Brie and Cherry Appetizers with Phyllo Pastry Cups
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Brie and Cherry Appetizers baked in a crispy phyllo pastry cup are a quick and easy to make party food that will work great for holiday entertaining. Using prepared pastry cups, these tasty appetizers with Brie look like they took hours to make, but are ready in just 15 minutes! You and your guests will love them!
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Brie and Cherry Appetizers
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
Need a super easy appetizer for your next holiday gathering? If so, you’ll definitely want to give these bite-sized phyllo cups a try!
The flavors of warm, melted Brie and sweet dark cherries are enhanced with a slight hint of maple syrup.
For a more complex and savory flavor combination, add some fresh thyme leaves to each cup prior to baking.
Using pre-made phyllo (filo) pastry cups, these bite-size appetizers are ready in just 15 minutes! Prep the cups in advance and bake just as guests are arriving for them to be warm and at their very best!
If you can’t find ready-made cups then they’re pretty easy to make using phyllo dough. I’ll tell you how in the recipe tips section in this post.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
You may already have some of the ingredients for this recipe – the full list with measurements is found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon if available online.
- Brie – a soft cow’s-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated.
- Dark Cherries – use frozen ones if you can get them. If not, use canned cherries, but you may not want to use the syrup that they’re packed in, as maple syrup is added in this recipe.
- Mini Phyllo Cups – found in the freezer section, if you can’t find phyllo pastry cups, you could use other types of savory pastry cups in this recipe such as puff or shortcrust.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog! I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.,).
What are Phyllo Cups?
Phyllo (or filo) is a very thin unleavened dough that is used in Greek, Balkan, and Middle Eastern Cuisines. Most famously in baklava (a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and honey) or spanikopita (a Greek savory pastry, typically with spinach and feta cheese filling).
Spanikopita was the inspiration for my Lamb, Spinach & Feta Filo Pie. And I’ve used this crispy pastry in these Mince Pie Pinwheels in Filo Pastry Cups.
Because phyllo is very thin, it is used in layers, and you can see in the ready-made cups in these photos that there are 2 – 3 layers of pastry for each cup. If you can’t buy the cups ready-made, it’s very easy to make your own use a roll of phyllo pastry. Just allow a little extra time to cut and layer the pastry into the cups of a mini muffin pan.
Homemade phyllo takes time and skill, requiring progressive rolling and stretching to a single thin and very large sheet. A very big table is used, preferably with a marble top. If the dough is stretched by hand, a long, thin rolling pin is used, with continual flouring between layers to prevent the sheets from sticking to one another. Fresh and frozen versions are prepared for commercial markets.
Wikipedia
More Recipes Using Cherries
One of the hero ingredients in this recipe is cherries, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Cherry Almond Cookies
- Awesome Chocolate Cherry Coke Layer Cake
- Cherry, Chestnut & Walnut Pork Stuffing Loaf
More Appetizer Recipes
Looking for more appetizers to make for your next party? Check these recipes out next:
- Gluten-Free Baked Coconut Shrimp with Avocado-Lime Dip
- How to Make the Ultimate Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Balsamic Mozzarella Stuffed Grape Tomatoes
Brie and Cherry Appetizer Recipe Tips
If you can’t buy ready-made cups for this recipe, you can make them yourself with phyllo (filo) dough. The box of dough that you buy may have instructions for using. The brand that I buy says:
“Allow pastry to sit at room temperature for 2 hours before use. Never remove filo from its plastic bag until ready to use. Remove just the amount of sheets necessary, and immediately cover with a plastic sheet or damp towel. Replace balance in original bag and seal tightly, either refrigerate or freeze. Frozen pastry should be placed in a refrigerator for 24 hours before use. Unused pastry should be used within 1 week. Melted butter or an alternative should be brushed onto each sheet during use.”
How to Make Phyllo Pastry Cups
- Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Layer 2-3 sheets of dough on top of each other, brushing with melted butter in between.
- Cut into equal sizes squares and press into each of the muffin pan cavities.
- Bake for 5 – 7 minutes until just starting to brown, then continue with the recipe for the Brie and Cherry appetizers.
- Or cook for 10-15 minutes until browned, cool, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for several months.
- You could also make little cups using wonton wrappers like in this recipe for Black Bean Salsa Cups Appetizer
How Do I Make Brie and Cherry Appetizers?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, and instructions. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Brie & Cherry Appetizers
Need a super easy appetizer for your next holiday gathering? If so, you’ll definitely want to give these bite-sized phyllo cups a try.
Ingredients
- 8 oz / 225g Brie, rind removed and cut into 30 small cubes
- 6 oz / 170g frozen dark cherries, thawed and cut into small pieces, reserve juice
- 3 Tbsp real maple syrup
- 30 frozen phyllo (filo) cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place phyllo cups on the sheet and add one piece of Brie to each cup.
- Divide the chopped cherries and juice between the cups.
- Drizzle a little maple syrup over each cup and place in preheated oven for 7 – 10 minutes, or until the brie is completely melted. While baking, make sure the phyllo cups do not burn.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 38Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You could serve these delicious brie and cherry bites as a starter appetizer before the main dish. You’ve made the starter, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Main Dish: Dinner Party Worthy Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables
- Side Dish: Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Casserole with Bacon
- Beverage: Blackberry Vodka Cocktail
- Dessert: Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes with Crumble Topping
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!