Maple Crisp Brie Bites are my new finger food obsession – cheeseboard meets canapé! Crisp maple-butter crostini topped with brie, prosciutto and pecans, they’re low-effort, low-cost, and perfect for taking places already assembled.
Maple Crisp Brie Bites
I love taking ordinary things and giving them a little upgrade – just enough to make them feel a bit special for hungry, drink-sipping friends with relatively small effort and low cost. Like swapping out a plain bowl of nuts for Texan BBQ Candied Nuts with smoky-sweet-savoury crunch.
Today, we’re dressing up cheese and crackers and making Brie Bites! Instead of plonking down a wheel of brie with a pile of stale bread slices on the side, we’re brushing the bread with maple butter, toasting it until crispy (now we get to call it Maple Crostini), then topping it with slices of creamy brie, a sprinkle of toasty pecans, fresh thyme and a shard of prosciutto.
It’s a timeless combination of cheeseboard favourites, constructed in bite size form, and it is so, so, SO good! I have eaten way more than acceptable and I should be ashamed, but I regret nothing. Life is short. Let me eat the brie!😅
Ingredients in Maple Crisp Brie Bites
You could totally skip the extras and just pop a slice of brie on each crostini. These are so tasty just like that. But each little sprinkle adds a little something-something that makes this extra special!
For the maple crostini
Here’s what you need for the crostini – a good baguette (not those flimsy cheap ones!), maple syrup and butter.
Baguette – Use a good one with a nice crunchy crust, and a chewy crumb with big fat irregular holes (left, below). Ciabatta or sourdough in baguette shapes also works. You can also use loaves and cut the bread into crostini-size pieces (there is no law that prohibits this! 😄)
Avoid the cheaper, light-weight baguettes sold as “French Sticks” here in Australia (right, below). The soft crumb of those are so fine that when toasted, you can literally crush them into a powder between your fingers. This is why they are no good for crostini and bruschetta, they just can’t hold up to the toppings, they just soak through immediately and turn into mush. However, they are ideal for old-school garlic bread!
CAVEAT: If you find crostini too crunchy and hard (and I get it), then use French stick! It is a “softer” crispiness. Just be sure to bake the bread all the way through so it’s entirely crispy so it will hold up better, and assemble close to serving time (ie you won’t be able to put the brie on hours ahead).
Maple syrup – Real maple syrup has a stronger flavour, especially after cooking, because it’s, well, real! Maple flavoured syrup (ie imitation maple syrup) tends to lose its taste when heated, I find. Honey will work in this recipe too.
Butter – I use unsalted, if you used salted, just skip the salt.
Salt – I use salt flakes here because it dissolves more easily than grains (we aren’t simmering the maple butter for long). If using grains, just stir very well to make sure it’s fully dissolved, and also halve the amount (because 1/2 tsp salt flakes = 1/4 tsp salt grains).
FOR THE TOPPINGS
There is no need to invest in an expensive brie – though you can if you want. Once you add all the toppings, it really elevates whatever brie you use!
Triple cream brie – I use triple cream because it’s extra oozy and rich, and bizarrely not any pricier than regular brie. But honestly, any creamy soft cheese that you can slice or smear is going to be great here: camembert, goats cheese, Danish feta (ie the soft spreadable kind), soft blue cheeses, cream cheese and yes, even regular non-triple-cream brie.
And, as mentioned above, I really don’t think it’s worth investing in an expensive brie here. My choice is the Coles brand triple cream brie – $5.50 full price (often on sale), excellent value for the quality (creamier than pricier brands).
Firmer cheeses (like cheddar) are also great albeit not quite the same as a creamy brie. 🙂
Prosciutto – 6 thin slices barely weighs 60g/2oz but different delis/brands cut to different thickness, and the size also varies. You want enough to put a tiny bit on each (they are salty, you don’t need much!) bearing in mind they shrink by almost half when baked. Alternatives – Pancetta or jamon are similar (cook the same way) else crispy pan fried salami or bacon would also be fabulous!
Fresh thyme leaves – To make this extra special, don’t skip this! They add an earthy, herby freshness that makes these truly memorable. Dried just isn’t the same. And honestly, thyme is one of the easiest herbs to grow in a pot. Pop it on a windowsill and you’ll save a fortune (and emergency herb runs).
Pecans or other nuts – For nutty goodness. Everybody knows nuts and cheese = win! I chose pecans because it’s an obvious match with maple syrup, but virtually any nut will work – walnuts, almonds and pistachios are front of mind as alternatives.
Maple syrup – For the tiniest drizzle at the end, to add a bit of shine and enticing drips. I literally use less than 1/8 teaspoon per crostini else it gets too messy and drippy when you pick it up.
How to make Maple Crisp Brie Bites
I’ve tried stove-toasting the crostini which works great – it gives a great candy-like crust, but needs almost double the amount of butter to prevent it from burning. Even for a bread-and-butter-monster like me, it was too much! Plus, flipping each slice multiple times to make it cook evenly is a hassle. Oven is way easier.
Crostini and crispy prosciutto
Slice the bread 6mm / 1/4″ thick. This is the perfect thickness – not too thin (bakes up cracker-like) and not too thick (either too toast-like, or if crispy all the way through, will break your teeth!).
Maple butter – Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the maple syrup and salt. Simmer for just 20 seconds then remove.
Brush the maple butter onto each side of the bread. I use a dab/brush technique to ensure full coverage. Spread them out on a foil + paper lined tray.
Lay prosciutto on foil + paper lined tray. Don’t worry if they overlap slightly, they shrink so much!
Bake – Put both trays in the oven. I put the prosciutto on the upper shelf.
Prosciutto 15 minutes – After 12 to 15 minutes, remove the prosciutto. They will have shrunk by almost half, be a bit wrinkled and dark red but not brown. Remove onto paper towels to drain excess fat and let them cool, then they will become crispy.
Prosciutto shards – Break the prosciutto into shards. I like long thin pieces because I feel like I get visual impact when I stick it upright in the brie, though I also like the twisted pieces that I can lay flat on the brie which have crevices to hold little pools of maple syrup. But, I also like sprinkling crumbled prosciutto on the brie as well! Basically, anything works. 😆
Crostini 20 minutes – After 15 minutes, flip each crostini and shuffle if needed so they cook evenly (if your oven has hot spots). Then bake for a further 5 minutes until they are crispy on the edges and lightly crispy on the surface, but still a bit soft inside (test with a finger jab). They will crisp up more as they cool on the tray.
There is such a thing as too crisp: If you bake until they are fully crispy, they get even harder as they cool and honestly, they can be too crispy, as in tooth-chipping hard!
ASSEMBLING
Tip – If using a creamy, melty brie, slice while fridge cold, before it gets too smeary.
Cut the brie into slices just shy of 5mm / 0.2″ thick. Make the slices a bit shorter than each crostini. I think it’s nice to see some of the bread, plus also if there’s full coverage that’s a LOT of brie per piece and you’d need closer to 2 wheels of brie.
Brie – Top each crostini with a piece of brie. Patchwork brie offcuts as needed – once topped with the extras, nobody will even know it’s not a single piece of brie.
Toppings – Stick a crispy prosciutto shard in the brie (or place/pile/crumble on top). Sprinkle each with a pinch of pecans, drizzle with the tiniest amount of maple (literally, just 1/8 teaspoon each) then a small pinch of thyme leaves.
Note: The order is very deliberate! If you do maple first then pecan “dust” gets stuck all over the prosciutto which looks untidy. If you do the maple after the thyme then the tiny leaves get washed away by the maple. These are the details that irrationally irritate and matter to me because I’m a crazy cooking lady.😁
My favourite part – time to eat! Pour yourself a drink (I’m currently obsessed with Dirty Martinis) and enjoy.
Matters of practicality
I originally pictured a warm, melty-brie situation, but if you bake it then the brie runs everywhere. As for using residual warmth from the crostini, the stress of racing to serve it just wasn’t worth it.
So this recipe is designed to be served at room temperature, and thanks to the gooey goodness of triple cream brie, there’s no loss of melty goodness. Plus, it holds up beautifully for hours without softening the crostini, so you can assemble ahead.
Basically, whether you’re gunning for Employee of the Month, Favourite Child status, or bribing your hairdresser for a guaranteed hair appointment anytime you need one, you can assemble it at home, box it up and it’s still perfect hours later.
Or, you know – just be a regular person and take it to a picnic. 🙂 – Nagi x
FAQ – Maple Crisp Brie Bites
At least 3 hours, even 5 hours! The crostini won’t soften from the brie. Just cover loosely so the surface of the brie doesn’t dry out, or put them in a container. I do think it’s nice to do the final maple drizzle close to serving because it sinks in if you do it too far in advance. But honestly, it takes a minute – maybe two, tops 🙂 No need to be meticulous, just do a casual drizzle across the whole platter (go for the rustic look like I do!)
Well, I’ve certainly done my share of crostinis so that part is nothing new! And I do like coming up with new combinations – I love crostinis because you can make a finger food out of literally anything you have in the fridge (roasted veg, olives, pickles, canned fish) as long as you have some bread lying around. Sure, I like to use good baguettes if I make them intentionally, but I’ve certainly served my share of crostinis made with sandwich bread chopped into 4 squares! 🙂
So anyway, today’s flavour combination was born from the idea of maple baked brie in finger food form. Because as much as I love the idea of baked bries (ok, fine, and also eating them!) I actually don’t serve them that often because it’s hard to share. It kind of needs to be a small group so you can gather around it, you need to dig in while hot and oozy, and I feel like my crackers always break when I go to scoop up the melty brie. 😅
And that’s where the idea came from!
I feel like when you have the right flavour combination (and today’s is a safe bet, being cheeseboard favourites), it’s hard to go wrong. 🙂 But, I did have to faff around with the best way to make the maple crostini. I tried pan frying, but I found I needed to use soooo much butter to make sure the crostini went golden and crispy instead of brown, and you had to regularly flip / shuffle to make it cook evenly.
It was kind of a pain, to be honest! Plus, arteries. 😅
So I reverted to baking. I missed the wafer-thin maple layer on the surface, but my doctor won’t tut-tut as much and it’s lower effort too.
Other than that, it was pretty low effort! I got a bit fussy with shelf life testing to see how far in advance you could put the brie on the crostini without the bread softening. I feel like it started to be compromised around the 5 hour mark, but it’s hard to be exact.
The most important thing is that unlike many other finger foods, it’s not the sort of thing that needs to be assembled “just before serving”. Nobody wants to be putting together a gazillion little bites with a gazillion little elements for a crowd minutes before serving!
I know! I realised after I made and christened it that for “normal” people, Brie Bites refers to a puff pastry canapé where you fit a piece of puff inside a muffin tin, fill it with brie and cranberry sauce then bake it.
I remember making that some time ago and wasn’t a huge fan. I personally thought the ratio of puff to brie was way off – far too much flaky pastry for not enough brie – and the base of the puff didn’t cook through enough.
Anyway, so perhaps this is not your usual Brie Bites, but it is how I make them! 🙂
Watch how to make it
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Maple Crisp Brie Bites
Ingredients
- 26 – 30 slices good baguette (sourdough, ciabatta etc) , sliced 6mm / 0.25" thick (Note 1)
Maple butter:
- 50g / 3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup , real, not artificial flavoured syrup (sub honey)
- 1/4 tsp salt flakes (or 1/8 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt)
Topping:
- 6 slices prosciutto or similar cured meats (Note 2)
- 200g / 7 oz triple cream brie , cut into 24 to 30 x 5mm slices while fridge cold then left to come to room temperature (or camembert or brie of choice) (Note 3)
- 1/4 cup pecans , lightly toasted, pretty finely chopped, or other nuts
- 2 tbsp maple syrup , for a tiny drizzle on each (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (really try to use this, it’s so good!)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Simmer maple butter ingredients 20 seconds, brush on crostini, bake 20 min (turn at 15 min mark) at 180C/350F (160C fan), bake prosciutto 15 min at same time. Cool, top with brie, prosciutto shard, pecans, maple drizzle, thyme.
FULL RECIPE:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Line 2 large trays with foil then baking paper.
