These Easy Cranberry and Brie Puff Pastry Rings are a great addition to your appetizer buffet during the holidays. Buttery puff pastry is filled with sweet, dried cranberries and creamy Brie cheese, then twisted into little rings, and topped with sesame seeds before being baked until golden. A drizzle of warm honey as they come out of the oven gives a nice balance to the savory filling and adds a wonderful depth of richness.
Having a box of puff pastry in the freezer is so convenient and an easy way to get a head start for many sweet and savory creations. The filling for these puff pastry treats is versatile: you can choose your favorite grated cheese or even choose not to add any dried fruit; you can also give them another shape (like the simple twists pictured in Step 3) which is also great!
Ingredients for the easy cranberry and Brie puff pastry rings
For this easy recipe we need only a handful of ingredients:
- Frozen puff pastry: I prefer to use an all-butter puff pastry (I always have a box of Fillo Factory in my freezer, ready for quick appetizers and desserts)
- Butter: use what you have on hand. For this savory recipe, I used salted butter
- Cheese: any cheese will do. I used Brie cheese, which I diced into small cubes. A more savory cheese, such as Gruyère or Asiago, would be great too
- Cranberries: sweetened, dried cranberries work very well here. If your cranberries are too large, chop them up into smaller bits
- Egg: for the egg wash, an egg, lightly beaten with 1 TBSP. of water will help the puff pastry get a nice golden color and the sesame seeds to adhere
- Sesame seeds: for topping, use white ones or a combination of white and black sesame seeds
- Honey: a generous drizzle of warm honey over the just-baked puff pastry will round up the savory flavor of the filling
Tips for Working with Puff Pastry
If you do not feel comfortable working with puff pastry, here are four tips that will make you feel more confident using it for your recipes:
- Keep it chilled: do not allow the puff pastry to get warm, so the butter in it remains solid and melts slowly later in the oven. If your puff pastry gets warm as you work with it, return to the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before baking
- Roll it gently: always roll it on a floured surface using a light touch and try to not flatten it too much
- Slice it with care: make sure not to drag the knife when you slice it, which might prevent the puff pastry from rising. Instead use an up and down cutting motion so as not to compress the edges.
- Bake in a hot oven: an oven preheated to 400º F will help the pastry puff up as it bakes
- Thaw and use: once the puff pastry is thawed in the refrigerator, use it within a day – do not let it sit in the refrigerator for days
How to make the Easy Cranberry and Brie Puff Pastry Treats
- Roll out the puff pastry to elongate it, brush with melted butter, and place the cheese and the cranberries on half of it.
2. Fold the top half over the filling, press gently and cut into thin strips
3. Twist each strip by turning both ends towards the opposite direction
4. Form little rings by bringing the ends of the twists together — remember, these are small, two-bite treats
5. Bake by placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with an egg wash, and top with sesame seeds
6. Cool: remove from the oven and allow them to stand for just a few minutes to cool slightly
7. Drizzle with some warm honey and enjoy!
How to Make them ahead of time
Once the little puff pastry rings are formed, you can refrigerate the whole sheet pan for a couple of hours until you are ready to bake. You can also flash freeze them in a single layer in the freezer for 30 minutes, then put them in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for a month. When the time comes to bake them, do not thaw, just bake them as they are in the preheated oven!
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry (8 oz.), thawed
- 1 TBSP. butter, melted (I used salted)
- 4 oz. Brie cheese, diced
- ⅓ cup sweetened, dried cranberries
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
- 1 TBSP. sesame seeds for topping
- --- honey for drizzling
- Preheat the oven to 400º F, with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Remove most (but not all) of the rind from the Brie. Refrigerate until very cold and then dice it into small pieces. If the dried cranberries are too large, chop them roughly and set them aside.
- Unroll one sheet of puff pastry (which has been thawed in the refrigerator overnight) and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the pastry with some flour and gently roll it out with a rolling pin into a 10" x 13" rectangle. Brush it with one tablespoon of the melted butter.
- Spread the diced Brie and the cranberries evenly over half of the puff pastry (as shown in the photo). Gently press the cheese and cranberries down into the pastry.
- Fold the other half of the puff pastry over the filling and gently press down to slightly flatten.
- With the help of a pizza cutter, or a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into strips, using an up and down motion (make sure not to drag the knife, so you do not compress the edges of the strips, which would prevent the pastry from puffing up). Starting from the center, cut the folded puff pastry in half, then cut each half in half again so you have four quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 more strips. You should get about 16 strips. If you prefer, cut each quarter into 3 strips, for a total of 12 strips, which will make slightly bigger swirls.
- Grab the two ends of each piece and twist it in the opposite direction to form a twisted “stick”. Then, place the twisted “stick” on the counter and roll it up to form a small ring, tucking the end in.
- Place all the rings onto the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Refrigerate the baking sheet for 20-30 minutes to get the puff pastry cold again.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is cooked through and has turned golden brown.
- Allow them to stay on the pan for 3-4 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle with some warm honey, and enjoy warm.
This recipe is in collaboration with Fillo Factory. You can find organic all-butter puff pastry and filo dough at Whole Foods and several Mediterranean local stores. I love the quality of the Fillo Factory products and I always make sure to stash a couple of boxes in the freezer!
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Looks good! Very festive!
It really is perfect for the holidays, Kathy! Thank you!