Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce is the epitome of sophistication and indulgence when it comes to holiday season appetizers - the perfect way to spruce up your snacks table alongside this Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board!
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I don’t know about you but I’m all about melty brie cheese! And while baked brie on its own is still incredibly delicious, nothing quite beats baked brie with cranberries and walnuts. It’s one of those party appetizers that many love to serve and enjoy over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year’s Eve, while also just as suitable throughout the year.
While I don’t really need much of an excuse or reason to whip up this creamy brie with cranberry sauce, I sure am glad that the holidays are just around the corner! Serve your baked brie with plain crackers, freshly baked bread, or whatever your heart desires and that will assist you in scooping up a mouthful of this ooey-gooey cheese - the perfect way to kickstart any celebration!
❤️ Why You'll Love Our Recipe
- It’s creamy brie cheese, full of rich flavor and creamy texture - what’s not to love about it?!
- It’s a festive addition to the table when hosting holiday season parties that’s sure to impress and can be combined with other Fall-inspired snacks on your next charcuterie board.
- Making this baked brie is, well...a brieeeeze! (See what I did there?) Seriously though, this elegant and easy appetizer will take you less than 30 minutes to whip up.
- This cranberry baked brie recipe is totally gluten-free! To keep it that way, make sure that you only add gluten-free food items that you plan to enjoy with your baked brie.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about making Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce.
I like to keep the rind on my brie when baking it and here’s why: Firstly, the rind is edible and in fact, hardly noticeable once the brie has fully baked. Secondly, the rind helps to hold melty brie cheese in shape so that you don’t end up with a mound of melted cheese mess!
With this said, I know that not everyone enjoys the rind so if you really want to remove it then simply cut it off with the aid of a small paring knife. Consider placing your brie in a similar-size oven-safe dish that you can serve it in such a way to avoid the brie from losing shape with the rind off.
It doesn’t matter much if you use brie that’s come out of the refrigerator or brie at room temperature when preparing your cheese for baking.
Some recipes also suggest the possibility of adding frozen cheese straight into the oven but keep in mind that in this recipe you need to cut out the center with a cookie cutter and that this may be somewhat difficult if using frozen brie. In addition to this, you’ll likely need to increase the baking time when baking cheese from frozen.
There are so many options when it comes to food choices to pair with your baked brie. For this recipe, I’ve opted to include cranberry sauce and chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are preferable). Feel free to also add some pieces of fresh bread, sliced apples, crackers, chips, and sliced carrots as a perfect way to scoop up the soft and gooey brie.
If you’re looking for gluten-free options, make sure to use gluten-free crackers and bread since the baked brie with cranberry sauce is already gluten-free as-is.
Neutral-flavored crackers are the best option so that the flavor of your freshly baked brie with cranberry sauce shines through. Choose any brand you prefer but make sure they’re plain.
Once stored in the refrigerator, your baked brie should keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
The creamy texture of baked brie doesn’t lend itself to a long shelf. It should therefore be eaten as quickly as possible (within 5 days), especially since the aging process speeds up with the likelihood of bacteria growth once the brie cheese wheel has been cut into.
🧂 Ingredients
- Round brie cheese
- Fresh cranberries or cranberry sauce
- Honey
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh thyme
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
This is meant to be a brief overview of the Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
⏲️ Storage
To Store: Seal the baked brie with cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You could opt to wrap your brie in plastic wrap but it may be messy with the cranberry sauce. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Place the pre-baked brie on a parchment-lined baking sheet and reheat slowly on a gentle heat in the oven (about 175-200℉) for 20-25 minutes or until the outer crust of the brie is crispy again and the cheese is soft and gooey.
Variations
Add a little bit of orange zest to the cranberry sauce mixture.
This festive appetizer is a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce.
Many warm baked brie recipes call for it to be wrapped in flaky puff pastry, however, you can't see the cute cut-out design if you cover it with a sheet of puff pastry dough. Instead, consider cutting your puff pastry sheet into small squares that guests can use similar to baguette slices, and spreading the melty cheese and cranberry sauce on top.
Change it up for other holidays! You can easily make this for wintertime holidays of course, but it's great at any time of year. Consider using strawberry jam for Easter with a bunny cookie cutter, or a heart and raspberry jam and almonds for Valentine's Day. You could even use a pumpkin cookie cutter for Halloween with pumpkin butter for the filling.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Serve this baked brie and cranberry sauce with crackers and other items for dipping like toast points or pita chips. It's the perfect centerpiece to be the star of your Thanksgiving Charcuterie board!
😋 Similar Recipes
Next time, try one of these tasty recipes:
- Elegant Fruit Cheese Platter - Learn how to assemble a classic cheese board with tips and tricks that’s sure to impress the guests.
- Easy Toffee Apple Dip - This sweet dip, loaded with toffee bits and chocolate chips, is an irresistible Fall-inspired sweet treat for parties or to enjoy with the family.
- Cheesy Bacon Dip - If savory snacks are more your thing then you’re in for a treat with this tangy, creamy and bacon-packed dip that can be enjoyed with salted crackers or even used as an indulgent spread!
If you love cranberries, also try our Cranberry Eggnog French Toast, Cranberry Pineapple Smoothie, or Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins.
Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce
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Ingredients
- 9.5 oz. Round brie cheese
- 1 cup Fresh cranberries or ½ cup cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup Honey, Maple Syrup, or Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon lemon Juice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ cup Chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the brie on the baking sheet.9.5 oz. Round brie cheese
- Position the cookie cutter in the center of the brie, pushing down to the bottom of the cheese to create a center focal point for your cranberry sauce to sit on top of.
- Remove the cheese cut-out and slice it down in thickness without changing the shape. This is particularly important if your brie is thick.
- Return the cheese cut-out to the center of the brie and bake for 5-8 minutes, until softened.
- While the brie bakes, cook the remaining ingredients for the cranberry sauce.1 cup Fresh cranberries, ¼ cup Honey, Maple Syrup, or Brown Sugar, 1 tablespoons Unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon lemon Juice, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper, ¼ cup Chopped walnuts
- Bring the cranberry mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until it has thickened.
- Remove the cranberry mixture from the stove top to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Once cooled, pour the cranberry sauce into the center of the brie.
Equipment
- Cookie cutter
- saucepan
Nutrition
🦃 More Thanksgiving Ideas
- Turkey Brine
- Thanksgiving BINGO Printable
- Juicy Roasted Turkey Recipe
- Printable Thanksgiving Place Cards
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