Cranberry and Brie Bites (Crescent Rolls)

Our love for crescent roll recipes is no secret. Why make dough from scratch when everyone loves the canned stuff? Each Thanksgiving, these little guys are a fan favourite. With holiday staples like cranberries, pecans and brie, they're the perfect bite-size party app that comes together in under an hour. Whether you're prepping your holiday dinner or need a last-minute Thanksgiving app ASAP, these cranberry brie bites are here to save the day.

1 (8 oz) tube crescent dough
cooking spray, for pan
flour, for surface
1 (8 oz) wheel of brie
½ cup whole berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup pecans, chopped
6 sprigs rosemary, cut into 1" pieces.

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) and grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out crescent dough, and pinch together seams. Cut into 24 squares. Place squares into muffin tin slots.

Cut brie into small pieces and place inside the crescent dough. Top with a spoonful of cranberry sauce, some chopped pecans, and one little sprig of rosemary.

Bake until the crescent pastry is golden, about 15 minutes.

Makes 24.

Cook's Notes:

Crescent roll dough and brie aside, the best part about this recipe is its balance and versatility. Create your own combos of creamy, sweet, salty, and herby. Here are a few genius pairings to get your creative juices flowing:

• Crumbled goat cheese and apricot preserves and toasted marcona almonds and thyme
• Camembert and cherry preserves and crumbled bacon and black pepper
• Brie and hot pepper jelly and candied pecans and thyme
• Gorgonzola and fig chutney and mint and toasted walnuts

Nobody wants a messy bite, especially with a stunning app like these. Here are our top tips for keeping things as clean and easy as possible:

• Keep the cheese super cold before slicing. Freezing isn't necessary, but a good chill will make slicing a breeze. Dipping a butter knife in hot water before slicing makes for cleaner slices as well. Tip: Leave the rind on. For cheeses with an edible rind like brie, leaving the rind on will help keep the cheese from spreading too much while baking.
• When cutting the crescent roll squares, try to get them as even as possible so that they fit evenly into the mini muffin pan. Centering the dough in each muffin tin will ensure that the dough comes evenly up the sides, creating an even nest for the cheese. Each brie bite needs about 1 tsp. cranberry sauce or chunky preserve of your choice. We recommend serving the assembled bites warm, but room temp also works.
• Canned cranberries work great, but if you've got leftover homemade cranberry sauce, use it.

Make-Ahead: If you're looking for a make-ahead Thanksgiving recipe, it doesn't get much easier than these bites. Simply prep them the night before and keep in the fridge until you're ready to bake the next day.