I hope you’re like me and always get excited about melty cheese and delicately crisp, buttery puff pastry because it’s truly one of my favorite appetizers. But, I also love this classic dipping oil, spinach artichoke dip, and these tortellini pesto skewers. My holiday-baked brie is easy to make with minimal prep and can be made just before guests arrive. It’s great if it cools for just 10-15 minutes so the cheese doesn’t ooze everywhere and make a gooey pool of brie. I like to serve it with a toasted baguette, but you can use bagel chips, raincoast crisps, crackers, vegetables, or really anything you like for dipping! It really won’t last long once you serve it & guests will be asking for the recipe!
Why This Recipe Works
Impressive: it’s a luxurious appetizer that is always a great go-to crowd-pleasing appetizer. Customizable: it has endless flavor pairings. See my variations section below for some ideas on how to change it up! No-fuss: Holiday baked brie is a low-effort appetizer that comes with only a few ingredients. Love that for us! Festive: While you don’t have to make this for the holidays, I love the Christmas vibes of the green fresh thyme springs + red dried cranberries. So fun! Delicious: I mean, a cheese + a bread… can you ever go wrong with that combo?! I think not…
Ingredient Notes
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Puff pastry: I use the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheet that comes folded in thirds: (9.75” X 10.5” X 3/16”) and you’ll let it thaw, but still want it a little cold. Brie: An 8 oz wheel is perfect but up to a 12 oz brie wheel will work. Opt for a triple creme brie if you can find it – SO GOOD. Unsalted butter: You’ll be melting the butter and mixing in minced garlic, salt, and pepper, so if you need to use salted butter, just omit the added salt. Minced garlic: The recipe calls for 4 cloves minced, but feel free to add more if you want to kick up the garlicky goodness! Egg + water: Whisk together 1 whole egg and 1 tbsp of water to make the egg bath that you’ll brush all over the pastry. This is what helps the folded pieces stay folded, and what gives the top its nice golden color. Dried cranberries: These really give the baked brie its holiday vibes. And the flavor of the brie + puff pastry + the cranberries is downright heavenly. Trust me on this! Hot honey: I really like Mike’s Hot Honey. I’m a big hot honey fan because it adds a bit of spice to this appetizer, without it being overwhelmingly spicy. Feel free to use regular honey though if that’s all you have or what you prefer or whatever hot honey you like 🙂 Fresh thyme or rosemary: Using fresh (not dried) really makes a big difference with this recipe! Plus, the twigs of green thyme (or rosemary) laying alongside the red dried cranberries = ultimate Christmas vibes 😍 Toasted or candied pecans: These are optional, but I definitely recommend them! The flavor of pecans works so well alongside the brie, hot honey, and dried cranberries.
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Success Tips
Baking dish size: Make sure to choose a baking dish or pie plate that’s a bit larger than your brie, so that there’s space for the brie to ooze out a bit while baking. Scoring: I recommend scoring the brie before you add the butter mixture so that the butter mixture can seep into the cheese a bit. I also recommend lightly scoring the puff pastry (after you’ve folded it over the brie) so that the hot honey can make its way into that layer as it bakes. Egg wash: After you’ve folded the puff pastry all around the brie, make sure all of the folds have the egg wash brushed on. This will help give the pastry the nice golden color as it bakes. Rest time: I know it will be soooo tempting to dig right in as soon as you pull the Holiday Baked Brie out of the oven, but I promise, letting it rest for at least 10 minutes is worth the hassle (or 30-45 minutes if you can). If you cut into it immediately, the brie oozes everywhere and creates quite a mess.
Storage
If you happen to have any leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Warm up in the microwave before re-serving. You might want to remove any nuts before refrigerating, and re-add those before you re-serve, because their texture might get weird after being in the refrigerator.
Variations
I love how customizable this appetizer is! You can switch up the toppings to your likings. Here are some I’d recommend:
Cranberry sauce: Use in place of the dried cranberries. Perfect for using up leftover cranberry sauce at the holidays! Jam or chutney: Substitute your favorite jam or fruit chutney for the dried cranberries – use whatever flavor you prefer! Other nuts: Not into pecans? Try walnuts, sliced almonds, pine nuts, Marcona almonds, or pistachios to mix up your nut topping! Other dried fruits: Try this Holiday Baked Brie using another dried fruit. I could see it being great with dried cherries, apricots, blueberries, figs, plums, or mango. Each would add a slightly different flair to the dish! Caramelized onions: While the brie is baking, caramelize some onions at a low heat on your stovetop and then add them to the brie when you remove it from the oven. Bacon: To add a savory twist to this Holiday Baked Brie, add crumbled bacon when you’re adding the last bit of hot honey, herbs, and nuts.
📸 Photos by Megan McKeehan of The Broke Girl Table
