Cranberry-Brie Bites
If there's one flavor that will always make me think of the holiday season, it's cranberry. Truth be told, I could eat cranberry all year round because I love the sweet and tart flavor, but it's undeniably a holiday ingredient. Now that I'm thinking about it, that aspect might even add to my love for cranberries – the taste reminds me of my favorite time of year! Whether it's the canned jelly, sauce, or jam, I love it all. And these little cranberry-brie bites are not only festive, but also incredibly easy, which is important around the holidays when you're typically making a lot of things at once!
All you need for this recipe is a can of crescent dough, a wedge of brie, and a can of cranberry sauce or jelly. Theoretically, you could make the sauce yourself, but I'm perfectly content using the canned stuff, and like I said before – simplicity becomes necessary around the holiday season. Plus, the brie makes people think these are fancy enough as-is! No one needs to know that you only spent 10 minutes preparing them.
I'm a fan of any form of baked brie, but I especially love when it's paired with a fruit flavor, and tart is always better! Cranberry is, in my opinion, the perfect match for creamy brie and buttery crescent dough. You could substitute a different jam or jelly for cranberry if you'd like!
These popable bites have a perfect sweet-and-salty combination that make them an ideal preamble to a big holiday meal. They'd also make a great contribution to a holiday potluck, which is becoming more and more popular with people my age – think Friendsgiving. But if I'm being totally honest, I would also just make these for myself and my brie-obsessed husband. They're too good and too easy to pass up!
CRANBERRY-BRIE BITES
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
1 can crescent dough (the buttery kind if possible)
1 wedge brie
1 can cranberry sauce or jelly
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and roll out the crescent dough in one sheet. Press together any creases so
that you're left with one solid sheet. Cut the sheet into 24 squares of equal size (or as equal as you can get them!). It will be easiest to do this with a sharp knife sprayed with a little cooking spray! Then place each square into the well of a mini muffin tin.
While it's still cold, cut the brie into small squares to place in each bite. The size will depend on your taste preference. Then, spoon some cranberry into each one as well – again, the amount will depend on your preference. Just be sure to not over-fill the dough, since it will puff up a little bit as it bakes.
Bake the amount of time designated on the crescent rolls. It's usually a bit over 10 minutes. These are best when a little warm, but delicious at room temperature too! Makes 24 popable bites.
Happy Eating,
Natalie