Cranberry Brie Crescent Bites

Cranberry brie crescent bites are small cups of crescent dough baked in a mini muffin pan around a cube of brie, a spoonful of cranberry sauce and a pinch of pecans. The whole batch takes 25 minutes and makes 24 bites, which is why they fit a Christmas party so well. You can have a tray on the table before most guests have taken their coats off.

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What goes into 24 bites

Five ingredients, and each one has a job. The amounts below make exactly one 24 cup mini muffin pan.

• 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dough sheet
• 8 oz brie, cut into 24 small cubes
• 1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

The math works out neatly. Eight ounces of brie split into 24 cubes gives each bite about a third of an ounce of cheese. Half a cup of cranberry sauce is 24 teaspoons, so a heaping teaspoon per cup uses almost all of it. The quarter cup of pecans covers 24 small pinches with a little left to spare for any cup that looks bare.

Keep the brie cold until the last minute

Soft brie is the most common reason these bites look messy. At room temperature the cheese smears across the knife, the cubes lose their corners and you end up pressing sticky lumps into the dough. Chill the brie before cubing it. Cold brie cuts clean, and clean cubes sit neatly in the center of each cup where they melt evenly in the oven.

It helps to cut the brie right before you fill the pan, after the dough is already pressed into the cups. That way the cheese spends as little time as possible warming on the board.

Getting the dough into the cups

The crescent sheet needs a little attention before you cut it. Unroll it and press the seams together with your fingertips so it acts like one sheet. If a seam stays open, that square can split in the cup and the melting brie will find the gap and run out onto the pan.

Cut the sheet into 24 squares. They do not have to be perfect. Press each one into a greased cup so it lines the bottom and comes up the sides; the corners that stick up will bake into crisp little points that make the bites easy to pick up.

If you like this pairing on a toast instead of pastry, try our cranberry brie crostini with pecans, rosemary and honey.

You can also serve the cranberry and brie combination as a shared centerpiece with this cranberry pecan baked brie in puff pastry .

Hosting a bigger crowd? Set these out next to our hot honey cranberry brie crostini , which make about 24 pieces in 20 minutes.

When you would rather skip the dough, these baguette crostini with brie, cranberry and pistachios are ready in about 20 minutes.

How to make cranberry brie crescent bites

• Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan.
• Unroll the dough, press the seams together and cut into 24 squares.
• Press each square into a muffin cup.
• Add a cube of brie, a heaping teaspoon of cranberry sauce and a pinch of pecans to each.
• Bake 13 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool 5 minutes, top with rosemary and serve warm.

Start checking at 13 minutes. You are looking for golden edges on the dough; pale dough at the corners means a couple more minutes. The cranberry sauce will be bubbling a little around the brie, which is fine.

The 5 minute rest matters more than it seems. Straight from the oven the brie is close to liquid, and the cups are soft enough to tear if you lift them too early. After a few minutes the dough firms up and the cheese settles into a thick, gooey layer under the cranberry. The rosemary goes on last so the leaves stay green and fresh instead of drying out in the heat.

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Serving them at a holiday party

These are meant to be eaten warm, so time the bake for when people are arriving. Twenty four bites fit a single platter, and because each cup holds its filling, guests can eat them with their fingers, no plates or forks needed.

The flavors cover a lot of ground in one mouthful: buttery dough, mild creamy brie, tart cranberry, toasty pecan and a piney note from the rosemary. That balance makes them an easy fit next to other holiday appetizers, whether your spread leans sweet or savory. Because the cups are bite sized and the filling stays put, they also sit comfortably beside dips and sliders on a crowded table, and the red cranberry with green rosemary on top looks right at home on a Christmas spread.

Building a holiday appetizer table? Pair these bites with our holiday cranberry cream cheese dip and a batch of Christmas cranberry meatballs , add turkey cranberry sliders for something heartier, or make your own filling with our homemade cranberry sauce recipe .

A few questions about these bites

Why whole berry cranberry sauce?

The recipe calls for whole berry sauce, and the texture is the reason. The berries give each spoonful some body, so it sits on top of the brie in a small mound and you can see the red against the golden dough.

What size should the brie cubes be?

Cut the 8 oz block into 24 even pieces, one per cup. Small cubes fit inside the dough without touching the sides of the pan, which keeps the melted cheese where it belongs.

How do I know they are done?

The dough should be golden, especially at the corners, after 13 to 15 minutes at 375°F. If the dough still looks pale and doughy, give them the full 15 minutes.

Can I add the rosemary before baking?

The recipe tops the bites with rosemary after the 5 minute cool. Adding it at the end keeps the leaves bright and gives a fresh herb smell when the tray hits the table.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us