Cranberry Baked Brie Bites

Baked brie is sort of an obsession of mine. Gooey, melted cheese topped with something sweet, wrapped up in puff pasty? Where do I sign?!

It’s an awesome dish to bring to a holiday party, and it looks gorgeous until people start digging in. Then it gets tricky.

As tasty as it is, baked brie usually ends up becoming a mess. Slicing through the puff pastry layer, and attempting to get the ideal ratio of brie to pastry to sweet topping can be tough to wrangle.

And then you put it all on a cracker. That part always baffled me a little. As I sat there putting pastry on a cracker, I found myself thinking…why? Why am I putting pastry filled with cheese and sweet goodness on a cracker? It’s like putting bread on more bread and putting stuff on top of your double bread.

So, being the plucky problem solver that I am (not that bread on bread is a problem…if you’re into that) I devised a solution. Continue reading

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Cheesecake Brownies

Cheesecake brownies…yum.

I was inspired to make these after a friend, and fellow belly dance troupe member, brought some her husband made for a pre-show costuming session. (Best husband ever, right?)

These were what I like to call “Oh Wow” treats. The kind of treats you bring into work, set on the designated “treats” counter, and watch as coworkers pass by and eye them up.

Eventually they’ll cave, the mid-morning/mid-afternoon urge to snack kicks in while they’re sipping some coffee and thinking about their next meeting or reminding themselves to remember to email so-and-so back.

Continue reading