Baked Brie {Easy & Delicious}

BAKED BRIE! Those two words are music to my ears. I LOVE baked brie, especially during the holiday months. It is the ultimate holiday appetizer. Every party and holiday meal NEEDS to start with baked brie. Am I right? I think so!

This easy appetizer is always a hit and it is SO easy to make, which is very important during the busy holiday months. We don’t have time to be slaving away in the kitchen. We need quick and easy, but still impressive recipes to serve to our friends and family.

This recipe fits all of those requirements. It’s easy to prep, easy to make, and very easy to eat. Too easy..ha! It’s SO good! I can never walk away from the brie!

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

Baked brie wrapped in puff pastry is the king of all brie, in my opinion. Don’t worry, we aren’t making puff pastry from scratch. I buy frozen puff pastry, it’s a lifesaver!

You will need to thaw the puff pastry before you wrap the wheel of brie, so make sure you take the puff pastry out of the freezer 30 to 40 minutes before you get started.

When the brie is hugged by puff pastry and baked, magic happens. The puff pastry gets golden brown and buttery and the brie gets melty and oooh so creamy. I like to hide maple, pecans, cinnamon, and brown sugar inside for a sweet surprise. This puff pastry brie is PERFECTION!

Ingredients

The ingredients are simple, but the end results are AMAZING!

• Puff Pastry-find puff pastry in the freezer aisle! You will need one sheet for this recipe, you can save the other sheet for another time. I guarantee you will want to make this baked brie over and over again.
• Brie cheese-You will need an 8 oz round of brie cheese for this recipe. I love Private Selection Double Crème Brie.
• Butter-You need a little butter for sautéing the pecans.
• Pecans-the nutty pecans pair so well with the brie and are a nice surprise when you cut it open!
• Cinnamon-cinnamon is my favorite holiday spice and so good in this baked brie.
• Brown Sugar-brie pairs really well with sweet.
• Pure Maple Syrup-adding a little pure maple syrup adds another level of sweet! I love Private Selection Pure Maple Syrup, make sure you use the good stuff and not regular pancake syrup:)
• Egg-you need an egg wash for brushing the puff pastry.

Do you Have to Remove the Rind?

No, you don’t have to remove the rind before baking brie. The rind is edible and I don’t even think you can taste it after the brie is baked.

If you want to remove the rind, you can use a sharp knife to carefully cut off the thin rind of the cheese at the top of the wheel. This is easier to do when the brie is cold.

How to Make Baked Brie

Things are about to get cheesy!

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the thawed puff pastry sheet on top, laid out in a rectangle.
• Toast the pecans in melted butter and season with cinnamon. Immediately pour pecans into a small bowl. Add the brown sugar and stir until combined.
• Place brie round in the middle of the puff pastry. The rind is edible, so I don’t cut it off. It helps hold the shape of the brie. If you want to remove it, you can use a sharp knife to carefully cut off the thin top rind of the cheese. This is easier to do when the brie is cold.
• Top the brie with pure maple syrup and the toasted pecan brown sugar mixture.
• Wrap the brie in puff pastry. Fold one edge of the puff pastry dough over the brie and brush the top with egg wash, using a pastry brush. Fold up the opposite side then brush top dough with egg wash. Repeat with remaining edges until the brie is completely covered in the puff pastry, trimming off excess dough edges if necessary. You can use excess dough to make decorations to place on top of brie, if desired. Press the dough together to make sure it sealed tightly. Brush the top and sides of the wrapped brie with egg wash.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is a golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the brie sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve baked brie on a large platter or cheese board with the following to make a pretty presentation.

• Crackers
• Crostini
• Apple slices
• Pear slices
• Grapes
• Pomegranate seeds
• Nuts
• Fresh herbs

If you want to keep things simple, you can just cut into the oozy, melty baked brie and eat it as is! It is good by itself too! You will LOVE the maple brown sugar pecan surprise inside. It makes the baked brie extra special!

How to Store

Baked brie is best fresh, the first time around, but if you have leftovers, you can store the cooled baked brie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven until the cheese is melty.

More Easy Holiday Appetizer Recipes: