• If you want to make the full flavor of maple bourbon cranberry brie bites, you’ll need some of my maple bourbon cranberry sauce and you will want to make the maple bourbon candied pecans. Both can be made a day or two ahead of time, or you can just use another cranberry sauce and toast some pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-4 minutes.

Maple Bourbon Candied Pecans:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat add ½ cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon bourbon, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne, and 2 ½ cups pecan halves. Stir to coat all the pecans and continue stirring occasionally.
• The whole process will take around 15-20 minutes. Increase how often you stir them as they cook. The pecans will go from glazed, to very sticky, to covered in powder. The maple syrup and other ingredients will eventually crystallize as you continue to heat and stir. Once you reach this point, remove from the heat and place on a baking sheet to cool completely.

Maple Bourbon Cranberry Sauce (Small Batch):

• If you make my whole recipe for maple bourbon cranberry sauce, you can use some of that here. You can also doctor up your own cranberry sauce or a store-bought sauce with a bit of maple syrup and bourbon. Otherwise, make a half recipe of the sauce by doing the following.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup maple syrup, ⅛ cup bourbon, ⅛ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, ½ teaspoon orange zest, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, a pinch of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Once the mixture comes to a strong simmer, add half a bag of cranberries (about 6oz) and lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
• Continue cooking at a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the cranberries start to pop and break apart, smash them against the sides of the pan. Keep cooking and smashing until you have a thick cranberry sauce, about 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Make the Brie Bites:

• While the pecans and cranberry sauce cool, set one sheet of puff pastry out at room temperature for 30-40 minutes to soften and place the brie cheese in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This will make the cheese easier to slice. Once cooled, gently crush enough of the candied pecans into smaller pieces to give you ¼ cup or so.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C and spray 1 24-count mini-muffin pan or 2 12-count mini muffin pans with baking spray and set aside (also known as tassie pans).
• Cut an 8oz circle of brie in half and save one half for another use (or use it all for a double batch). You can leave the rind on or cut it off. Not everyone cares for the rind, so I usually trim it off. Slice the brie into 24 pieces roughly a ½” large and set aside.
• Once the puff pastry is warmed enough to work with easily, lightly flour your work surface and gently roll into a rectangle about 10” x 15”. Once rolled out, slice the short side into 4 equal strips and again on the longer side into 6 equal strips. You should have 24 squares roughly 2.5” x 2.5”.
• Place each square over the hole in the mini muffin pan and press down gently to fill the hole. Use a fork to make a few small holes and continue until all the puff pastry squares are used.
• Place a piece of brie into each puff pastry, then top with a small spoonful of cranberry sauce (about 1 teaspoon). Add a pinch of salt and some of the crushed pecans. You can now top it with a small piece of rosemary or reserve it for a garnish later.
• Place the mini muffin pans on a baking sheet and place them in the middle of the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the puff pastry is lightly browned and puffed, and remove from the oven to cool. If you didn’t cook with the rosemary, add small pieces now.
• Once cool enough to handle, remove from the pan and serve warm.