Need a festive appetizer or side dish for Christmas? This Asparagus Wrapped in Puff Pastry with brie and cranberry jam will fit the bill! With the flaky puff pastry, creamy goodness of brie, punch of cranberry and delicious freshness of asparagus, these hit the spot and are so easy to make!
Why This Recipe is the Best
Asparagus is so great in the wintertime, and this is perfect for the season. With its festive colors and cranberry jam, it has holiday vibes and would be a great appetizer or hors d'oeuvres at a party. Or maybe you're just looking for more Christmas appetizers or some easy finger foods for Christmas.
For more Christmas starters, try our Christmas Salad, Christmas Deviled Eggs, and Christmas Punch.
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Key Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- Puff Pastry - I usually use store-bought puff pastry, but you can absolutely use homemade for this recipe.
- Asparagus - Quality of asparagus matters. Try to find thin asparagus; it has a better texture and flavor. While we tested this recipe, we and our taste testers noticed a difference between the thin and thick asparagus. Everyone preferred thin.
- Brie - This is also delicious with cream cheese. We tested several variations, and brie and cream cheese were the clear front-runners for this recipe.
- Cranberry jam - You can buy store-bought or make it quickly and easily at home with a few simple ingredients like cranberries, sugar, and water.
- Rosemary - We tested until we found a good amount of rosemary- see process photos below.
- Beaten egg - This will crisp up the top of the puff pastry and turn it a beautiful golden color.
- Sea salt - as we tested this recipe, we discovered it needs just a touch of salt to bring out the flavors.
How to Make Asparagus Wrapped in Puff Pastry
- First, make the cranberry jam. Place the cranberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan.
- Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, boil 5-10 minutes, until the cranberries have burst.
- Roll out the pastry sheets and cut each one into 4 squares, for a total of 8 squares. Cut the brie into 8- 1-oz pieces. Place a piece of brie on each square. Add the asparagus, then the cranberry sauce. Top with a pinch of rosemary and a pinch of sea salt, and then roll up the asparagus.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and coat the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Hint: When wrapping the bunch, use a damp finger to moisten the puff pastry where it meets during wrapping for a good seal. Most puff pastry has too much flour on it to stick to itself.
Top Tips
Try to find skinny asparagus spears. The texture makes them easier to eat and the flavor is a little better.
Make sure these are baked long enough! A lot of baked goods like cookies are amazing slightly underdone, but these should be a deep golden brown for the best flaky non-gooey pastry.
Recipe
Asparagus Wrapped in Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry
- 1 bunch asparagus rinsed and dried
- 8 ounce brie or cream cheese cut into 8 slices
- ½ cup cranberry jam
- 1 cup about 3 oz cranberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon dried Rosemary or 3 Tablespoons fresh
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Make the cranberry jam
- Simply place the cranberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium high, stirring occasionally and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir constantly and boil until the berries pop. Remove from unit.
- Preheat the oven to 375*F.
- Roll out the sheets of puff pastry, then cut each sheet into 4 squares.
- Place a piece of brie in the center of each square, on the diagonal.
- Top with ⅛ of the asparagus, about 1 Tablespoon of cranberry jam, a pinch of rosemary and a pinch of salt. See photos above for a visual.
- Wrap up the asparagus into a bundle with the puff pastry. Dampen the parts of the pastry that overlap and are touching each other to get them to stick to each other.
- Place bundles on a parchment lined baking sheet. Generously brush beaten egg over the puff pastry.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they turn a deep golden and get puffy.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Variations
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- Spicy - add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick
- Cheese- we taste-tested this with a few different cheeses, and cream cheese was also really good!
- Spices- this also tastes delicious with thyme.
- Jams- try switching out the jam for a different flavor for a fun twist.
- Note- in our testing, we tried these in many variations with regular cranberries and do not recommend using them. The bitterness of the cranberries enhanced the slight bitterness of the asparagus, and it wasn't palatable.
Storing Asparagus Wrapped in Puff Pastry
These are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer.
It is not recommended to freeze these.
Jacob says
Holy cow these were delicious! They look so fancy and fun. We made these when we had some friends over for dinner and everyone loved them. Great recipe.