Easy cranberry brie crostini with melted brie, cranberry sauce, and toasted walnuts are a delicious and festive appetizer to serve this holiday season. Plus, they use up some any extra cranberry sauce you have laying around! (vegetarian)
Party season is here, which means appetizer season is here! I love a good party appetizer, especially one that involves melty cheese and toasted bread. But I also like the recipe to be easy. Bonus points if it uses up ingredients that I already have around, and I certainly have extra cranberry sauce around during the holidays!
Why You'll Love Cranberry Brie Crostini
Since this festive appetizer uses homemade cranberry sauce, it's both a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers and a fun excuse to make a double batch of cranberry sauce. Serve them as a pre-Thanksgiving snack, or bring them to your next Christmas party. Either way, your guests are sure to love them. Who doesn't love bread, melty cheese, and tart cranberries? What makes these crostini extra special the extra interest of texture and flavor on top - toasted, crunchy walnuts, a hint of orange zest and fresh thyme add just a touch of complexity without being too difficult.
The Ingredients
- Baguette - I like to use sourdough or whole grain.
- Brie - Use a creamy wedge, found in the deli section of most grocery stores.
- Cranberry sauce - I use my homemade lower sugar cranberry sauce. Use your favorite recipe, or even store-bought in a pinch!
- Walnuts - Toasted for extra flavor and crunch.
- Extras - Orange zest, sea salt and thyme add interest!
How To Make Them
- Slice the baguette and drizzle lightly with oil. Toast the slices in the oven at 400°F until golden.
- At the same time, toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for about 8 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't burn!
- Thinly slice the brie (discard the rind if you don't like it) and place a slice on each piece of bread. Pop the pieces back in the oven to melt the cheese.
- Remove from the oven and top each piece with 1-2 teaspoons of cranberry sauce.
- Sprinkle with walnuts, orange zest, sea salt, and thyme.
Advance Prep
I don't recommend completely making these crostini ahead of time, or they'll get soggy. You can, however, make the cranberry sauce up to 4 days in advance, and you can slice the brie and toast the walnuts in advance.
More Delicious Crostini Combos
- Easy Pear Blue Cheese Crostini
- Blood Orange Avocado Crostini
- Mushroom Ricotta Crostini
- Balsamic Roasted Berry Bruschetta with Burrata
- Peach Bruschetta with Prosciutto and Burrata
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintEasy Cranberry Brie Crostini
Easy cranberry brie crostini with melted brie, cranberry sauce, and toasted walnuts are a delicious and festive appetizer to serve this holiday season. Plus, they use up some any extra cranberry sauce you have laying around! (vegetarian)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: about 18 pieces 1x
- Category: appetizer
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 baguette (I like to use whole grain or sourdough)
- olive oil
- 1 wedge brie cheese
- ½ cup cranberry sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh orange zest
- ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- coarse sea salt
- fresh thyme (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Slice baguette into half-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- Toast baguette slices for 7-8 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the edges.
- Spread walnuts on another baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't burn!
- Slice brie into very thin (about ¼ inch) pieces. Discard the rind if you don't care for it. Place 1 piece of brie onto each toasted crostini and place back in the oven until brie is warmed and melted (about 5 minutes).
- Remove from oven and top each crostini with 1-2 teaspoon cranberry sauce and a couple of toasted walnut pieces.
- Sprinkle with orange zest, sea salt, and thyme (if using).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cranberry sauce may be made up to 4 days in advance. You can also slice the brie and toast the walnuts in advance.
- If you don't like brie, this recipe is also delicious with gruyere or goat cheese.
Keywords: cranberry brie crostini, crostini with brie and cranberry sauce, cranberry and brie appetizer
TL says
Do you cut the rind off the brie or leave it on?
Kaleigh says
I prefer to cut the rind off.
Hillary says
This looks fantastic!! Do you thing it would work to make it the night before and bake the next day. I prefer to do as much prep as possible the day before hosting.
Kaleigh says
Hi Hillary,
The bread will probably get soggy if you make it ahead of time. If you prefer to prep things ahead, I suggest slicing the cheese and prepping your other ingredients, then assembling before you're ready to serve.
Carol Rodd says
I live alone and wondered about storage. Can it be frozen or kept in fridge and for how long?
Thank you for recipe.
Kaleigh says
The cranberry sauce can be kept in the fridge for about a week, or frozen. The rest will have to be made and eaten pretty quickly. You can slice the bread and store it in the freezer if you'd like.