easy holiday appetizer

Baked Brie Bites are the ultimate easy holiday appetizer and will wow your guests! Made with puff pastry, Brie cheese, cranberry or raspberry, and pecans.

Brie Bites with Cranberry

puff pastry

Brie cheese

Homemade Cranberry Sauce (or whole berry cranberry sauce

flaky sea salt (such

pecans

rosemary

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the Brie in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. VERY generously coat 2, 24-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick spray (if you only have 1 pan or if you have 2, 12-cups pans, make the Brie bites in batches).

Unroll 1 sheet puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface (leave the second sheet in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it). Roll into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Cut the sheet lengthwise into 4 even strips. Cut crosswise into 6 even strips. You will have 24 squares total (each square will be about 2 1/2 inches on each side). Gently separate the squares and press them into the mini muffin tins to create a puff pastry cup. With the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of each puff pastry in 2 to 3 places.

Cut the piece of Brie in half, then place 1 half back in the freezer. Dice the remaining Brie into 24 pieces (they will be between 3/4 and 1/2-inch on each side). 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 in the refrigerator. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry, second half of Brie, and the remaining salt and pecans.

Place each muffin pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any cheese or cranberry that bubbles over. Bake the pans on the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and the corners are golden brown, switching the pans' positions on the upper and lower racks once halfway through. Let cool in the pans for 3 minutes. If any of the Brie or cranberry has bubbled out, use a fork to scoot it back into the center of the bites (no one will know!).

Gently transfer the bites to a serving plate (I find a fork works well to transfer them). Garnish each with a small piece of fresh rosemary. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.

Spinach Balls

ouncees frozen spinach

herb seasoned stuffing mix (finely crushed)

eggs,

onion

butter

parmesan

black pepper

salt

garlic powder

thyme

Preheat

Preheat oven to 325ºF; place parchment paper on baking sheet and spray lightly with oil

Place

Place frozen spinach in microwave safe bowl and cook on high 6-minutes

Microwave

Place cooked spinach in fine-meshed strainer; press with paper towel to remove all liquid

Place herb seasoned stuffing mix in plastic bag and crush with mallet until there aren&#39;t any big chunks

Combine

Combine spinach and remaining ingredients in large mixing bowl

Form

Use a tablespoon to form  about a 3/4&quot; inch ball

Bake

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes until they&#39;re brown on top and slightly firm to the touch

The tart flavors, fresh herbs and jalapeño pepper make Cranberry Salsa a perfect appetizer that has it all! It comes together fast and travels well! Make it the day before to save time.

Cranberry Salsa

cranberries (1 bag)

pomegranate

cilantro

lime (juiced)

jalapeño pepper

red onion

maple syrup

salt and pepper

Open the bag of cranberries and inspect the fruit for damage or imperfections.  There&#39;s usually a few sneaky tart berries that need to be removed before starting. Wash the cilantro and remove the thick stems, juice the lime, chop the onion, and prep the pomegranate. Remove the seeds and veins from the jalapeño and chop it finely.

Add the cranberries to a food processor with maple syrup. Pulse until they’re finely chopped. Transfer the chopped cranberries to a bowl and add remaining ingredients. 

Taste and season accordingly, adding additional salt, lime juice or maple syrup if desired. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes before enjoying. I like to make it the day before to give the flavors plenty of time to release. 

Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! Cranberries were on sale, so I bought a bunch of them. I ended up making your salsa as an appetizer on Christmas day! It was gone so fast!

10/10 recommend! This recipe was so easy to make and such a hit at our Christmas party yesterday! I will be bringing this to many more parties!

A perfect mix of sweet and tart in the same dish! So delicious!

This smoked salmon dip is rich, creamy, and full of bright, briny, zesty flavor! Made with extra smoked salmon, plenty of fresh dill, cream cheese, tangy yogurt, green onion, lemon zest, and capers, it strikes the perfect balance of flavors.

Creamy Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

cream cheese, room temp

plain yogurt

red onion, very finely diced, more for garnish

lemon zest,

dill, chopped (save some for garnish)

green onions, finely diced

salmon

dijon mustard

capers, more for garnish

lemon juice

Warm the cream cheese

&#8211; either bring to room temperature or microwave until just soft enough to mix (45 seconds)

In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, yogurt, chopped onions, lemon zest, chopped dill, green onions, diced salmon, Dijon mustard, capers, and a few generous twists of coarse black pepper. Mix until combined.  

Season

. Taste, add lemon juice and salt to taste. Tip: I like testing this with what I am serving it with (cracker, cucumber, bruschetta). 

Serve

Scoop into a wide shallow bowl, finish with more capers, lemon zest, dill, and cracked pepper. Serve with veggie crudites, crackers, or bruschetta.

Looks absolutely AMAZING as all the recipes have been and I will be trying this one out New Years Eve.

I made this for a New Year’s Eve party and it was devoured!  It was absolutely delicious.  Thank you!

Made this for New Year’s Eve. Everyone loved it!  Definitely a keeper.

Top 4 easy holiday appetizer recipes from across the web

The most viewed easy holiday appetizer recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Brie Bites with Cranberry

Spinach Balls

Cranberry Salsa

Creamy Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

Top 4 easy holiday appetizer recipes from across the web

The most viewed easy holiday appetizer recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Brie Bites with Cranberry

Spinach Balls

Cranberry Salsa

Creamy Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

The most viewed easy holiday appetizer recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine