(vegetarian, soy free, egg free, gluten free option, nut free option)
These cranberry orange and brie crostinis are one of my family’s favourite appetizers! My mom has made them around the holidays for as long as I can remember. They’re essentially toasted baguette slices topped with melted brie, cranberry orange sauce, and chopped pistachios. If you’re in need of an easy, forgiving, and delicious holiday appetizer, try these out!
Ingredients you’ll need for these Cranberry Orange and Brie Crostinis:
- baguette
- brie cheese
- pistachios (optional)
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- brown sugar
- orange juice
- orange flavoured liquor (optional)
- orange zest (or lemon zest)
You can use lemon zest instead of orange zest
If you only have access to lemons, you can use them for the zest instead of oranges. The flavour isn’t as orange-y and is more citrus-y, so if that’s your jam then go for it!
You can use blueberries or blackberries instead of cranberries
If you’re not a cranberry fan, blueberries or blackberries work great in this recipe! They also pair really well with lemon zest, if you’re choosing to use it instead of orange zest. They make it slightly more summer-y as well!
Make the cranberry orange sauce beforehand
You can keep the cranberry orange sauce in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so you can easily make it a day or so ahead of when you want to serve the crostinis! If you are serving this to company, I recommend making the sauce the day before, slicing the baguette and brie beforehand, and then assembling and baking right before serving.
You can use plain-flavoured crackers instead of baguette slices
This will slightly change the texture to be more crisp, and you will want to use smaller portions of brie and cranberries to top the crackers. The taste should be fairly similar, just make sure you use plain-flavoured crackers!
Use gluten free bread or crackers to make it gluten free
If you’d like to use bread like the recipe does, I’d recommend either slicing a gluten free baguette (which may be difficult to find) or using gluten free French-style bread and cutting the slices in half or thirds. Any white loaf should work! You can also use a plain-flavoured gluten free cracker.
Omit the pistachios to make it nut free
If you want extra crunch, you can always use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead!
Other recipes you may enjoy:
- Roasted Broccoli With Parmesan (by Simply Recipes)
- Blueberry Apple Pecan Salad
- Miracle No-Knead Bread (by Pinch of Yum)
Cranberry Orange and Brie Crostinis
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy & forgiving appetizer for any occasion!
Ingredients
FOR THE CRANBERRY ORANGE SAUCE (makes ~1 cup):
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries*
- 4–6 tbsp packed brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange-flavoured liquor (optional)
- 1 tsp grated orange zest (or lemon zest**)
FOR THE CROSTINIS:
- 1 baguette***, sliced
- 1 block brie cheese, sliced
- 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the cranberry sauce beforehand (you can keep it in a jar in the fridge until you are ready to use it): Place the cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice, and orange-flavoured liquor into a small-medium sauce pan and mix until the ingredients are somewhat combined.
- Place on a stove over low heat, and once the sugar starts to melt you can increase to medium-high heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Keep stirring the mixture with a spoon the entire time it is on the stove.
- Once the mixtures starts boiling, turn down to low heat and simmer for around 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken and the cranberries are soft. You can either crush some of the cranberries with the back of the spoon or leave them all whole (it’s up to you – I like to crush around half of them).
- Take the mixture off the heat and mix in the orange zest.
- Make the crostinis: Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, silicon, or parchment (for easy clean up if the brie melts over!).
- Slice the baguette. Slice the brie into ~1/2 inch (~1 cm) thick slices. Place the baguette slices on the prepared baking sheet and top each slice with a slice of brie.
- Spoon a heaping teaspoon of cranberry orange sauce on each crostini (there should be 2-3 cranberries on each crostini and ~1/2 tsp of liquid sauce).
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios
- Bake for 5 minutes, or until brie is slightly melted and softened (you don’t want to bake them for too long or it will be too melty/soggy).
- Serve immediately, while they are still warm! They don’t keep/store super well, but you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for around a day.
Notes
*You can use blueberries or blackberries instead of cranberries if you’d like.
**Choose orange zest if you want a more orange-y flavour, and choose lemon zest if you want a more citrus-y bright flavour (lemon zest pairs well with blueberries & blackberries!).
***If you don’t have access to a baguette, you can use plain flavoured crackers. You may want to decrease the amount of brie and cranberry orange sauce (but that’s up to preference!).
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
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