3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (2024)

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Brie cheese and cranberry sauce are tucked into phyllo dough to make irresistibly flaky and cheesy appetizer turnovers. Thanks to Athens Foods for sponsoring this post and helping me to share this recipe with you.

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (1)

I think I would be breaking some sort of politically correct holiday rule if admitted that one of my favorite part of the holidays is the appetizers at holiday parties. Okay, it doesn't actually beat watching my kids' eyes light up on Christmas morning (you see...food doesn't have a complete hold over me!) But there is something about meatballs on toothpicks, mini stuffed phyllo shells and savory crostini that puts the "holly jolly" in my Christmas.

And what is a holiday party without some sort of baked Brie dish? The problem is that I will station myself right beside that oozing cheese and elbow aside anyone that tries to take it away from me. That pretty much blows my Healthy Eating Tips & Tricks for the Holidays out of the water.

So, I had to find a way around the "eat-entire-wheel-of-Brie-and-gain-10-pounds-in-one-night" issue.

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (2)

That's where the Athens Fillo (phyllo) dough comes in. When I wrap a small piece of Brie cheese into a fillo turnover, with a dollop of good-quality cranberry sauce tucked inside, I feel satisfied within a few turnovers. I still get the satisfaction of that melted cheese heaven without completely overdosing on Brie. And the light, flaky pastry adds a wonderful, satisfying texture to this perfect finger food.

I always keep a package of fillo dough in my freezer because it's great for last-minute appetizers. A package of the dough defrosts within two hours and is very easy to work with, provided you keep the dough covered with a damp towel so that it doesn't dry out.

The first couple of turnovers never turn out perfectly - at least mine don't. But as soon as you get the hang of folding the dough into triangles, it's a breeze. My youngest son even got into the act, especially when he knew that he was going to be able to sneak extra pieces of Brie cheese.

Like mother, like son.

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll the defrosted fillo dough and place it under a damp kitchen towel to stop the dough from drying out. Cover whenever the dough is not in use.

Lay 1 sheet of the fillo on a large cutting board. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of fillo dough, coat with cooking spray and repeat one more layer of fillo dough and cooking spray.

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (3)

Cut the dough lengthwise in thirds. Place 1 piece of Brie cheese and ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce about 1-inch from the bottom of one section of dough. Fold the dough over top of the Brie and cranberry sauce to form a triangle.

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (4)

Continue to fold, maintaining the triangle shape until the end of the dough is reached. Repeat with the other two strips of dough. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining dough, Brie cheese and cranberry sauce.

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (5)

Bake until the turnovers are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Printable Recipe

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (6)

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe

Brie cheese and cranberry sauce are tucked into phyllo dough to make irresistibly flaky and cheesy appetizer turnovers. 58 calories

4.69 from 22 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizers, Appetizers For Entertaining

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegetarian

Servings: 18 Turnovers

Calories: 57.8kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

  • 1 roll ½ package Athens fillo dough, defrosted
  • cooking spray
  • 3 ounces Brie cheese cut into 18 1-inch squares
  • 3 tablespoons cranberry sauce or chutney

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

  • 2. Unroll the defrosted fillo dough and place it under a damp kitchen towel to stop the dough from drying out. Cover whenever the dough is not in use.

  • 3. Lay 1 sheet of the fillo on a large cutting board. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of fillo dough, coat with cooking spray and repeat one more layer of fillo dough and cooking spray.

  • 4. Cut the dough lengthwise in thirds. Place 1 piece of Brie cheese and ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce about 1-inch from the bottom of one section of dough. Fold the dough over top of the Brie and cranberry sauce to form a triangle. Continue to fold, maintaining the triangle shape until the end of the dough is reached. Repeat with the other two strips of dough. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

  • 5. Repeat with the remaining dough, Brie cheese and cranberry sauce.

  • 6. Bake until the turnovers are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 2 (SmartPoints), 2 (Points+), 1 (Old Points)

Nutrition

Serving: 1Turnover | Calories: 57.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.1g | Protein: 2.1g | Fat: 1.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 5.7mg | Sodium: 67.5mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1.4g

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Other easy appetizer recipes:

3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (7)

Cookin' Canuck's
Cookin' Canuck's
Center Cut Cook's Grilled Shrimp Bruschetta
Baked Bree's Blue Cheese & Onion Flatbread
Spiced's Provence Tartlets

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Comment

  1. Dee

    Would the brie and cranberry work in phyllo cups instead being folded into a turnover?

    Reply

    • Dara

      Absolutely! I have done this a few times and it's always popular with guests.

      Reply

  2. Eileen

    Oh, love these! Just did a test batch and they are great. Making two more batches to take to friendsgiving.

    Reply

    • Dara

      I'm so glad to hear that, Eileen!

      Reply

  3. KT

    How long does it take to defrost the dough?

    Reply

    • Dara

      Four 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator usually does the trick.

      Reply

  4. New to the cooking game

    3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (13)
    Ive made these before from this recipe and they're so good! I was wondering on what your thought are if I started making these a few days ahead of time since I will be making a bunch of dishes next weekend for a "Friendsgiving"
    Could I prepare them and then store them in the fridge for 2-3 days?
    Let me know!!

    Reply

  5. Gina

    Can you make these ahead of time and bake before serv!

