Cranberry Brie Bites

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Cut the Brie cheese round in half if you haven’t already. Place 4 oz Brie cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes (and store the other half in the refrigerator for another use). Chilling the Brie cheese in the freezer makes it easier to cut. Meanwhile, generously grease a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
3. Take out 1 sheet frozen puff pastry and place it on your work surface sprinkled with a bit of flour. Leave it out for 10 minutes or so (depending on the room temperature). When the puff pastry sheet becomes a bit softer, unfold it and continue to let it thaw.
4. Roll the puff pastry sheet out into a 10 x 14-inch (25 x 36-cm) rectangle.
5. Cut the sheet crosswise into 6 even strips.
6. Then, cut the sheet lengthwise into 4 even strips. You should have 24 squares per 1 pastry sheet (each square will be about 2½ inches on each side).
7. Separate the squares and press them gently into the muffin cups.
8. Remove the Brie rind from the outer edges only (I keep the top and bottom). The rind is edible and barely noticeable once the Brie is baked. However, I like to remove the side edges so the corner pieces don’t have too much rind.
9. Cut the chilled Brie cheese into 24 pieces. It’s easier to cut the creamy Brie into cubes when it’s chilled and has a firm texture.
10. Place 1 piece of Brie inside each pastry-lined muffin cup. Top each cup with 1 tsp of the ½ cup cranberry sauce.
11. Chop ¼ cup candied pecans and ¼ cup roasted walnuts.
12. Top with a teaspoon of chopped nuts. Chill for at least 30 minutes. The cold temperature will firm up the pastry, which will help the butter in the dough melt more slowly. Tip: If you are making this ahead, you can wrap them in plastic wrap at this stage and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To Bake

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Bake the bites in the preheated oven until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese and cranberry sauce are bubbly.
2. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Transfer the bites to a serving plate and garnish with flake sea salt and fresh thyme (optional). Serve warm or at room temperature.

To Store

1. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you‘d like to freeze them, let them cool completely. Then, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and leave them in the freezer until they harden. Then, store the frozen pieces in an airtight container in a single layer or a ziplock bag for up to 2 months.

To Reheat

1. Place the bites in a mini muffin tin or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350ºF (177ºC) until warmed through. For frozen bites, reheat directly from frozen at 350ºF (177ºC) in the oven until warmed through.