6 even strips crosswise).
- Spray a 24-cup mini muffin pan (preferably non-stick) with cooking spray.
- Put one square of dough in each muffin cup, gently pressing it down into the cup without stretching it out too much (you want to maintain that square shape of the dough as much as possible; the sides of the muffin cups won't be completely covered in all spots, and that's ok because the dough will puff up as it bakes).
- Place one piece of brie in each cup.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce into each cup.
- Divide the pecans evenly among the cups.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and cooked through and the brie and cranberry sauce are bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let the bites cool slightly in the pan for about 5 minutes just until they are easier to handle, then carefully transfer them to a serving dish.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary, if desired. Best when served warm!
Notes
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough now also comes in a solid sheet so you don't have to fuss with pressing any seams together. You can use that if you can find it. My local grocery stores don't have it yet, so I just use the classic crescent rolls.
- Although the rind on brie is completely edible, when I'm making a recipe where I melt the cheese, I prefer to cut the rind off. You can keep it on if you'd like.
- Because brie is very soft, I find it easier to remove the rind after the brie is cut into smaller pieces.
- Not into or allergic to nuts? Leave them out; these are also delicious without nuts!
- Variations: Swap out the cranberry sauce for any type of jam, such as raspberry, blackberry, fig, orange marmalade or even hot pepper jelly (yum!) and/or use different kinds of chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or cashews.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or freeze for longer storage. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven just until heated through (tent with foil, if needed, to prevent over-browning).
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