- Maple butter – Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the maple syrup and salt, stir. Once it comes to a simmer, let it simmer gently for 20 seconds then remove from the stove.
- Brush/dab the maple butter on both sides of each piece of bread. Spread on a tray.
- Prosciutto – Place the prosciutto on the other tray (they can overlap slightly, they shrink so much!).
- Oven – Put both trays in the oven.
- 15 minute mark: remove the prosciutto, it should be wrinkled and dark red. Transfer to paper towels to drain the fat, it will crisp as it cools. Break into shards (long ones look impressive but any shape works).
- 20 minutes for crostini: turn the crostini after 15 minutes, then return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until crisp on the edges, lightly crisp on the cut face but not crisp all the way through – it will crisp more as it cools. If you take it too far, it can actually become too crisp!
- Cool – Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes, or fully cool to room temperature.
Assemble:
- Place a slice of brie on the crostini. Stick a crispy prosciutto shard in (or place/pile/crumble on top). Sprinkle with a pinch of pecans, drizzle with a tiny amount of maple, and lastly sprinkle with a few thyme leaves.
- Transfer to platter and serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Coming to you in real time! Dozer went in for a dental procedure today:
A no-big-deal procedure but he did have to go under a general anaesthetic which, because of his age and laryngeal paralysis condition, can cause some complications.
So I stayed too. 😅
I’m told he lost a couple of teeth but he seems to have dealt with the general just fine! I had hoped to share a post-op photo of him but I’m still waiting for him, so you just get me instead.🤣
Yes, I brought a packed lunch.😁 And wrote up today’s recipe!
UPDATE: He’s home and fine! He was much better than the last time he went under a general anaesthetic, I’m so relieved. He demanded dinner as soon as he went home (the whole pre-op fasting thing is the part he struggles with the most!) and had no troubles eating it despite stitches in his mouth and being down a couple of teeth. Thank you for caring! ❤️
In a real pinch at night when I crave this kind of salty sweet (and just for myself) I will use thin little toffee cookies (Biscoff here in the states) and a microwaveable sausage (banquet).
These look wonderful but I think I’ll use halved medjool dates for a meatless version.
Cut in small pieces that sounds like a great idea Shondell!
This is what I was looking for! A meatless alternative. Thank you
Nagi, again an inspiring recipe for me to cook. Do you know my husband is my very willing taste tester, and I love to try out your latest recipes the weekend if your new offerings!! This will go nicely with glass of Pinot Grigio tomorrow night.😘
Sounds like the perfect pairing Marg! Enjoy!
Friday morning alone in the office in the middle of the summer holiday (here in Europe), Nagi, you made me want to pack and go home for the weekend Apéro!
I will come back with as many starts I can put, once I make this beautiful dish. All the bests for Dozer and thanks again, as usual 😉
If you’re alone in the office, can you get up to cheeky stuff without the boss knowing??!! 🙂 – N x
This is an hour after your post arrived – sure hope Dozer is still not asleep and causing you worry – have had a number of teeth out myself lately > oh joy, oh rapture 🙁 ! Delightful way of dressing up cheese and crackers – love the addition of the nuts and thyme for extra flavour . . .
Gosh Eha, funny you say that – I actually get worried when you aren’t one of the first to comment!! 🙂 Thank you for your feedback, you know we value it. Happy weekend! – N x
Hugs beautiful lady – had no idea you noticed 🙂 ! No – I kept working and coming back to see whether you had said something about Dozer > us ‘old folk’ have to look out for each other! Oh, thanks for the tip on the Coles brie – love the cheese 🙂 !! love to all . . . your Mom has had some luvverly recipes of late on her blog . . .
Looks delish, cant wait to try it! Sticky fingers for licking. Love you, Dozer and your recipes. Sooo many of my friends and fam now Nagi/Dozer aficionados! Well done Nagi, you and your RTM work is truly inspirational. xx
Thank you for your lovely message Beverly! Bring on the sticky fingers 🙂 – N x
You’re an evil, evil woman 🙂 . This looks stunning. As soon as my weight loss objectives are met…….
That should stop me too….I admire your will power!
