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Looking for an easy Thanksgiving appetizer? These apple butter brie bites combine three unexpected ingredients for a savory-sweet snack that everyone will love.
One easy way to make your holiday meals feel extra special is to set out an appetizer or two before the main meal.
Even if it’s just you and your immediate family, a simple appetizer can make the holiday feel so much more special than a typical weeknight meal or Sunday dinner.
These savory-sweet apple butter brie bites are the perfect option. They’re super easy to make and are delicious on their own, or would be a simple way to dress up a charcuterie platter.
WHAT ARE APPLE BUTTER BRIE BITES?
Appetizers are one of the best parts of a meal, right? But once you’ve planned out the main dish and all of the sides for your holiday meal, you might not want to spend a bunch of time and effort on appetizers.
I’ve got you covered with these apple butter brie bites.
These little bites are a Thanksgiving twist on my cranberry brie bites. When I was making my apple butter cake, I started to wonder if I could use apple butter in place of the cranberry sauce.
I mean, we already know apple butter is amazing in things like ham and cheese party sandwiches with apple butter, so why wouldn’t it be great in those little bites?
These apple butter brie bites are an amazing sweet-savory combo. The sweetness of the apple butter balances the mild, earthy, creamy brie and the buttery crescent roll dough. These little bites are so poppable, you will find yourself devouring them in no time!
And even better, they’re super easy to make. Just 3 ingredients and about 30 minutes of your time will give you an appetizer all of your friends will ask for year after year.
HOW TO MAKE APPLE BUTTER BRIE BITES
These savory little bites are so easy to make, you might just find yourself looking for excuses to make them all of the time!
What you’ll need
You need only 3 ingredients and one key piece of equipment to make apple butter brie bites:
- 1 tube crescent rolls
- 4 ounces brie cheese
- ⅓ cup homemade apple butter
- Mini muffin tin
I usually buy the original Pillsbury crescent rolls, but the “butter flake” version would work well, too.
You don’t have to use homemade apple butter – I just happen to always have some on hand. Any brand of your favorite apple butter will work!
You do need a mini muffin tin to make these. If you don’t have one, they’re pretty inexpensive to pick up, or you might check and see if a neighbor has one you can borrow!
The ingredients above will make 18 bites, but you can easily double the recipe if you are having a larger party.
Making this recipe
The crescent rolls will become the base for these apple butter brie bites. To make the pastry cups, unroll the crescent rolls and gently press the seams together.
Cut the dough into 18 rectangles – I usually cut it in thirds horizontally and then into 6 sections vertically.
Nestle each of the dough pieces into the cups of a lightly greased mini muffin tin. The dough doesn’t need to go all of the way up the sides of each cup, so don’t worry if it doesn’t.
Now cut the brie into 18 small pieces. Sometimes I will remove the rind on the edges, just leaving the top and bottom rind, but that’s totally up to you.
Place a piece of brie into each of the dough-lined cups, then top the brie with about 1 teaspoon of the apple butter.
Bake the bites for about 11-13 minutes. You want the dough to be golden and the brie to be melty.
I like to let the bites cool for 1-2 minutes before I remove them from the muffin tin, just so the cheese isn’t quite as molten hot.
I like to garnish the tops with a sprinkle of fresh chives before serving the apple butter brie bites warm.
PREP-AHEAD TIPS
These apple butter brie bites only take about 30 minutes to make from start to finish, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do some prep ahead of time.
If you’d like to get the assembly out of the way, assemble the bites in the mini muffin tin. Cover the tin loosely with plastic wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator – they should be fine for up to 8 hours.
When you’re ready to bake, pop the (uncovered) pan in the oven and bake according to the recipe instructions.
MORE DELICIOUS HOLIDAY APPETIZERS
Looking for more appetizers to fill out your holiday spread alongside these apple butter brie bites? From classics to holiday-themed bites, I’ve got you covered:
Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
Deviled Eggs
Sausage Balls
Spinach Artichoke Bites
Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Ball
Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Feta Phyllo Bites
Baked Brie with Fig Jam
Hot Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Apple Butter Brie Bites
Equipment
- Mini muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 tube crescent rolls 8 ounces
- 4 ounces brie cheese
- ⅓ cup homemade apple butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan.
- Unroll the crescent rolls and gently press the seams together. Cut the dough into 18 rectangles. Place each rectangle into a cup of the mini tin. Do not worry if the dough does not go up all sides of the cup.
- Cut the brie into 18 small pieces. Place a piece into each of the dough-filled muffin cups. Top each with about a teaspoon of apple butter.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
- Let rest for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese to stop bubbling, then immediately remove the bites from the muffin tin. Serve warm, garnished with chives if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
