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These flaky Puff Pastry Brie Bites are filled with melty cheese, sweet fig jam and crunchy bacon on top. They’re easy to make yet fancy enough for any dinner party!
If you’re hosting a dinner party and want an easy appetizer that looks impressive and tastes delicious, look no further! This is one of my favorite appetizers, especially during the holiday season.
Ingredients Needed
- Puff Pastry – The Pepperidge Farm puff pastry (typically next to the whipped topping in the freezer section of the grocery store) is my favorite. If you want to make homemade puff pastry dough, you could do that as well! (Though that’s certainly more time intensive!)
- Brie Cheese – One 8 ounce round is all you need for this recipe. It’s a very soft cheese, so pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes before using for easy slicing!
- Fig Jam – If you can’t find fig jam or fig preserves, there are other options! Try raspberry preserves, apricot jam, or other fruit jams.
- Bacon – You can cook and crumble bacon yourself OR use store-bought precooked bacon!
- Fresh Rosemary – Though this is an optional garnish, I love how festive it makes these treats look!
How to Make Puff Pastry Brie Bites
Start by preheating the oven, greasing a mini muffin tin and letting the puff pastry thaw a bit. Once you can unfold the pastry, use a rolling pin to flatten the pastry if needed.
Cut each of the two puff pastry sheets into 16 squares.
Place one square into each hole of the muffin tin & press it down in the center. You don’t need to space them out like in the photo above, but you can.
For the brie cheese, you can use the rind if you’d like, but I like to cut the outside of the rind off. Once you’ve cut it off, cut the puff pastry into 32 cubes.
Press one cube of cheese into each of the puff pastry squares.
Top with a little jam and crumbled bacon.
Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Enjoy warm as is or with a sprig of rosemary on top!
Expert Tips!
- Make sure the pan is well-greased before adding the puff pastry! You don’t want them stuck to the pans! A mini silicone muffin pan works really well for these.
- If your puff pastry has thawed completely, pop the pan into the freezer for 20-30 minutes before baking. This will help the pastry puff up really nicely!
- Freeze the creamy brie cheese for awhile before cutting so it’s not as sticky.
- These are best served warm immediately after baking, while the gooey cheesiness is in its prime!
Variations
- Use your favorite jam or preserves. Raspberry and apricot are other favorites with these bite-sized treats!
- Not a fan of brie cheese? Try cutting a log of creamy goat cheese and topping with fresh thyme.
- Swap the bacon out for chopped pecans! It still adds a nice crunch, good flavor and is a great option for those who don’t eat meat.
- Use a thick cranberry jam in place of the fig jam for a festive Thanksgiving appetizer!
- Can’t find puff pastry? Use phyllo shells instead!
Storage & Reheating Instructions
I’ll start with the disclaimer that these are truly best warm fresh from the oven. However, if there are leftovers, you can keep them for another day! Let the bites come to room temperature then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, it’s best to do so in the oven or in an air fryer. Heat just until warmed through. You can use a microwave, but you’ll lose the nice texture of the flaky pastry!
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve never tried doing them on a flat baking sheet. If you want to try, I’d recommend using a rimmed baking sheet in case the cheese or jam flows off the pastry.
Though I’ve never tried it, it should work fine. The timing may be different and the texture will be quite different.
I don’t recommend it. The freeze-thaw process will make the puff pastry texture much less appealing.
More Appetizers You’ll Love
Puff Pastry Brie Bites
Equipment
- 1 Mini Muffin Tin
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry (One 17.3 ounce box)
- 1 8-ounce round brie cheese cut into 32 cubes
- 1/2 cup fig jam
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- fresh rosemary optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Remove both sheets of puff pastry from the freezer and let set on the counter for 10-15 minutes.2 sheets puff pastry
- Starting with one puff pastry sheet, open the folds so you have one large square.
- Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the large square into 16 smaller squares.
- Repeat with the second sheet.
- Press squares into the greased muffin tin.
- Top each square with a piece of brie cheese, 1/2 teaspoon fig jam and crumbled bacon.1 8-ounce round brie cheese, 1/2 cup fig jam, 8 slices bacon
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove from the muffin pan and top with a rosemary sprig or finely chopped rosemary, if desired.fresh rosemary
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure the pan is well-greased before adding the puff pastry! You don’t want them stuck to the pans! A mini silicone muffin pan works really well for these.
- If your puff pastry has thawed completely, pop the pan into the freezer for 20-30 minutes before baking. This will help the pastry puff up really nicely!
- Freeze the creamy brie cheese for awhile before cutting so it’s not as sticky.
- These are best served warm immediately after baking, while the gooey cheesiness is in its prime!