Brie Phyllo Cups with Blackberry and Thyme
Petite and pretty, these miniature baked brie phyllo cups with blackberries, honey, and thyme are a beautiful finger food, easy to assemble and with a lovely contrast of textures.
Bite-sized foods are always charming, and these sweet little phyllo cups are no exception. Bursting with a mix of colors, taste, and textures, these are fun to serve for any party or gathering.
You experience these bites in layers: a juicy, chilled blackberry; warm, creamy brie sweetened with honey and jam; and the crisp, golden phyllo cup holding it together.
As a bonus, baked brie phyllo cups are easy to make, even in large quantities, and can be partially assembled ahead of time, too. That is always a major plus for party foods!
Related: Apricot Brie Bites
Ingredients & Common Substitutions
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need to make these, as well as possible substitutions:
- Miniature phyllo shells. These guys are the perfect base for all manner of party appetizers, and are typically found in the freezer section, near the puff pastry and full sheets of phyllo dough.
- Brie. Brie is a soft, off-white cheese usually made from cow’s milk. It originated in France, but variations are widely made and distributed across the world today. Brie typically is sold in a disc or wedge together with its bloomy rind, which is technically a white mold and is considered a delicacy. You can also use a product known as “cream of brie” which is a thinner, creamier version of the cheese, that you can simply scoop out in small portions and scrape into the phyllo cups before baking. This is what’s shown in the photo above and what I used for this batch!
- Honey. Offsets the natural tartness of blackberries. Can be substituted with maple syrup or omitted if you like it tart!
- Blackberry jam or preserves. So you get blackberry goodness in all the layers!
- Fresh blackberries. Pretty and the finishing touch! Of course you can swap the fresh berries and the jam with other berry varieties if you like.
- Fresh thyme. You just need a sprig or two, enough to scatter a couple of leaves on top of each baked phyllo cup.
Have extra phyllo cups? Browse this selection of more than two dozen phyllo cup appetizers.
How To Make Baked Brie Phyllo Cups
Start by removing the phyllo shells from their package and arranging on a baking sheet. Lining with parchment is optional but does ensure zero clean up!
Fill each cup with a scant teaspoon of jam, a scoop or cube of brie, and a light drizzle of honey. No need to stir or be overly precise.
Bake at 325°F for 6-8 minutes, just until the brie melts and the shell is very lightly brown. Don’t over bake, or the shells will dry out.
Remove from the oven and top each phyllo cup with a fresh blackberry and a few thyme leaves. Drizzle with additional honey, if desired, and serve right away.
Serving Suggestions
These make a lovely appetizer on any party spread, and go perfectly with a glass of chilled white wine. They are also very nice as a fun and unexpected addition or complement to a cheeseboard.
Make Ahead Tips
It is not recommended to bake these brie phyllo cups ahead of time, because the contrasting textures will become compromised. However, you can fill the shells with jam, honey, and brie, and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Bake when ready, and all you’ll have to do at go time is add the blackberries and thyme, which you can have prepped and set aside to make it go quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you take the rind off of brie before baking?
The white rind of brie is edible and traditionally considered a delicacy! That said, for an appetizer recipe such as this one, I do recommend trimming the rind from your brie. It is easy to slice off with a sharp chef’s knife if the brie has been in the refrigerator, or you can pop it into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to make removing the rind even easier.
Do mini phyllo cups need to be defrosted?
No! You can keep phyllo cups in the freezer until just before baking, or let them sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before filling if you like, but they are totally fine to go straight from freezer to filling to oven.
Can you fill phyllo cups ahead of time?
You can fill phyllo cups 2-3 hours prior to baking and serving, but more than that and the filling may start to make the crisp phyllo dough soggy.
How do you keep phyllo cups from getting soggy?
No one likes a soggy phyllo cup! Beyond not filling the cups too far in advance, you can also prevent sogginess by transferring the baked brie phyllo cups off of the baking sheet and onto a wire rack immediately after pulling them out of the oven. The air flow will keep the phyllo cups crisp. Keep them on the wire rack until ready to serve.
Variations
There are many ways to change up this recipe based on your preferences or ingredients on hand. Just a few ideas:
- Add finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds.
- Swap blackberries for raspberries or pomegranate arils.
- Fill with brie and leftover cranberry sauce instead of the jam-honey-berry combination.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup.
- Reduce or leave out the honey for a more tart flavor profile.
- Use rosemary in place of thyme.
More Easy Party Appetizers
Looking to round out your party menu? Add a pot of skinny spinach artichoke dip and plates filled with BBQ-glazed chicken bacon skewers and Boursin cucumber bites. Puff pastry pizza bites and a chipotle street corn dip are always popular, too.
Can’t get enough baked brie? Try this share-able version of baked brie with cranberry and pomegranate!
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Brie Phyllo Cups with Blackberry and Thyme
Ingredients
- 15 mini phyllo shells such as Athens brand
- 2 tablespoons blackberry jam
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 ounces brie skin removed and cut into 1/2” cubes, see note
- 15 blackberries rinsed and dried
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Arrange phyllo shells on a baking sheet, and place a small dab of jam and honey inside each one. Top with a cube of brie.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, just until the brie melts and the shell is very lightly brown. Top each with a fresh blackberry and a few thyme leaves. Drizzle with additional honey, if desired. Serve right away.
Notes
- Make ahead: Fill shells with jam, honey, and brie, and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Bake when ready.
- What kind of brie? You can easily make this with standard brie cheese, just don’t include the rind inside of the phyllo cup filling. Freezing the brie for a few minutes makes it easier to cut off the rind and cut the remaining cheese into small pieces, but you really don’t need to worry about making clean cuts for these appetizers, anyway, since the brie will melt inside of the phyllo cups. As shown in this post, you can also use a product known as “cream of brie” which is a thinner, creamier version of the cheese, that you can simply scoop out in small portions and scrape into the phyllo cups before baking.
- Keep the shells crisp: Transfer the baked brie phyllo cups off of the baking sheet and onto a wire rack immediately after pulling them out of the oven. The air flow will keep the phyllo cups crisp. Keep them on the wire rack until ready to serve.
- Variations: Add finely chopped walnuts or pecans. Swap blackberries for another berry. Fill with brie and leftover cranberry sauce instead of the jam-honey-berry combination. Swap the honey for maple syrup. Reduce or leave out the honey for a more tart flavor profile.
What a gorgeous party app! So perfect for the holidays and so easy to make!
Thank you, Marissa!