Cranberry & Cheese Puff Pastry Bites
These fun and festive bite-sized appetizers are the perfect start to your Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Christmas celebrations! A buttery puff pastry crust is filled with melty cheese and a lovely cranberry sauce for the ultimate bite.
Servings: 24 Servings
Calories: 126kcal
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
Ingredients
For the Amaretto Cranberry Sauce
- 2 Cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)
- ½ Cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces Amaretto liqueur
For the Rest of the Puff Pastry Bites
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
- 8 ounces cheese of choice (shown with a Gouda Gruyere blend, brie, gouda, or gruyere are all good options too)
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Prep #1 - Thaw the Puff Pastry: Be sure you've set your puff pastry out to thaw while you start on the cranberry sauce
- Make the Amaretto Cranberry Sauce: Add all cranberry sauce ingredients (except the Amaretto) to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover to cook (this helps the cranberries burst!). Stir occasionally, helping burst the cranberries with the back of the spoon, until the cranberries are mostly broken down (about 10 minutes). Stir in the Amaretto and cook for a few more minutes with the lid off to help release steam and let the sauce thicken a bit. Set the sauce aside to cool and continue to thicken.
- Prep #2 - Preheat the Oven and Grease the Muffin Tins: Preheat your oven to 375°F, and generously grease 24 mini muffin cups and set aside (make sure to get all sides and the bottoms of each muffin cup).
- Roll Out and Cut Puff Pastry: Once the puff pastry is thawed, roll it into about a 10" x 14" rectangle. Cut the shorter side into 4 even strips, and cut the long side into 6 even strips, to create 24 squares puff pastry squares (each square will be about 2 ½ inches on each side, but they don't need to be perfect!).
- Assemble the Puff Pastry Bites: Gently place one square of puff pastry into each of the greased muffin cups. Add 1 square of Wood River Creamery Gouda Gruyere into each puff pastry cup, and then top with about 1 tablespoon of the cranberry sauce. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush the exposed parts of the puff pastry with the egg.
- Bake: Bake the bites for 18 to 20 minutes. The puff pastry will be golden brown and the cranberry sauce and cheese will be bubbly. Let the puff pastry bites cool in the muffin tins for a few minutes, then use a fork or butter knife to gently loosen and pop them out of the muffin tin.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve warm and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Tips for Making the Best Mini Puff Pastry Bites:
- Make sure you puff pastry dough is thawed before trying to roll. If your dough is still too cold when you start to roll, you'll have a difficult time getting it to the size you need. Double check the recommended thawing directions on your package of puff pastry and get it thawing accordingly.
- Grease your muffin tins really well! Be sure you hit all sides and the bottom of your muffin cups really well to prevent sticking.
- Try not to overfill your puff pastry bites. If you get a little excited when filling (I've definitely been guilty of this!), your melty cheese and cranberry filling will leak out onto the muffin tin during the baking process and can make it really difficult to get your bites out of the pan. Aim for about ⅔ or ¾ full.
Nutrition
Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 0.4mg
