This brie and cranberry appetizer recipe will be your go to for every single get together this winter!
Please don’t be mad at me, but I’m totally ok that the “holiday season” kicked off last week. I’m not ready for the end of the year or all the to dos of the holidays, but I am ready for the happiness it brings me as well as the traditions that feel so good!
Since we still have a long way to go, let’s just start with recipes for Thanksgiving for which I have a few fun ones to share. For starters (hah – pun intended), these brie toasts with cranberry appetizer are the perfect way to kick off your get-together.
Cranberry Appetizer
Poor cranberry sauce seems to only have one purpose in this world – to accompany the turkey on that fateful day in November. I love the sweet tartness of cranberries, however, and wish they got more time in the spotlight.
Whether you’re hosting a small get together around Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving!) or are looking for a Thanksgiving appetizer, there are a few options for the tasty concoction.
Thanksgiving Cranberry Appetizer
To assemble these brie toasts, you need to slice you bread and brie, bake them under the broiler for a few minutes, and then top them with this homemade sauce. You’ll blow everyone away (if you don’t eat them all first).
Another fun option that I did last year was my Thanksgiving appetizer board. The board brings all the familiar flavors of Thanksgiving together in about 10 minutes and is perfect for a small get-together.
Cranberry sauce is served as a lovely accoutrement to add to whatever combination you’re trying – meat, cheese, and cracker!
The Nordstrom Cafe also sells a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich that’s obviously not leftovers. In addition to turkey, havarti cheese, and a delicious seeded roll, there’s a nice light layer of cranberry sauce that is DELECTABLE!!
Healthy Cranberry Sauce
If you haven’t made cranberry sauce from scratch, I encourage you to try it this year. The traditional sugar and cranberries recipes is impossibly easy and so much tastier in my opinion.
The recipe below is for a healthy cranberry sauce and it really can’t be beat. It’s so simple and it isn’t loaded with sugar – just tons of flavor.
The red wine adds a great depth of flavor. The small amount of sugar and apple juice cut the tartness of the cranberries (actually not a berry at all) just right.
But if you are a fan of a sweeter sauce – and I say you do you on this – you can obviously add more sugar. Just taste as you go, adding a teaspoon or two at a time!
Other Holiday Recipes
Don’t get caught up in the traditional, traditional fare. Well, ok, you can do that too, but these more seasonal holiday recipes will be a sure win every time.
First, this winter fruit appetizer (including sugared cranberries) is beautiful, tasty, and pretty quick to make!
These cheesecake bars are DELICIOUS and these mini spiced custard tarts are too!
And check out these natural Christmas dessert decor for great ideas to make any dish look festive!
FALL & WINTER RECIPE COOKBOOK
Delicious recipes to enjoy FALL & WINTER produce to its fullest. Simple and delicious recipes made from scratch for your family and your guests THROUGHOUT THE COOLER MONTHS!
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Cranberry Appetizer Toasts
Ingredients
Healthy Cranberry Sauce
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine
- Pinch each of: ground allspice, ground clove, and ground ginger
Brie Toasts
- 10 slices of baguette
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- Pinch each of: garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and fine sea salt
- 3 to 4 ounces Brie sliced into small pieces to fit your toasts
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
Healthy Cranberry Sauce
- Add all sauce ingredients, except the pinches of seasonings, to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium high and bring to a boil. As the cranberries begin to burst, stir often. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until thickened and jam-like. Stir in the allspice, clove, and ginger. Set aside to cool.
Brie Toasts
- Preheat the oven broiler to High.
- Place the baguette slices on a small sheet pan and broil on each side for 60 to 90 seconds, until barely golden brown. Stir the garlic powder, poultry seasoning and salt into the melted butter. Remove the toasts from the oven brush the top of each with the butter.
- Place a piece of Brie on each toast. Return to the broiler for about 60 seconds, until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the oven and top each with a generous teaspoon of the cranberry sauce. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Jess says
I love serving this on New Year’s Eve. The flavor combo is delish!
Eileen Kelly says
These cranberry brie appetizers are perfect for my family Christmas Eve dinner. We are keeping it small but we want delicious food. They are bite size and perfect for the day. The cranberry sauce is devine.
Gail Montero says
These are little bites of deliciousness indeed! Love the ease of prep, too!
Jenn says
Brie and cranberry – yes please! I love the simplicity of this recipe and can’t wait to make it for guests!
Nadia says
This recipe was so simple, but so good. And it looked really fancy! perfect for dinner parties!