Mini Baked Brie en Croute is an elegant but surprisingly simple appetizer made with mini wheels of cheese and frozen puff pastry. It’s the ultimate holiday finger food!
You’ve probably seen these cute individual Brie cheese rounds, they’re adorable, and I always pick them up and then put them back on the shelf when I realize I haven’t a clue what I’d do with them. Well, good news, I figured out what we can do, and it’s really easy and perfect for guests. Trader Joe’s sells them in packages of 5 for a reasonable price. The rind on these minis is very mild, so there’s no sharpness to them, and they’re very creamy. Of course you can eat them as is, but this is so much more fun and more impressive.
These are miniature whole rounds of Brie cheese, complete with their rind. They come in their own little containers so they stay fresh for a long time.
The little mini cheese gets encased in puff pastry and baked until golden. These are two-bite appetizers that will please everyone.
I know you have a box of frozen puff pastry in your freezer. Everybody does. Take a sheet out and thaw it, either overnight, or on the counter for about an hour until it’s pliable. One of the perks of buying pre-made dough like this is that it’s very user friendly.
I just rolled out the sheet a little bit, into a 12×12 square, and then cut that into sixteen 3″ squares, and then set the little Brie, which are about 1 1/2″ diameter, in the center of each.
Bring the corners up around the Brie, stretching a bit, and twist them to secure. The cheese is fully encased in its rind, so no worries about it melting out.
Brushing with an egg and water mixture helps them get golden brown in the oven.
The crust gets crispy and the cheese melts inside the rind, so when you bite into one it oozes out. They’re great.
Serve these mini baked Brie with a spicy or sweet and spicy condiment, I’ve got lots on the blog to choose from, here are a few of my favorites ~
I love to bake full sized wheels of Brie, too. My BAKED BRIE WITH FIGS AND HONEY is amazing when you can find fresh figs. And my BAKED BRIE WITH APPLES, PECANS, AND MAPLE SYRUP is a must for apple season.
Mini Brie en Croute
Ingredients
- 1 sheet thawed puff pastry
- 16 mini Brie rounds
- 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water for brushing
Instructions
- set oven to 400F
- When the pastry has thawed, lay it out on a floured surface. Roll it out gently into a 12x12 square. You can use your hands at the end to get it just right. Cut the sheet into sixteen 3" squares.
- Lay a Brie round in the center of each square, and bring up the corners to meet in the middle. You can do a little stretching--- it won't tear the dough. Twist the ends together to secure.
- Set the pastries on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet and lightly brush with the egg mixture.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the pastries are golden browned.
- Serve hot with your favorite jam.
Notes:
- You can make these ahead, without baking, and keep in the refrigerator. Bake when needed.
Don’t forget to pin these Mini Baked Brie en Croute!
Can I slice the mini brie in half, put jam in, then encase seal in pastry? Or by cutting up rind will that lead to Brie oozing out?
If I make ahead in am, will pastry dough get soggy or can it rest in fridge all day until ready to bake
If you encase it completely that should be fine, Mary. I’ve made them an hour or two ahead, and that works.
Is room temp ok for serving? I have to bake these in the morning for a lunchtime event.
It’s not ideal, Anne, because the cheese will have solidified, but you can certainly serve them room temp.
Hmmm. I know even a few seconds in the microwave is bad for the puff. Well see how it goes at room temp. Thank you!
You might be able to heat in a low oven if you have one available where you’re serving.
Thanks, did a test tonight, cut in haOf out fig jam in middle, delicious
Great, love the fig jam ๐
I made the minis yesterday to bring as a Thanksgiving appetizer, only I cut chunks from a whole brie and topped them with apricot jam and toasted almond. In rhe past I’ve wrapped the whole brie. Minis are so much easier. No cutting needed. The mini bries were a huge hit with all.
I love the idea of cutting the whole Brie Fran, and apricot and toasted almond sounds amazing.