Learn how to make little Beggars' Purses with mini Brie cheese rounds! Also known as baked Brie en croute, these individual mini wheels of Brie are wrapped in puff pastry with a cranberry-walnut filling. Bake in the oven or air fry!
❤️ Why you'll love these puff pastry appetizers
- Beggars' Purses! These fun finger-food appetizers are made with mini rounds of Brie cheese, wrapped in flaky puff pastry. But that's not all! Hidden inside are tiny morsels of cranberry sauce and maple-glazed walnuts with a touch of honey.
- Brie cheese is deliciously creamy with a mild flavour. Pairing it with tart cranberries and sweet maple-glazed nuts makes a perfect contrast in this two-bite appetizer.
- These delicious little Brie bites will come out of the oven golden brown and crispy when you've brushed them with a small amount of beaten egg. Flaky pastry, warm, gooey Brie and a sweet and tart filling make this a stellar two-bite party appetizer!
Note: You can use regular or gluten-free puff pastry to make these cranberry beggars' purses. Ready-made gluten-free puff pastry may be difficult to find where you live.
Jump to:
- ❤️ Why you'll love these puff pastry appetizers
- 🛒 Ingredients
- 🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
- 👍🏼Helpful Tips
- ❓Readers' Questions
- ❓What can I make with leftover puff pastry?
- 🔁 Possible Variations
- 🥶 Make these Cranberry Walnut Beggars' Purses ahead of time
- Reheating Instructions for Brie en croute
- 🗒 More popular finger food recipes
- 📖 Recipe
🛒 Ingredients
- Brie cheese: 10 individual Brie cheese rounds. These come packed in mini plastic containers. They are sold in net bags of 5, so you'll need two packs.
- puff pastry: one sheet. Depending on the brand, you can usually roll it out to a 12 x 12-inch square.
- cranberry sauce: you'll only need 2 tablespoons. See my recipes for Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce with Triple Sec or Sugar-Free Cranberry-Orange Sauce with Monkfruit.
- maple walnuts: 1 tablespoon. See my recipe for Easy Maple-Glazed Walnuts.
- honey: a tiny drizzle for each appetizer
- egg: mixed with a little water to make an egg wash to brush on the pastry before baking
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Defrost the puff pastry and roll out to a 12 by 12-inch square. Cut into 9 squares, 3 ½ inches square. You'll have a strip left over, which you can use to make a square for the 10th Beggars' Purse.
Remove the mini Brie rounds from their packages and place in the center of each square of pastry.
Top with ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce, ¼ teaspoon of finely chopped maple-glazed walnuts, and a drop or two of honey.
Bring the corners of the puff pastry together to meet at the top, gathering up the sides and sealing the cheese and cranberry-walnut mixture inside.
Twist the top a little to seal firmly, then fan out the corners to make it look more attractive.
Brush the tops and sides with egg wash.
Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 375°F. for 18 - 20 minutes.
To air fry, brush the basket with a little oil, preheat the air fryer to 360°F. and air fry in batches, if necessary, for 8 to 10 minutes.
Slice open one of the Beggars' Purses to check to make sure the pastry is fully cooked. If it's too thick near the top, it may not be fully cooked. Return to the oven or air fryer for another few minutes.
👍🏼Helpful Tips
Puff pastry dough is quite forgivable. You can stretch it to make sure you have enclosed the cheese and filling completely.
Don't be tempted to add extra cranberry sauce. If these little packets are overfilled, they may leak.
Since the mini Brie rounds are encased in a rind, the cheese won't leak out once it melts. As a result, these little two-bite appetizers are easy (and not messy) to eat.
Before serving, let the Beggars' Purses sit for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven. The cranberry filling may be very hot.
❓Readers' Questions
Yes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze any dough that you didn't use. Check this article from Cook's Illustrated on Refreezing Thawed Puff Pastry Dough.
Beggars' Purse appetizers became popular in the 1980's. They resemble a drawstring bag, filled with irresistible flavoured fillings.
Over the years, chefs and home cooks created a host of different variations, from onion and mushrooms to smoked salmon, chicken, and even chocolate!
Sometimes you may find these called a Witches' Purse or a Coin Purse. When they're made with Brie cheese and wrapped in pastry, they are often known as Brie en croute.
Whatever you want to call them, I know you'll find them delicious!
❓What can I make with leftover puff pastry?
If you have an extra sheet of puff pastry, here are some delicious ways to use it!
- Puff Pastry Spinach Artichoke Pinwheels
- Puff Pastry Cranberry Brie Pinwheels
- Spinach Artichoke Puff Pastry Cups
- Seafood Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
- Vegetarian Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
🔁 Possible Variations
Change the filling! Instead of cranberry sauce and candied walnuts, try one of the following:
- honey with chopped pecans, or sliced almonds
- cranberry sauce with finely chopped pistachios
- fig jam with a little fresh rosemary
- fig chutney
- Blueberry Basil Chia Seed Jam
- You can serve these without the cranberry-walnut filling if you like. Offer pepper jelly or sweet jam on the side.
🥶 Make these Cranberry Walnut Beggars' Purses ahead of time
Prepare these mini Beggars' Purses (or Brie en croute) as directed in the recipe, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or two before you plan to serve them.
You can also freeze them for longer storage. Freeze on a baking sheet once you've assembled them. Once they're completely frozen, transfer to an airtight container and return them to the freezer.
To cook, let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake or air fry as directed in the recipe.
Reheating Instructions for Brie en croute
To reheat leftovers, preheat the air fryer for two minutes at 350°F. or use the Reheat function. Fry for 5 - 6 minutes or until heated through.
Reheat on a baking sheet in the oven at 350°F. for 10-12 minutes or until hot and sizzling.
🗒 More popular finger food recipes
- Mini Cheese Balls on a Pretzel Stick
- How to Make Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates
- Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Dates
- 20 Finger Food Recipes
- 5 Tips for Making Crostini - Ultimate Guide
When you make this recipe for Cranberry Walnut Beggars' Purses (Brie en croute) let me know! I love to hear how my recipes turn out for you. Leave me a comment and a star rating below. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Walnut Beggars' Purses
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 10 25 g (1 oz) mini Brie rounds
- 2 tablespoon cranberry sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple-glazed walnuts
- 1 drizzle honey
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Defrost the puff pastry and roll out to a 12 by 12-inch square. Cut into 9 squares, 3 ½ inches square. You'll have a strip left over, which you can use to make a square for the 10th Beggars' Purse.
- Remove the mini Brie rounds from their packages and place in the center of each square of pastry.
- Top with ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce, ¼ teaspoon of finely chopped maple walnuts, and a drop or two of honey.
- Bring the corners of the puff pastry together to meet at the top, gathering up the sides and sealing the cheese and cranberry-walnut mixture inside.
- Twist the top a little to seal firmly, then fan out the corners to make it look more attractive.
- Brush the tops and sides with egg wash.
- Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 375°F. for 18 - 20 minutes.
- To air fry, brush the basket with a little oil, preheat the air fryer to 360°F. and air fry in batches, if necessary, for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Slice open one of the Beggars' Purses to check to make sure the pastry is fully cooked. If the pastry is too thick near the top, it may not be fully cooked. Return to the oven or air fryer for another few minutes.
Lana
Thanks for this recipe! So easy to make. I made these and your spinach artichoke puff pastry cups and everyone LOVED them both!
Elaine
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Elise
Fabulous! I made these during the holidays and they were snapped up! Thanks. This recipe is a keeper.
Elaine
Happy to hear that! Thanks for rating it 5 stars!