I hope Dozer bounces back. My 12 year old dog had a dental today too. He has an enlarged heart and partially collapsed trachea so I was a bit nervous for him. It was a big procedure with lots of teeth removed. Home now with rest, pain relief and love.
Christine! I feel you. I was nervous for Dozer too! I was at the hospital from 8 to 4.30 🤣 Dozer is home with pain relief and resting nicely. Two teeth out! I hope your boy bounces back ok. Dozer seems ok but last time he went backwards after a week, so keeping my fingers crossed! Sending hugs and lots of love to you both – N x
Haha you have a vastly different idea of low effort, low cost.
Made it for under$10, everything from Aldi. Very good value starter! Easy and quick, also delish 😜
I LOVE HEARING THAT!
I’m sorry you feel that way! This cost about $13 for 30 pieces, I thought that was good value for what it is 🙂 – N x
big hugs to dozer, such a brave boy. hope he can still eat ok after teeth out.
i hate the dentist, its so scary. im due 7 teeth out soon, dreading it lol.
If you bounce back as well as Dozer you have nothing to fear!! He is very peaceful on pain killers 🙂 He ate his dinner just fine! Sending positive, happy-gas thoughts your way – N x
I’m giving it 5 stars but I haven’t made it yet. Just looking at it is worth 5 stars. I’m going to outrageously serve this before your pork roast next weekend as a canape. Quadruple indulgence. Speedy recovery Dozer.
The PORK ROAST! Thanks for the inspo, I think that’s what I’m doing for Sunday dinner!! Happy weekend KB – N x
These look delicious! Will have to try them next time we have people over!
Just a question, though… What’s “jamón” for you?
Prosciutto is cured ham, or “jamón crudo” in Spanish. I always find these cultural/language crossovers rather amusing, like “salsa sauce” or “queso dip”. Salsa and queso are such generic words!
It’s like prosciutto! I didn’t realise there was a difference, thanks for letting me know – I’ll look it up! Agree salsa and queso are so generic, I get that! – N x
Oh no! I made things muddier… I meant to say they mean the same!
Also, I didn’t clarify I’m a Spanish speaker, which is why I find “salsa sauce” ridiculous (no one would say they’re making “sauce sauce” for their dish).
Dear Nagi,
I hope Dozer’s procedure went well and he has a complete and speedy recovery. Thinking of you and Dozer.
Love & hugs to your beautiful boy and you too,
Maria from Adelaide. xx
Thank you Maria! He’s home, he’s had dinner, happy on pain killers and snoozing at my feet next to the heater 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful weekend! – N x
My list of Nagi foods keeps getting longer. This looks amazing
GOOD. 😊
They look sensational. I wonder though if they’re a bit sticky for finger food.
Hi Robin! Actually, the crostini is not sticky, that’s another benefit of baking rather than pan frying 🙂 I only put the teeniest drizzle of maple syrup on top but if you’re worried about drips you can totally leave it off, there is enough maple / sweet in the crostini itself! – N x
Thanks Nagi. That’s what I thought, but on the video the syrup was definitely dripping (looked delicious!!!!). I’ll try it with just a drop on each piece.
I deliberately did that drip in the video! 🤣 So funny that that was the turn off for you!!! I’l update the recipe now 🙂 – N x
I thought the same thing. I’d probably leave off the drizzle of maple syrup at the end cos no one wants drippy finger food lol. They look delicious though!
That’s a good point Ellie, I will note that it’s optional! I mostly do it for a teeny bit of shiny on the surface, there is definitely enough sweet / maple flavour in the crostini itself 🙂 – N x
Ooh la la! And best wishes to dozer ❤️❤️
Thanks Sarah! On both points 🥰
Get well soon Dozer ❤️🩹 will try these as they have everything I want to eat in one bite …..
Thanks Tiff! Still waiting for him, not sure what’s going on, he was supposed to be out an hour ago!! Hope you get a chance to try these, truly so, so good!
Stay calm 😌 it’s the hardest thing waiting for them 😘
He’s home! Minus 2 teeth but good, on pain killers, hungry, and now sleeping :0 – N x
Thank you for letting us know phew I kept checking back for updates 😅 give him a hug 🥰 and try to relax