Cranberry Brie Tarts in Phyllo Cups

These mini cranberry brie tarts are made in phyllo cups and incorporate homemade cranberry sauce for a festive, crowd-pleasing appetizer that's perfect for holiday entertaining!

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These Cranberry Brie Tarts are one of my favorite last-minute appetizers for holiday parties. They’re quick and easy to make, only require a few ingredients and most importantly, everyone loves them! Finish each tart off with a little fresh thyme to create a festive appetizer that’s perfect for holiday entertaining.

Contents:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Notes from the kitchen
• Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions
• Making Cranberry Brie Tarts
• Frequently asked questions
• Tools you'll want for this recipe
• Serving Suggestions
• More holiday recipes
• Cranberry Brie Tarts

Why you'll love this recipe

• They are quick, easy and perfect! These tarts are excellent two-bite appetizers for a cocktail party or holiday potluck.
• Only four ingredients! So there is no complicated shopping list involved.

Notes from the kitchen

• If you want to scale this recipe and make more tarts, you'll need an additional tablespoon of cranberry sauce for every three tarts you add. You'll need additional brie as well, but you'll likely have to buy more than 2 ounces so just cut additional bite-sized pieces based on the number of tarts you add.
• If you don't already have cranberry sauce made, add an additional 20 minutes or so to the prep time.

Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

• Homemade cranberry sauce: You'll need some homemade cranberry sauce. I like this version because it has a hint of orange for extra flavor but use your favorite recipe. You'll need about two thirds of a cup for 30 tarts. You can use any cranberry sauce you like, just make sure it's made with fresh, whole cranberries and not the canned, jellied version!
• Phyllo cups: You want to use frozen phyllo dough shells which you can find in just about any grocery store. The shells generally seem to come in packages of 15 so you'll need two. I'm guessing you might be able to buy them in larger packages at Costco and you can also order them from Amazon.
• Brie: Triple cream brie is the best option for this recipe as it melts nicely.
• Fresh thyme: A couple of sprigs of fresh time is all you'll need for a little topping and perhaps some garnish on your serving dish.

Making Cranberry Brie Tarts

The beauty of this recipe is it's effortless to scale so make as many tarts as you need for your party.

Step 1 | Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Step 2 | Assemble the tarts. I add the cranberry sauce to the tarts first so you get the melted brie on the top. Be sure not to fill your tarts to the brim so you have a little room for the brie to melt. 

Step 3 | Bake the tarts. Once you've got the tarts assembled you just throw them in the oven for about 6 minutes, until the brie is melted and the phyllo starts to turn slightly golden brown on the edges.

Step 4 | Garnish and serve. Remove the tarts from the oven and transfer them to a serving dish. Sprinkle them with a little fresh thyme and you are ready to serve!

Frequently asked questions

Tools you'll want for this recipe

Large baking sheet - I always say these rimmed baking sheets are a kitchen must-have. You can use them for just about any baking or roasting needs.

Parchment paper - I typically buy parchment paper by the roll but pre-cut sheets are also a great option.

Serving Suggestions

If you want to round out your pre-Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner snacks, I'd also serve these mini Mac n Cheese Bites or this Sun-dried Tomato Asiago Dip.

More holiday recipes

If you are looking for more holiday recipes check out these reader favorites:

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This post was originally published in November 2017. It was updated in November 2023 with some new information and photos. Some minor modifications were made to the original recipe.