Cranberry Cream Cheese Appetizer Bites
An easy bite-size cream cheese appetizer baked inside flaky pie crust and topped with cranberry sauce. Crowd pleasing and easy to make ahead!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 24 cups
Ingredients
- 2 sheets Pillsbury frozen pie crust thawed overnight in the refrigerator
- 1 large egg
- 8 ounces Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese (Neufchatel Cream Cheese) softened to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder optional for a subtle smoky kick at the end
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest of 1 orange
- 3 green onions
- ¾ cup Homemade Cranberry Sauce or canned whole berry cranberry sauce or jam of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Unroll the first pie crust. With a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, stamp out 12 rounds from the pie crust*.
- Place 1 round in the center of each muffin cup in a mini muffin pan, then press it down and up the sides gently so that it fits into the cup. Repeat with the second pie crust.
- Separate the egg, placing the white in one small bowl and the yolk in a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the white, then use it to brush the insides of the cups lightly. With a fork, prick holes in the bottom and along the sides of the pie crust cups.
- Bake for 8 minutes, until the pie crust is light golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: to the bowl with the egg yolk, add the cream cheese, chipotle, salt, and orange zest.
- Finely chop the green onions. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the dark green tops for garnish, then add the remaining to the bowl with the cream cheese. Beat on medium speed, until the cream cheese is smooth and the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Fill the cups: Once the cups have finishing baking, spoon the filling into the cups, dividing it evenly (you’ll need about 1 1/2 teaspoons or so per cup). Top each with 1 1/2 teaspoons cranberry sauce.
- Return to the oven and bake for 8 additional minutes. The crust will be golden and crisp.
- Transfer the cups to a serving plate, using a fork to help lift them out of the pan (be careful, they are hot). Sprinkle with reserved green onion tops. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!
Notes
- *You will have some pie crust scraps leftover. You can discard them, reroll them to squeeze out another 1 to 2 cranberry cream cheese cups per crust (strategize saving some extra filling and cranberry sauce accordingly), OR turn them into a little snack: reroll them and cut into strips; sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon and bake until golden.
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS: Up to 1 day in advance, bake the pie cups as directed in steps 1 to 4. Let them cool completely to room temperature, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. Make the cream cheese filling and store in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, place the pie crust cups back into the mini muffin tin. Let the cream cheese come to room temperature, then fill and bake the cups as directed in steps 7 to 9.
- TO STORE: These are best enjoyed the day they are made but can last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled, at room temperature, or reheated in the oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 24)Calories: 36kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 87IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
