These brie & cranberry relish phyllo bites are the perfect appetizer to make for holiday parties. Also, if you’ve made a cranberry relish for Christmas festivities it’s a great way to use up the leftovers for appetizers on New Year’s Eve. That’s exactly what I’m doing for our New Year’s celebration this year. I’ve just recently started truly playing with phyllo dough and had so much fun making my own mini phyllo cups for these appetizers and others. They’re easier to make than expected and are a great finger food for a party.
Making Mini Phyllo (Filo/Fillo) Bites
I honestly do not have much experience with phyllo dough, but making these little bites with homemade mini phyllo cups turns out great without much hassle. The key to succeeding with phyllo dough is making sure the dough is thoroughly defrosted in the refrigerator overnight. Once you’re ready to use the phyllo dough make sure you have it up to room temperature before you start working with it. I let it sit out for about 15 minutes out of the fridge first, then I unroll it onto a large cutting board and cover it back up with plastic wrap and wet paper towels over any exposed edges for another 15 minutes. Do not let the dough dry out. You must keep it moist so it doesn’t crack or break on you too easily.
The way to get the perfect little bite size mini phyllo cup is to use a mini muffin pan. If you’re making a ton for a party make sure you use a 48 mini muffin pan to speed up your process.
If you just don’t feel like making these mini cups or don’t have time just buy the pre-made mini phyllo shells. The brie & cranberry bites will be just as great!
Brie & Cranberry Bliss
Brie and Cranberry go so well together; like peas and carrots, ham and cheese, cookies and milk, etc… There’s just something about this smooth, yet bold cheese that balances beautifully with the sweetness of a delicious cranberry relish. It’s a combination that even some leary cheese eaters might even enjoy.
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Give these delectable little brie and cranberry relish bites a try and let me know how they turn out!
Brie & Cranberry Relish Phyllo Bites
Ingredients
- 24 mini phyllo cups pre-baked (If you don’t have pre-made mini phyllo cups there are instructions below to make the cups) I make them with size #4 phyllo dough and about 1/2 cup melted butter
- .5 cups cranberry relish
- 8 oz Brie roound rind removed and cut into approximate 1 tsp chunks (you can use whatever brie you have available, I prefer the Double Brie)
Instructions
MAKING MINI PHYLLO CUPS (if you bought pre-made phyllo cups you can SKIP THIS SECTION)
- **Make sure you get your phyllo dough up to room temperature.**
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 24 count mini muffin pan. (I use a 48 count muffin pan only because I double almost everything when I cook)
- Once the dough is ready, carefully transfer one sheet of phyllo dough to a large cutting board and brush all over with melted butter. Lay another sheet on top of the 1st brushing again with butter and the same for a third sheet, ending with the third sheet being brushed with butter. (Make sure to re-cover your original layers of phyllo dough immediately after grabbing a sheet to keep it from drying out on you. I like to use plastic wrap and wet paper towels over the edges so that there is no chance of my dough from drying out while I’m working.
- Once you have 3 sheets done use a large knife or pizza cutter to cut your 3 layer sheet into 24 equal sized squares, cutting 6 rows on the wider side and 4 rows on the shorter side. (I honestly eye ball it as you’ll see in a picture above)
- Place each square into a mini muffin cup and press down to form a little cup for each.
- Once your pan is full bake the cups for 4 minutes or just slightly golden.
- Your mini bite cups are now ready to fill. They can keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days so making a bunch ahead of time is highly recommended.
MAKING THE PHYLLO BITES
- Place your pre-baked phyllo mini cups into mini muffin pan or a large baking sheet.
- Add about 1 tsp of brie, rind removed into the bottom of each cup.
- Top with about 1 tsp of cranberry relish
- Bake the cups at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Enjoy immediately or at room temperature.
Love these little pretties! Perfect for a quick party fix. Never leave here disappointed… or without a growling stomach! 😉
Thanks Karly! I hope you try them out. Happy New Year!
Such candy for the eyes! Would make these in a heartbeat! Thanks for sharing.
Why, thank you! They are just as tasty to eat and not as complicated to make as they may seem. Thank you for the kind words.