These pear and brie crostini layer crisp toasted bread with warm brie, honey-butter pears, crunchy walnuts and a little thyme. They bring the sweet-and-savory flavors of a cheese board into an appetizer that is ready to pick up and enjoy.
For a Christmas party, the golden pears and fresh thyme look right at home on a holiday platter. They work just as well for Thanksgiving, a winter cocktail party or a small get-together with friends. Add them to a Christmas appetizer spread when you want a warm, cheesy bite with a little crunch.
Jump to:
- Why These Work for a Party
- Ingredients and a Few Helpful Choices
- How to Make Pear and Brie Crostini
- The Hosting Trick: Melt the Brie Last
- Can You Make Them Ahead?
- Serving Them for Christmas
- Easy Variations
- Storage and Reheating
- A Few Common Questions
- Christmas Pear and Brie Crostini Recipe
- Christmas Pear and Brie Crostini with Honey and Walnuts
- More Ideas for Your Appetizer Table
Why These Work for a Party
They are already portioned. Guests can take a toast without cutting into a shared wheel of cheese. Choose smaller bread slices for a cocktail party or slightly larger ones for a more substantial appetizer.
The texture does the work. Crisp bread, soft brie, tender pears and chopped walnuts give each bite something different. The honey ties everything together without turning it into dessert.
The ingredients are simple. There is no pastry to roll or filling to pipe—just toast, slice, cook and assemble.
Ingredients and a Few Helpful Choices
Bread: Use a baguette or a small, hearty bakery loaf. Cut it just under ½ inch thick so it is sturdy enough for the toppings but still easy to bite. The bread in the photos is a small bakery loaf; a narrow baguette makes smaller crostini. For more bread tips, see how to make crostini.
Brie: A 250 g wheel is about 8.8 ounces. Slice it straight across while chilled rather than into wedges; that makes it easier to distribute the cheese evenly. Leave the rind on.
Pears: Choose firm Bartlett pears, also called Williams pears. They should be ripe enough to taste good but firm enough to hold together in the skillet. Leave the peel on and cut crosswise into broad rounds, removing the seeds and firm core.
Honey, butter, thyme and walnuts: Butter helps the pears brown, honey adds sweetness, thyme adds a savory note and walnuts finish the toasts with crunch. The full quantities are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pear and Brie Crostini
1. Lightly toast the bread. Arrange the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 4–5 minutes. They should feel lightly crisp, not hard or deeply browned. They will go back into the oven with the brie.
2. Cook the pears. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add pear rounds in a single layer, then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with thyme. Cook for about 4–5 minutes per side, until lightly golden and tender but still intact. Use a second batch if the skillet is crowded.
3. Melt the brie near the end. Cover most of each toast with thin brie slices. When the pears are nearly ready, bake the cheese-topped bread for about 3–4 minutes, watching for the brie to soften and begin melting. Pull it before the cheese runs off the bread.
4. Top and serve. Add a warm pear round to each toast, trimming it to fit if needed. Sprinkle with walnuts and a few thyme leaves. Finish with a small drizzle of honey if you like, then serve promptly.
The Hosting Trick: Melt the Brie Last
The bread can wait briefly after its first toast. Melted brie does not wait as well—it firms up as it cools. Get the pears nearly ready, then give the brie-topped bread its final few minutes in the oven. That way, the warm pears land on warm cheese.
For a longer party, finish a smaller tray at a time. Keep the remaining components separate until the next tray is ready. If you are planning several appetizers, the appetizer portions guide can help you work out the rest of the menu.
Can You Make Them Ahead?
These are best assembled close to serving. For the crispest bread, keep the bread, brie, pears and walnuts separate until you are ready for the final bake. Fully assembled toasts can soften as the pear juices soak into the bread.
Serving Them for Christmas
Arrange the crostini in a single layer so guests can lift them without knocking off the toppings. A white platter lets the pears, walnuts and thyme stand out; a red napkin underneath adds the Christmas color without changing the recipe. Keep extra honey light—a generous pour can make the toasts harder to pick up.
For a balanced holiday table, pair these warm toasts with a cold dip and something fresh or crisp. A Winter White Cosmopolitan is a festive drink to serve alongside them.
Easy Variations
Skip the nuts: Leave off the walnuts. If serving someone with a nut allergy, use clean equipment and check all ingredient labels.
Change the cheese: Camembert is the closest substitute for brie.
Change the sweetness: Maple syrup can replace the honey, with a different flavor.
Use apples: Thin apple slices are another option, but their cooking time will depend on the variety and thickness. Cook until tender enough to bite through.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The bread will become softer, so freshly assembled crostini give the best texture. Keep any unused bread and toppings separate.
Reheat refrigerated leftovers in the oven until they reach 165°F in the center. A brief low-temperature warm-up that only softens the cheese may not heat them through. For serving, follow the two-hour rule for perishable food, or one hour when the temperature is above 90°F.
A Few Common Questions
Do I remove the brie rind? No. Leave it on and slice through the wheel.
Do I peel the pears? No. Keep the peel, but remove seeds and any firm core from the rounds.
Can I serve these at room temperature? They are best warm, when the brie is soft. Serve smaller batches instead of leaving the whole platter out for a long party.
Is this a whole baked brie? This version uses brie on individual toasts. For a shared appetizer, try pumpkin brie fondue.
Christmas Pear and Brie Crostini Recipe
Christmas Pear and Brie Crostini with Honey and Walnuts
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Arrange the bread in one layer and toast for about 4–5 minutes, until lightly crisp. Remove the tray, leaving the oven on.
- Cut the chilled brie straight across into thin slices, about ⅛ inch thick. Leave the rind on. Cut the pears crosswise into broad rounds, about 7–8 slices per pear, keeping the peel. Remove seeds and any firm core from the rounds.
- Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pears in one layer without crowding. Drizzle with the measured honey and sprinkle with thyme. Cook for about 4–5 minutes per side, until lightly golden and tender enough to bite through while still holding their shape. Work in batches if needed.
- Arrange brie over the toasted bread, covering most of each slice. When the pears are nearly ready, return the tray to the oven for about 3–4 minutes, just until the brie softens and begins to melt. Watch closely so it does not run off the bread.
- Top each warm brie toast with a pear round; trim or halve larger rounds to fit smaller baguette slices. Finish with chopped walnuts, a few thyme leaves and a light drizzle of extra honey if desired. Transfer to a platter and serve promptly.
Notes
More Ideas for Your Appetizer Table
Browse the brie appetizer collection for more cheese-forward ideas, or build a mix-and-match platter from these crostini recipes. The Christmas party appetizer guide brings the whole menu together.
Recipe and photography by Emilie L. for AGT. Inspired by Free The Pickle’s brie and caramelized pear tartines, with thyme, walnuts and individual party portions in this version.
Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!