Air Fryer Cranberry Brie Canapés

With creamy brie, tart cranberries, and a crisp phyllo shell, our Cranberry Brie Canapés are the perfect addition to your next holiday party!

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Dotdash Meredith Creative
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Dotdash Meredith Creative
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Updated October 13, 2021
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cranberry brie canapes

This post is brought to you in partnership with Cuisinart. 

I love hosting holiday parties, but I always get a little anxious around this time of year because of two little words: oven space. I tend to have massive amounts of food that require it, and never enough of it.

Thankfully, I recently tried out the Cuisinart® Air Fry Toaster Oven, which lets me accomplish my ambitious menus without having to go as far as renovating my kitchen. Not only can I air fry appetizers, but I’m also fully equipped to handle numerous side dishes in addition to my everyday meals.

air fryer

Why Air Fry?

I was always doubtful that an air fryer was worth the investment, but after just one use, I appreciate that it makes my kitchen routine healthier and less hectic. Air frying means no additional fat in my recipes, but I’m also not sacrificing the crunch that I adore.

These canapés capture not only that crunch, but the creamy nuttiness of gooey brie cheese and a kick of tart, spiced cranberry sauce: win/win!

And because phyllo shells typically come fully baked, all you have to do is remove them from the packaging, fill them with the brie, and pop them into the air fryer.

Party Tip: Prep in Advance!

  • The cranberry topping on its own can be made a week ahead, which means this recipe is ready in less than 15 minutes when you've got it on hand (Hello, new go-to holiday appetizer!). Simply cover and refrigerate until ready to make the canapés.
  • While this cranberry sauce is used as a topping for this recipe, it can easily double as a side dish on your holiday table.

Air Fryer Cranberry Brie Canapés

Total Time 0 mins
Servings 30 canapés

Cranberries are widely available this time of year, and you can use fresh or frozen for this recipe. And brie is mild in flavor, but when served with foods that are tart (such as cranberries), the creaminess is amplified. Don’t worry about removing the rind from your wheel of brie: it’s completely edible!

Ingredients

  • Spiced Cranberry Sauce
  • 1-inch piece ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 vanilla bean, or 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 (12-ounce) bag (about 3-1/2 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
  • 1 three-inch cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
  • Juice of 1 naval orange (about 1 /2 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • Canapés
  • 8 ounces brie cheese, cut into 1” cubes
  • 2 (1.9 ounce) boxes (30) fully baked phyllo shells

Method

  1. Prep the ginger and vanilla: Peel and then thinly slice the ginger (using the edge of a spoon is the easiest way). Use a sharp paring knife to split the vanilla bean down its length.

    Open the vanilla bean slightly to ensure the seeds are extracted during cooking.

    Vanilla Bean
  2. Make the cranberry topping:

    In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the ginger, vanilla bean, cranberries, cinnamon stick, 1 sprig of rosemary, orange juice and zest, maple syrup, and the salt.

    Stir the ingredients together and heat over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until the mixture starts to boil.

    Making Cranberry Sauce
  3. Reduce the topping:

    Reduce the heat to low, and allow the cranberries to cook until they begin to split open. Stirring frequently, cook the cranberries for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they've reduced a bit and thickened to a jelly-like consistency.

    Remove the pan from the stove and add the light brown sugar. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar and coat the cranberries in a thick glaze.

    Allow the cranberries to cool to room temperature, leaving the spices in it.

    Cranberry Brie Canapes
  4. Prep your air fryer:

    Set your Cuisinart® Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s function dial to Air Fry and the temperature dial to 300°F. Remove both the Air Fryer basket and the baking pan from the oven, then turn the on/oven dial to 10 minutes to preheat the oven.

    Cranberry Brie Canapes
  5. Fill the phyllo cups:

    While your Air Fryer is heating, fill your phyllo shells with the pieces of brie. It’s easier to leave the shells in the packaging while you’re trying to fill them. Remove the shells from the plastic packaging and arrange them, a dozen at a time, in the Air Fryer basket.

  6. Bake the shells:

    Place the baking pan, with the Air Fryer basket nestled inside, into the oven in position 1. Bake the shells for five minutes.

    Once the shells have finished baking, remove them from the Air Fryer Toaster Oven and carefully remove them from the basket. Repeat this step, baking the shells by the dozen, until they are all baked.

    Cranberry Brie Canapes
  7. Prep the rosemary topping:

    While the shells are baking, pick off the remaining rosemary leaves in clusters of two or three leaves. Set aside to garnish the canapés later.

  8. Top with cranberry sauce and garnish:

    Once you have baked all of the brie-filled shells, top each with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce, leaving the cinnamon stick, vanilla bean (if you used one), rosemary sprigs and slices of ginger in the pan. Pull out any pieces of rosemary. (Any remaining cranberry sauce may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.)

    Garnish the top of each canapé with the sprigs of rosemary leaves you picked earlier.

    Cranberry Brie Canapes
  9. Serve immediately:

    These canapés are best served immediately, but can be held at room temperature for up to 2 hours.