Can I make these cranberry brie tarts ahead of time?

While you can't fill the tarts ahead of time, since they will eventually get soggy in the fridge, you can definitely make the pie shells ahead of time ! Just follow the directions for baking the shells as instructed in the recipe. Then once they are completely cool, place them in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for up to three days . When you want to serve the tarts, place them on a baking tray (no need to try and fit them back into the mini muffin tins). Then, just fill them and melt the cheese as instructed in the recipe!

What can I substitute for the sage?

If you're not a sage fan, you can totally just leave the sage out and you will still have a wonderfully tasty appetizer! But, if you want a pop of green to finish the tart, you can also try a very small amount of finely chopped fresh thyme . Again, with either the sage or thyme, only use a very little amount because the flavor can become overwhelming very quickly.

Can I use homemade cranberry sauce?

I enjoy the convenience of using canned cranberry sauce, but if you have some homemade cranberry sauce on hand, you can definitely use it! Although, if your homemade cranberry sauce is watery (as in, more watery than a typical canned jellied type), I recommend straining some of the liquid out first so the tarts don't get too soggy.

4 Ingredient Cranberry Brie Tarts with Sage

Cranberry Brie Tarts

Print Recipe

Mini pie shells filled with cranberry sauce and topped with oozy brie and a sprinkle of fresh sage. A 4 ingredient appetizer that's as festive as it is easy to make!

Author: Kate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 24 tarts 1x
Category: appetizer
Method: bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 store-bought refrigerated pie dough (for 9 inch pie)
3/4 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce
8 ounces brie
2 - 3 fresh sage leaves

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Microwave the pie dough (do not unroll first) on 30% power for 10 - 15 seconds or until the dough can be easily unrolled without cracking.
Unroll the dough on a clean work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the pie dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Trim the edges of the dough to form a square shape. Then, cut the dough into squares, roughly 2 x 2 inches in diameter. You will need a total of 24 squares. (See notes 1 - 2.)
Press the squares into the cups of a 24 cup mini muffin tin, making sure the dough is pressed down into the corners of the muffin tins (see note 3). Prick the bottom of the tarts 3 times with the tines of a fork.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 - 7 minutes or until golden brown. While the pie shells are baking, cut the brie in half horizontally, then cut each half into 12 pieces, for a total of 24 pieces.
Remove the baked pie shells from the oven. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Fill each pie shell with about 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce, then top with a piece of brie. Return to the oven and bake until the brie is just melted, about 2 - 3 minutes. Watch the tarts carefully and do not overbake. The brie should be soft and just starting to melt, not overly runny.
Remove the tarts from the oven. Allow to cool for a minute while chopping the sage leaves very finely.
Carefully lift the tarts out of the muffin tins and place on a serving tray. Sprinkle the finely chopped sage over top of the tarts and serve. (See note 4.)

Notes

If the corners of your pie dough square are a little rounded, you can patch them with some of the extra scraps of dough.
I found it easiest to cut the rectangle into a 5 x 5 grid, for a total of 25 squares (one will be extra). If you cut too much off the edges of your piece of pie dough and can't make enough squares, you can re-roll the scraps and cut some more.
A shot glass is helpful to press the pie dough into the bottom of the mini muffin tins!
Be sparing with the sage, the flavor can become overpowering if you use too much.

Keywords: cranberry brie appetizer, cranberry brie tarts, cranberry brie tartlets, cranberry brie bites

Find it online: https://nibbleanddine.com/cranberry-brie-tarts/