Cranberry Baked Brie Appetizer

This simple and delicious Orange Cranberry Baked Brie appetizer requires only four ingredients and is ready in under 20 minutes. This crowd pleaser is one of the easiest appetizers and is perfect for a girls night, holiday season, or a family get-together. 

Cranberry Baked Brie Recipe

Served right out of the oven, the creamy texture of baked brie topped with a homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce has quickly become my go-to appetizer. Who doesn’t love a mouth-watering melty brie appetizer?

Needing more easy appetizer ideas for parties or game day? Check out these Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls or treat your guests to a Sweet and Savory Snack Platter!

This savory, yet sweet baked brie can be served with a variety of crackers, bread, or even apples!

Ingredients

Brie wheel: you can find a wheel of brie cheese at your local grocery store in the deli or special cheese sections. I used an 8 oz wheel and a 6 inch cast iron skillet, a smaller cast iron is perfect for serving!

Be sure that the wheel you choose has a fresh, white rind on it so that the cheese doesn’t melt everywhere while in the oven. While you don’t have to check the expiration dates on many kinds of cheese, soft cheeses expire a little faster, so double check the date!

No need to purchase the most expensive brie for this recipe either. It will be delicious either way!

If you’re a cheesy appetizer fan like me, you will love this Loaded Beer Cheese Dip and this Maryland Crab Dip. This Jalapeño Popper Dip is also a huge crowd favorite.

Homemade orange cranberry sauce: my homemade cranberry sauce is made with fresh cranberries and adds the perfect sweet flavor to the cheese and makes it perfect for holidays or get-togethers. If you’re not a fan of cranberries, try an apricot jam, strawberry jam, or even honey! 

This is the perfect appetizer recipe to use some leftover homemade cranberry sauce.

Chopped Pistachios: this is optional, but they make a delicious addition to the baked brie. I prefer using chopped pistachios for this recipe because they pair perfectly with the cranberry sauce. However, if you’re not a fan of pistachios, feel free to use chopped pecans or walnuts.

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs: Also optional, the rosemary sprigs give this recipe a little bit of extra flavor and are a beautiful garnish. You can also garnish with fresh orange zest if you like!

How to Make This Brie Recipe

1. Prepare the oven. The first thing to do is to preheat the oven to 350° F before placing your skillet into the oven. 

2. Slice the brie. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the brie wheel in half horizontally to create two equal sized rounds. Place both rounds on a cutting board rind side down.

3. Prepare the brie. Spread half the cranberry mixture on one side of the cut brie, then place the other brie round on top, making a sandwich. Place the stuffed brie in a small cast iron pan and top with the remaining cranberry sauce.

4. Bake the brie. Bake your cheese for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt but isn’t completely melted. I love using my cast iron skillet because it has high walls to help hold all of the delicious cheese in. 

5. Serve. Remove from the oven and garnish with pistachios or fresh rosemary sprigs. Serve your gooey brie immediately with apple slices or assorted crackers.

Can I wrap this baked brie in puff pastry dough?

I do not have the brie wrapped in puff pastry for this recipe, but you can definitely do it!

To use puff pastry, lay the pastry down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and then put the stuffed brie cheese wheel in the center. Top the cheese with cranberry sauce and then fold the pastry over the cheese, making sure all of it is covered, and pleating it together, so there are no holes.

There are two different options after this step. You can keep the brie seams up, or you can flip the pastry over and have a smooth top. When topping with jam or cranberry sauce, I prefer to leave the seams up.

You can use crescent dough if you don’t have puff pastry. Try to find dough sheets that aren’t perforated. Add an egg wash on top so it gets crispy, then bake until golden brown.

Do you take the rind off brie before baking?

KEEP THE RIND ON! The rind is super important to keep on for this recipe. The rind holds your cheese together while it melts in the oven.

Without the rind, once the cheese melts, it would lose its shape. The rind is also 100% edible, so don’t worry about it! It adds a deliciously rich and earthy flavor to the cheese. 

Do you bake brie covered or uncovered?

There is no need to cover cranberry baked brie when you’re baking it! Not only does the rind keep it from burning, but so does the sweet cranberry sauce on top!

Should brie be at room temperature before baking?

No! It is not necessary to bring brie to room temperature before baking. Luckily, for this recipe, the oven does all of the work. You can take your brie straight from the refrigerator and start baking!

Tips for prepping this recipe in advance:

• This Cranberry Baked Brie recipe is best when it’s served immediately after baking. To prep this recipe in advance, I would make the cranberry sauce so that it takes less time to put the ingredients together when you’re about to put it in the oven.
• You could also cut the brie in half to make it easier as well – be sure to keep it wrapped in aluminum foil until you start the recipe. Luckily, this recipe only calls for two ingredients, so it doesn’t take too much time to prep.

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