These adorable Brie cheese bites topped with honey roasted walnuts and parsley make a great amuse-bouche year-round. Try also the Brie Christmas tree appetizer version to make a fantastic holiday appetizer!
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Here are some very festive Brie Christmas trees with a wow-effect guaranteed among your guests. I stumbled upon this super simple appetizer recipe randomly and intended to give it a try. It sounded promising already, but the final results really exceeded my expectations.
The honey roasted walnuts with parsley have a little something very addictive, that also contrasts perfectly with the salty Brie cheese. Each bite has the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy, sweet and salty. Amazing yet ridiculously simple to make. I love them for Christmas or anytime of the year really (just don’t label them “Christmas trees” then, and you’re all good). Try them too, with walnuts or choose any other variation listed below.
Brie cheese bites, in short:
- A quick 5-ingredient recipe
- Very festive with a wow-effect guaranteed!
- A perfect last minute appetizer idea
A 5-ingredient recipe
- Brie cheese. I used a 8.8 ounces (250g) Brie for this recipe, but you could go for a larger one and easily scale up the recipe.
- Walnuts. Choose raw walnuts, and toast them (it’s a really quick process; be careful not to burn them).
- Honey. Choose whichever honey you’d like. Maple syrup is another option.
- Fresh parsley. Chop it finely, and try to add it at the last minute to ensure it keeps its freshness when serving the Brie Christmas trees.
- Pretzel sticks. While not strictly necessary, they will help you grab the Brie Christmas tree appetizers easily.
✨Brie Christmas Tree Appetizer version
When the holiday season is around, you can shape these Brie bites into some adorable Brie Christmas Tree Appetizers. Simply cut the cheese wheel lengthwise so you have 2 wheels total, and cut each of them in 8 equal wedges. You will end up with 16 portions. In this version, add the roasted walnuts to the open triangle slices to give a shape of a Christmas tree. Don’t forget to decorate your Christmas tree, with the honey roasted walnuts, and add the pretzel stick. Merry Christmas!
Can I make the recipe in advance?
Well, yes and no. You can prepare the different components in advance (slice the cheese, roast the walnuts) but it’s best to assemble before serving. The pretzel sticks in particular need to be inserted at the last minute to prevent them from being soggy.
Endless recipe variations
- Play with the herbs. Fresh parsley works fine, but you could replace with rosemary or thyme for instance.
- A mix of nuts. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts… There’s so much to choose from. Remember to toast them before using.
- Add some spices. A hint of chili or some chili flakes bring a nice subtle kick!
- Pecans and cranberries. For this version, toast the chopped pecans with maple syrup, add some finely chopped rosemary, and dried cranberries.
- Pistachios and apricots. Here’s another version I love. Simply toast the chopped pistachios with honey and some sea salt, and add some finely chopped dried apricots. No herbs needed in this version.
- Or use a whole Brie and make this Baked Brie with Apples, Honey and Nuts. A delicious shareable appetizer to serve along with some no-knead bread and/or homemade seed crackers.
Make some extra honey roasted walnuts
The honey roasted walnuts also work perfectly on their own, as a simple crunchy snack. I also love them to top a bowl of soup, like this Roasted Cauliflower Soup or this Parsnip Apple Soup.
Other festive cheesy appetizers:
- Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- Cranberry Pecan Cheese Balls
- Goat Cheese Pyramid Appetizers
- How To Make a Perfect Cheese Board
Brie Cheese Bites with Caramelized Nuts
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 8 bites 1x
- Category: Appetizers
- Diet: Vegetarian
These adorable Brie cheese bites topped with honey roasted walnuts and parsley make a great amuse-bouche year-round. Try also the Brie Christmas tree appetizer version to make a fantastic holiday appetizer!
Email me this recipe
We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
Ingredients
- 8.8 ounces (250g) Brie cheese
- 1 cup (125g) raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 handful parsley, finely chopped
- Sea salt
- 4 pretzel sticks, cut in half
Instructions
- Cut the cheese wheel into 8 equal wedges.*
- Roast the walnuts in a large pan over medium heat, stirring as you go. When they start turning golden brown (this usually takes less than one minute), add the honey and let cook for about 30 seconds, until the honey starts bubbling and stick to the walnuts. Add a pinch of sea salt, fresh parsley, and stir. Remove from heat and let cool slightly so the walnuts stick together nicely.
- Top the Brie wedges with the honey roasted walnuts. Break the pretzel pieces into two pieces and gently push ½ of a pretzel stick into the bottom center of the cheese wedges. It’s ready!
Notes
* Brie Christmas Tree Appetizer version. Cut the cheese wheel lengthwise so you have 2 wheels total, and cut each of them in 8 equal wedges. You will end up with 16 portions. In this version, add the roasted walnuts to the open triangle slices to give a shape of a Christmas tree.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Brie Cheese Bites with Caramelized Nuts, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
