Nutty and Sweet Kabocha squash elevate the festive Brie and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites, making them a cute pumpkin-shaped appetizer! Tart cranberry sauce, rich brie, and creamy kabocha squash are wrapped in buttery puff pastry. These pretty little puff pastry hand pies are a fun appetizer to welcome guests during the holiday season!
Cramberry and brie are classic flavor combinations, so festive and irresistible. And puff pasty bites are so easy to make and impressive!
So this year, I decided to make it even more festive with Kabocha squash and wrap them into a pumpkin (or kabocha) shape! It takes a bit of effort, but it totally worth it!
New to kabocha squash? Definitely check out How to Cut Kabocha Squash!
Brie and cranberry puff pastry bite Ingredients
- Kabocha Squash - Add cozy sweetness to these puff pastry bites! You can also use sweet potato or prepared chestnuts. Or use mashed potatoes if you want to whip these up with Thanksgiving ingredients!
- Cranberries - The refreshingly sweet sauce made from fresh cranberries is the best! But, of course, you can use store-bought or canned cranberry sauce!
- Orange Juice and Zest - Brighten up the homemade cranberry sauce.
- Maple Syrup - Naturally sweeten the syrup. You can swap this with regular sugar or agave syrup.
- Frozen Puff Pastry - Great shortcut for an easy appetizer.
- Brie Cheese Bites- These mini Brie wheels are the perfect size for cute little pumpkin-shaped hand pies.
- Egg - For the egg wash.
- Cinnamon Sticks - For pumpkin stem decoration
- All-Purpose Flour - For dusting when rolling out the puff pastry.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut 27 pieces of kitchen twine, each 10 inches long.
- In a pot, add ¼ cup of water and kabocha squash. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, for about 10 minutes. Once they're cooked, uncover and cook off the liquid.
- Transfer the cooked kabocha to a bowl and mash with a fork until creamy with some texture left. The kabocha skin should mash easily with a fork. Let it aside to cool while preparing other ingredients.
- While kabocha is cooking, start preparing cranberries. In a saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup. Bring a mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook until cranberries burst and the sauce is thickened, for about 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low if necessary to maintain the gentle simmer.
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Cut the Brie wheel into three equal wedges.
- Dust your work surface with all-purpose flour. Roll out the thawed puff pastry into a slightly bigger square, about 10 inches by 10 inches. Then cut into 9 squares.
- In the center of one piece of puff pastry square, place a one-third piece of brie cheese, about ½ tablespoon of cranberry sauce, and about 1 Tablespoon of kabocha mash. Carefully gather the edges of the puff pastry to wrap the filling and pinch them together to seal. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Arrange 3 pieces of kitchen twine in a criss-cross pattern and place one puff pastry ball on top, with smooth side down. Tie each string around the ball just tight enough. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- On the prepared baking sheet, place puff pastry balls with the knot side down. Beat an egg and 1 Tablespoon of water together to make egg wash. Brush egg wash over each ball.
- Bake until golden, for 15 to 20 minutes. The filling can start to leak, but that's ok, it'll set after cooling.
- Once the balls are out of the oven, let them cool slightly until they're comfortable enough to touch. Remove all the kitchen twine. Stick a halved cinnamon stick in the center, so they look like little pumpkins. Serve warm and enjoy!
Try More Appetizer Recipes
- Shichimi Togarashi Bread Dipping Oil
- Simple Stuffed Fig Bites with Whipped Ricotta and Pistachios
- Roasted Beets with Whipped Feta and Balsamic Glaze
More Recipes
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If you enjoy the recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I'd love to know what you think!
Brie and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites with Kabocha Squash
Nutty and Sweet Kabocha squash elevate the festive Brie and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites, making them a cute pumpkin-shaped appetizer! Tart cranberry sauce, rich brie, and creamy kabocha squash are wrapped in buttery puff pastry. These pretty little hand pies are a fun appetizer to welcome guests during the holiday season!
Ingredients
- 200 g Kabocha squash (about ¼ medium kabocha squash) chopped
- 1 cup cramberries 114g 4oz
- ¼ cup orange juice and zest about ½ orange juiced and zested
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 3 mini Brie cheese bites cut each into thirds
- 1 egg
- 3 sticks cinnamon cut in half (see note), for decoration
- all-purpose flour for dusting
- sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut 27 pieces of kitchen twine, each 10 inches long.
- In a pot, add ¼ cup of water and kabocha squash. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, for about 10 minutes. Once they're cooked, uncover and cook off the liquid.
- Transfer the cooked kabocha to a bowl and mash with a fork until creamy with some texture left. The kabocha skin should mash easily with a fork. Let it aside to cool while preparing other ingredients.
- While kabocha is cooking, start preparing cranberries. In a saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup. Bring a mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook until cranberries burst and the sauce is thickened, for 10 to 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low if necessary to maintain the gentle simmer.
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Cut the Brie wheel into three equal wedges.
- Dust your work surface with all-purpose flour. Roll out the thawed puff pastry into a slightly bigger square, about 10 inches by 10 inches. Then cut into 9 squares.
- In the center of one piece of puff pastry square, place a one-third piece of brie cheese, about ½ tablespoon of cranberry sauce, and about 1 Tablespoon of kabocha mash. Carefully gather the edges of the puff pastry to wrap the filling and pinch them together to seal. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Arrange 3 pieces of kitchen twine in a criss-cross pattern and place one puff pastry ball on top, with smooth side down. Tie each string around the ball just tight enough. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- On the prepared baking sheet, place puff pastry balls with the knot side down. Beat an egg and 1 Tablespoon of water together to make egg wash. Brush egg wash over each ball.
- Bake until golden, for 15 to 20 minutes. The filling can start to leak, but that's ok, it'll set after cooling.
- Once the balls are out of the oven, let them cool slightly until they're comfortable enough to touch. Remove all the kitchen twine. Stick a halved cinnamon stick in the center, so they look like little pumpkins. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
How to cut cinnamon sticks in half: Place the cinnamon stick on a cutting board. Position a sharp knife across the center and press down, rocking gently. Keep your fingers away from the blade as the stick cracks in half. Roll the cinnamon stick around, if necessary, until it cracks. Once the knife makes a cut, you can simply snap the stick the rest of the way by hand.
Please note that the nutritional information provided is just an estimate, and accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pumpkinCalories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 135mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 408IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg
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