Cranberry Brie Bites

Here's a quick appetizer to serve during the holidays that screams festive and everyone will love! It's so easy to make yet so impressive and delicious. And you can get creative with the ingredients to personalize to your liking, though how can you go wrong with brie and cranberries, am I right?!

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

• Mini Phyllo Shells or phyllo sheets (you can also use puff pastry)

• 1/4 butter, melted (can use vegan butter)

• 8 ounces Brie cheese

• 1 cup homemade cranberry sauce (just follow the directions on the back of the cranberry bag!) or jam of choice

• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

• 1/2 cup finely chopped raw pecans (optional)

• 4 springs fresh rosemary cut into 6 pieces

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place brie in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Generously coat mini muffin pans with nonstick spray.

• Let phyllo dough come to room temp. Unroll dough, and lay one sheet down on parchment paper. Gently brush a small amount of melted butter over entire sheet. Lay another sheet on top and repeat, until you have 4-5 layers. Cut into squares.

• Dice brie into pieces ( between 3/4 and 1/2-inch blocks).

• Place one piece of Brie in the center of each mini muffin cup. Top each piece of Brie with 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then half of the chopped pecans.

• Place muffin pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any cheese or cranberry that bubbles over. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until phyllo is golden brown and cheese is melted. If anything bubbled out, use a fork to scoot it back into the center of the bites.

• Gently transfer the bites to a serving plate and garnish with a small piece of fresh rosemary. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.

Variations:

Get creative with any combo of the ingredients below -

• Raspberry, fig, apricot, or pepper jelly

• Goat cheese, cream cheese, any creamy cheese, really!

• Nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pistachios