    Reply

  6. Mother of 5

    3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (14)
    I made these for our annual Christmas party last night and they were the first things to disappear off the appetizer table! Yes, they took a bit of time to put together, but it was well worth the effort.

    Reply

    • Dara

      I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know.

      Reply

  7. runnermom5126

    I was going to make these for a family party tonight, but just realized that I bough Camembert instead of Brie. Do you think that will still work?

    Reply

    • Dara

      Runnermom, Camembert would definitely would in place of Brie. No need to run to the store again. 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply

  8. Patricia

    I prepped these for Thanksgiving Appetizer the night before. And let me say BOY am I glad I did.
    Although the flavour combo and crispiness of the dough (the 2/25 that didn't fall apart) are freakin epic, who doesn't love melted brie and cranberry sauce?? With that said, I almost took the entire prep area and threw it in the front yard at least 15 times.
    Maybe I am doing something wrong, but not one of my little mini pastries would close, even with egg wash (which I only tried after ripping out my hair), and fork sealing them.
    All the filling fell out upon baking, the dough was slippery (IKR?) to work with and I basically will buy these from a pro or pre-made in the future. Not worth the fuss.
    These are not easy, at all, to put together. Maybe the issue was that I didn't want huge turnovers and instead wanted little circular bites. I am not a pastry chef by any means but I am unaware as to why changing the shape of the turnover would cause me so many issues. I followed the directions to a tee.
    Never again. Not for amateurs, not easy to assemble.
    In the author's defense, these are SUPER tasty tho when you scrape the cheese and warm cranberry sauce off the baking tray and spread on top of the exploded turnover.

    Reply

    • Dara

      Hi Patricia, I'm sorry to hear that you had so many difficulties. I've made these several times and never had any difficulties, so am not sure where things went wrong for you. You could try making the pieces of Brie a little smaller or the dough strips bigger to help with folding.

      Reply

    • Melissa

      3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (15)
      I know this is a long time past your post BUT I made these at thanksgiving. However I used the crescent dough SHEETS. Cut them in 24 squares then placed each square in a lightly greased mini muffin tin placed a teaspoon of Brie and cranberry sauce and then baked. SOOOOO good!

      Reply

    • MC

      Sounds like you may have used pastry dough instead of phyllo dough. Is that possible?

      Reply

  9. Angelle

    Looks absolutely delish!~ Can these be prepared in advance then frozen to serve a large quantity of people?

    Reply

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3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you cut the rind off brie before baking in puff pastry? ›

The Brie's rind is edible and will be a bit softer after baking. If you cut off the rind, the cheese could leak through the puff pastry during baking.

How do you keep phyllo cups from getting soggy? ›

As soon as you pull the baked brie cups from the oven, transfer them to a wire rack. The air circulating underneath the phyllo will prevent them from becoming soggy. Keep phyllo cups on a wire rack until ready to serve.

How long do you remove rind from brie before baking? ›

No, you don't have to remove the rind before baking brie. The rind is edible and I don't even think you can taste it after the brie is baked. If you want to remove the rind, you can use a sharp knife to carefully cut off the thin rind of the cheese at the top of the wheel.

Are you supposed to eat the crust of brie? ›

Yes, the bloomy rind is completely safe to eat and even keeps the inside safe from any potentially unwanted microorganisms during production. The rind on Brie not only protects and encases the cheese – it also adds a subtle, earthy flavor. With a soft and tender texture, it is meant to complement the paste inside.

How many sheets of phyllo dough should I use? ›

Typically, phyllo dishes should have a finished thickness of 3 to 10 sheets per layer. (A one-pound box of phyllo contains about 20 sheets.) Tip: Phyllo pastries can often be very brittle when baked. We recommend using a serrated knife to cut the finished dish to prevent all of the filling from squishing out.

Do you thaw phyllo cups before baking? ›

Phyllo must be completely thawed and at room temperature for best results. Do not open until all other ingredients are assembled and you are ready to work.

What can go wrong when making filo pastry? ›

It's important that you don't let your filo pastry dry out! This can happen in just a couple minutes, and your filo will crack and become unusable.

Why is my baked Brie rubbery? ›

If you left the rind of the cheese on, the baked brie may seem like it is rubbery once heated, or the brie was overcooked by leaving it in the oven too long. To avoid the rubbery texture, remove the rind of the cheese and make sure to not overbake the brie in the oven.

How do you cut brie for baked Brie? ›

Baked brie is usually eaten by cutting a bit off with a knife and spreading the softened cheese over a cracker. You can make a dip-able baked brie by cutting the top part of the rind off. Leave the sides and bottom of the rind intact; they will hold the cheese together while you bake it.

How long to reheat baked Brie in puff pastry? ›

Yes. To reheat the puff pastry bites, place them back in the oven on a baking sheet. Bake at 200°F for 15 – 20 minutes to bring back the crispiness of the puff pasty and re-melt the brie cheese.

Can you reheat brie in puff pastry? ›

Can you reheat baked brie in puff pastry? Yes, you can reheat it! I'm not sure you'll have any leftovers...but, in case, here is what you do. On a low temperature of 200F, place the cold baked brie in the puff pastry on a baking sheet and heat for about 20-30 minutes.

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