These light bites of brie, fresh cranberry sauce and phyllo cups are a wonderful way to entertain guests at your next dinner and holiday parties.
This is one of my favorite holiday party snacks and never fails to make everyone happy, cheese lovers especially. I deeply love the sweet & savory combo of these pretty cheesy cups.
Sweet, delicious and slightly on the tart side, with a gooey heart of cheese and a fresh aromatic herby topping. They’re insanely good, trust me.
You won’t believe how quick and easy to make these brie and cranberry cups are. And you can bet they’re totally addicting, once you start eating them you won’t only be able to stop. The good news is that they are fairly low in calories and smartly tiny, so you can eat more than one ( or two! three!).
These pretty brie and cranberry cups are ready in 20 mins only, and packed with awesome flavours and colors. To make them all you need is 5 simple ingredients: phyllo pastry sheets, fresh cranberry sauce, brie and fresh aromatic herbs.
Just whip up a half batch of cranberry sauce, which I made with a bit of orange juice for an extra kick instead of water (feel free to use a good quality store-bought or leftover cranberry sauce too, if you’re making these after the holidays).
Then while the cranberry sauce is cooking, make some mini phyllo cups with the help of a large cookie cutter. Brush with a little olive oil a mini cupcake muffin tin and arrange the pastry rounds inside each mould.
Bake them for a few minutes until crispy and golden, then fill them with chopped brie and a bit of the cranberry sauce.
The cheese will melt almost instantly for a nice gooey bite. You can also can also serve these phyllo cups slightly cool. I actually like it more this way, with the cheese not melted.
Top with your favorite aromatic herbs to add a pleasant refreshing taste. You can use anything from fre basil, thyme, rosemary or parsley leaves, just to name a few. I used micro lemon balm for tangy twist and loved the unexpected burst of vibrant flavors.
These brie and cranberry cups would be the perfect starter for your holiday dinners this year. Whether you’re looking for a Christmas party snack or a New year’s Eve elegant finger food, these petite savory treats will surely delight your guests, and they’re healthy too!
I hope you guys will give this light cheesy cranberry bites a try. If you do, please leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it! Even better, snap a picture, tag it #thepetitecook and share it on Instagram! I can’t wait to see all your festive creations :).
- 3 large sheet of phyllo pastry
- 120gr / 4oz brie cheese, finely chopped
- a bunch of fresh aromatic herbs ( basil, thyme, parsley etc), I used lemon balm
- ½ cup cranberry sauce, freshly made or store-bought
- 200gr/ 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 tbsp sugar, or to taste( I used demerara sugar)
- 50ml /1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 50ml /1/4 cup water
- In a medium saucepan, combine orange juice, sugar and water over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Stir in cranberries and bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer until sauce has thickened, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 190C/200 F.
- Roll out the 3 phyllo sheets one above the other. With the help of a cookie cutter, form small circles, trying to work quickly so that the phyllo pastry doesn't dry out.
- Arrange three rounds on each mould of a mini muffin tin brushed with olive oil.
- Bake for a few mins until lightly crisp and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and arrange some chopped cheese in each cup. Dollop a scant spoonful of cranberry sauce on each little brie cup.
- Top with fresh aromatic chopped herbs and serve.
If you're using frozen phyllo pastry, make sure to defrost in the fridge the night before.