We all know the basics behind mastering the grilled cheese sandwich: perfectly toasted bread, gooey, melted cheese. Seems simple enough.
Take your cheese of choice and lay it across one full slice of bread. For this sandwich, I’m using triple creme brie. No regrets!
If you’re adding toppings, now’s the time to pile ’em on. I slowly caramelize a few thinly sliced onions. They’re a lovely contrast to the brie!
Finally, if you’re using a sauce, spread it on the top slice of bread. Could be mayonnaise or mustard, but I prefer jam. Fig jam. Place the final piece of bread on top, press down gently, and heat up the griddle or skillet! Your bite size grilled cheese is now ready to cook.
The Bread You Use Is Important!
I am totally a lover of grilled cheese made with sliced white bread, but you haven’t lived until you’ve tried it on sliced baguette! These are the perfect finger food to snack on at parties!
One baguette will yield approximately 15 mini sandwiches.
Can These Be Made Ahead Of Time?
These can absolutely be assembled ahead of time — meaning you can have them ready to throw on the stove top the day before, a total time saver when prepping for a party! — but you definitely want to cook them day of.
Ingredients For Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Sourdough Baguette
- a triple creme brie
- sweet onions — check out our full guide on how to caramelize onions if you have questions!
- fig jam or other jam (blackberry, spicy pepper jelly, mixed berry — all great options!)
- unsalted butter
- flaky sea salt
How To Cook Grilled Cheese
Know the basics! First, you want to make sure that your pan is heated over medium heat. Any hotter and you’ll likely burn the bread before the center is melted and cheesy.
Next, make sure you’ve spread room temperature butter (or mayo! gasp!) evenly over the top of one slice of bread. You can coat the other side while the first is cooking.
Honestly, it’s about patience. You can’t rush perfection. Let the grilled cheese cook slowly over medium heat until it’s a light golden brown — about 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread and cheese.
Note: grated cheese tends to melt quicker! It’s not an issue here as we’re already using a creamy brie that is spreadable even straight out of the fridge!
What To Serve With Grilled Cheese
How about a second grilled cheese? Is that an option?
Sure, you could pair this with a light green salad (no fun) or some crispy french fries, but I love serving these mini grilled cheese with the always classic tomato soup. Other ideas include chocolate chip cookies. That suggestion came from my kiddos.
They’re not wrong, you know!
When You Want It Extra Melty!
Ok, I swear this works. If you’re not 100% sure that you’re cheese is perfectly melted in the center of your grilled cheese, take it out of the pan or off the griddle, then microwave on a plate for 30 seconds. GOOEY OVERLOAD.
Grilled Cheese Toppings
Here’s where you can let your imagination run wild! A grilled cheese (even a mini grilled cheese) really just needs to have melted cheese to make it a winner. Beyond that, you can add any toppings you like!
- crispy bacon
- thinly sliced fruit, such as apples or pears
- leafy greens (spinach, arugula, kale)
- dijon or whole grain mustard, for a slight kick!
- kimchi (whoa!)
- balsamic vinegar
- fresh herbs (basil, thyme, sage, anything!)
- buffalo sauce!
Literally, I could sit here imagining different variations in grilled cheese sandwiches all day long. Having said that, there’s no shame in keeping things simple. And by that I mean a good ol’ fashion piece of American cheese wedged between two pieces of bread. No judgment!
If you make these Mini Grilled Cheese with Brie, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!
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Check out these additional appetizers that make entertaining a breeze!
- Spiced cocktail nuts
- Cherry tomato confit with garlic and shallots
- Baked brie phyllo cups
- Marinated feta in extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ingredient bacon-wrapped dates
- Cheese crackers
Mini Grilled Cheese with Brie and Caramelized Onions Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 La Brea sourdough baguette sliced ½” thick pieces
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 2 medium sweet onions thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 6 oz triple creme brie
- ⅓ cup fig jam
Instructions
- Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions then cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and browned, about 30-40 minutes. Adjust heat and lower as needed if onions begin to brown too quickly. At the end, season onions with ½ tsp kosher salt, then stir and remove from the heat. Set aside.
- Slice and spread a thin layer of brie on each bottom slice of baguette. Top with about 1 heaping teaspoon of caramelized onions.
- Next, add about 1 tsp fig jam to each top slice of baguette. Place on top of the caramelized onions.
- Meanwhile, heat a griddle, skillet, or stove top grill to medium heat. Melt 2 Tbsp butter, then add sandwiches and cook until golden brown on both sides and cheese has melted, about 3-4 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bread and cheese). While the first side is cooking, spread the top piece of bread from each sandwich with a little softened butter.
- Serve immediately, either whole or sliced on a diagonal and served as half sandwiches.
Let us know your thoughts!