This easy baked brie recipe makes the perfect appetizer for any holiday gathering. It’s warm, gooey, and endlessly customizable with your favorite toppings!
Picture this: a wheel of brie, transformed into a pool of warm, melty creamy cheese that’s just begging to be scooped up into gooey cheese pulls. That’s the magic of baked brie, and it’s become my secret weapon for entertaining!
Whether I’m hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or a meetup for my book club, this crowd-pleasing appetizer never fails to impress. The best part? It takes just 15 minutes in the oven and requires almost zero effort.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ridiculously simple: Just unwrap the brie cheese, bake it, and add toppings. No special cooking skills are required!
- Customizable: You can serve it sweet or savory, using toppings from fig jam to caramelized onions.
- Crowd-pleaser: Every time I serve it people fall for warm, creamy brie. It’s that good.
- No special equipment needed: Just a baking sheet or baking dish and your oven.
How to Make Baked Brie
Making baked brie is so easy, you barely need a recipe. But here are a few things to keep in mind (or jump to the full recipe below):
Prep the Brie
Start by removing the plastic wrap from your round of brie. Place it on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, or directly in a small baking dish.
Always leave the rind on the brie when baking: the white rind is edible and helps the cheese hold its shape as it melts into that gooey center.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 375°F and add the brie. The baking time is typically 12-15 minutes, though this can vary slightly depending on the size of your brie and how cold it was when it went into the oven.
Know It’s Done
To know if it’s done, gently press the top of the brie with your finger. It should feel soft and give easily, almost like there’s liquid inside (because there is!). If the cheese still feels firm, give it another 2-3 minutes.
Add Toppings
Once the brie is baked, add toppings like honey, jam, chopped pecans, pistachios, or fresh rosemary, etc. This way the toppings don’t get burned or soggy from the cheese.
Tips for Success
Keep it warm: Baked brie is best served immediately while still gooey and warm. If you need to wait before serving, keep your oven on its lowest setting (around 170°F) and leave the brie in there until guests arrive. Don’t let it sit at room temperature for more than 20 minutes or it’ll start to solidify again.
Don’t stress over leaking cheese: If your brie does start to leak slightly, don’t panic: it happens occasionally with very soft, ripe cheese. Just let it cool for a minute before transferring to a serving platter.
Find the right size: An 8-ounce wheel feeds about 6-8 people as an appetizer. For larger gatherings, use a 13-16 ounce wheel or bake multiple smaller rounds.
Tasty Variations & Toppings
Yes, baked brie is that easy. The toppings are the fun part: you can customize this recipe according to your tastes. One key to topping this melty cheese: sweet flavors are an ideal pairing, but savory works too. Here are some ideas for baked brie toppings:
- Drizzle with honey
- Add jam like apricot, cherry, cranberry, raspberry or blackberry
- Top with cranberry sauce
- Sprinkle with fruit like pomegranate seeds or diced apple
- Add nuts like chopped pistachios, toasted pecans, toasted almonds, or toasted walnuts
- Top with caramelized onions
Puff Pastry Wrapped Brie: A common variation is wrap the brie in puff pastry. I score the top rind of the brie, add 2-3 tablespoons of jam, then wrap it in a large sheet of thawed puff pastry. Brush with egg wash and bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. See also Baked Brie in Puff Pastry.
What to Serve With It
There are so many things you can add to this luscious cheese wheel to make a beautiful spread of appetizer recipes. It’s great for entertaining at any type of gathering: Christmas, Thanksgiving, or just any type of party! Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Crackers, like homemade crackers or gluten-free crackers
- Crostini, like easy crostini
- Baguette slices like toasted baguette
- Fruit like apple slices, pear slices, or grapes
- Jams like apricot or cranberry jam, if not using as a topping
- Herbs like rosemary or thyme sprigs, for decoration
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make-Ahead: You can’t bake the brie too far in advance, but you can prep the components ahead of time. Before a party, I do things like chop nuts, make crostini, and prep my serving platter.
Storage: Leftover baked brie keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The texture won’t be as nice as when it’s fresh, but it’s still delicious.
Reheating: To reheat leftover baked brie, place it on a baking sheet and warm it in a 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes. Check it frequently: you want it warm and soft, not bubbling.
Dietary notes
This baked brie recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free (with gluten-free crackers or bread substitutes).
Frequently Asked Questions
No! Leave the rind on when you bake brie. The white rind is completely edible and is as a natural container that holds the cheese together as it melts. Without the rind, the melted cheese would spread all over your baking dish.
Absolutely! Honey and nuts are one of my favorite combinations for baked brie. You can also add a pinch of fresh rosemary or thyme for an herby note that balances the sweetness.
Yes, wrapping brie in puff pastry creates an impressive presentation with a golden brown, crispy exterior. You can score the top rind of the brie, add 2-3 tablespoons of jam, then wrap it in a large sheet of thawed puff pastry. Brush with egg wash and bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.
This method takes longer than the simple version and makes the cheese slightly harder to access: you’ll need to cut through the pastry to get to the gooey center.
Yes! Camembert makes an excellent substitute for brie in this recipe. The two cheeses are very similar—both are soft, creamy French cheeses with white rinds. Camembert tends to be slightly stronger in flavor and a bit more pungent, but it melts just like brie. Use the same baking time and temperature.
Easy Baked Brie
Pin Recipe
Print RecipeBaked brie recipe is one of the best easy appetizers around! Bake it in just 15 minutes and add your favorite toppings for a stunning crowd pleaser.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the brie in a baking dish or on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until soft and warm: it’s done when you touch the center with your finger and it feels very liquid inside.
- Top with honey or jam, crushed pistachios, and a bit of flaky sea salt. Surround with crackers or crostini, grapes, apple, pear, etc.
Notes
Topping ideas: Try cranberry sauce with toasted pecans, fig jam with pistachios, apricot jam with almonds, or caramelized onions with fresh thyme.
Make it wrapped: For puff pastry baked brie, score the top of the brie, wrap the cheese in puff pastry with jam inside and bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Size guide: An 8-ounce wheel serves 6-8 as an appetizer.
Reheating: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat at 300°F for 5-7 minutes until warmed through.
More Party Appetizers to Try
- Cheese Board
- Antipasto Platter
- Pinwheels
- Marinated Olives
- Veggie Tray Ideas
- Fall Appetizers
- Best Appetizer Recipes
from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/yWGuRns
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