Baked Brie with Cranberries is an easy holiday appetizer, and it’s so darned pretty! The baked cheese gets all melty and gooey and the cranberries add a sweet tart punch.
baked Brie with cranberries is such an easy appetizer it feels a little bit like cheating!
All it took was one bite of that melted cheese to remind me that baked brie is a classic for a reason. I took my version in a different direction from what you usually see these days. I think Brie is rich enough, and doesn’t need an overly sweet, caramelized topping. Instead, I went with tart, maple roasted cranberries, they work really well with the buttery cheese.
If you need a festive appetizer for any holiday party or gathering, this is it! It’s a definite crown pleaser, and that bright pop of the red cranberries is just so festive and pretty.
how to make maple roasted cranberries
The topping for this baked brie is so simple — and if you’re thinking it, yes, these maple roasted cranberries could also be used in so many other ways! Top pancakes or french toast, heck, even vanilla ice cream! They remain pretty tart (though you could always increase the amount of maple syrup), which makes them a great foil against anything rich or sweet.
- rinse the cranberries and spread them in a single layer in a baking dish
- toss them with a little maple syrup
- roast for about 15 minutes, until they pop and get juicy.
the best kind of dish to use for baked brie with cranberries
- You’re going to want to bake your brie in an oven proof dish, I like ceramic or cast iron. Ceramic pie plates work well for standard sized brie.
- It needs to be large enough to accommodate your cheese and toppings, but with room all the way around so that people can get at it easily.
- As a general rule, allow 2 inches larger than your wheel of cheese all around…so if your brie is 7 inches, you’ll want a dish that’s about 9-10 inches in diameter.
- I don’t recommend most so-called brie bakers, because they’re too small.
- You can also bake your brie by itself on a sheet of parchment paper, and then transfer that to any dish you like. This works well when you want to serve on a dish or plate that isn’t oven safe.
tips for getting the perfect melty baked Brie
Although baked Brie with cranberries is quite quick and simple, sometimes it can be a little tricky to to get that perfect consistency with baked Brie – you want it warm enough to be melty when you cut into it, but ideally you don’t want it to break open and run out everywhere before you get it to the table.
- You can leave your Brie on the countertop for 30-60 minutes before baking to take the chill off of it before going in the oven.
- Since Brie’s can vary so much in thickness and size, plan to check on it a couple times while it’s baking – it may take anywhere from 10-20 minutes to reach that perfect melty temperature.
- You’ll know its ready when it feels quite soft and pliable when you gently press on it. If you start to see it breaking open a little bit with cheese coming out, that’s also a sign it’s ready to go.
- Embrace imperfection! Your Brie might crack a bit, but baked brie is one of those “effortlessly casual” kind of dishes. Don’t stress, it’ll taste amazing no matter what!
what to serve with baked Brie
- Serve it with crackers, but make sure they’re sturdy enough to stand up to the melty cheese.
- Or provide thin, grilled slices of a crusty baguette.
- This dish would be particularly nice as part of a larger holiday grazing table or cheese platter – add seasonal nuts like pecans or walnuts, a few other cheeses, some winter pears, etc., for a stunning and seasonal display. Find more inspiration here!
more baked Brie recipes for the holidays and beyond:
- Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Baked Brie
- Easy Baked Brie with Figs and Honey
- Brûléed Brie
- Mini Baked Brie en Croute
- Baked Brie with Apples, Pecans, & Maple Syrup
- How to Bake Brie
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Baked Brie with Maple Roasted Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 7 inch wheel of Brie cheese
garnish
- fresh rosemary sprigs
- fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Spread the cranberries out in a single layer in a baking dish. Toss with the maple syrup, coating all the berries.
- Roast for about 10-15 minutes until the cranberries are starting to burst and get juicy.
- Put a round of Brie in a small skillet or small baking dish. Top with the roasted cranberries and bake for another 7 minutes or so, just until the cheese is runny.
- Garnish with some rosemary sprigs and a few raw cranberries, and then serve right away with crackers or a sliced baguette.
Notes
Nutrition
I adore baked brie, this is beyond perfect for the holidays!
Never tried w/ cranberries..love the pre-roasting w/ MS:)
Looks like Christmas to moi!
Hi Sue, what a wonderful appetizer, love how your cranberries look, just in time for the holidays!
Aahhh Sue you’ve got me again! Baked brie is one of my favorites, and I especially love it paired with cranberry. The sweet and tart is such a great pairing. I’m also much more a fan of just a simple topping instead of wrapping the whole thing in pastry…delicious but not usually necessary. This is so going on my holiday party list 🙂
I’ve made a variation on this with phyllo that used to use a cranberry raspberry jam from Loblaws President’s Choice. They no longer make it, but some cooked cranberries can be added to a very good raspberry jam to produce an excellent sweet brie in phyllo. When I use a large brie from Costco, I cut it in half and the other half contains caramelized onions, apricot jam and walnuts. It also gets wrapped in phyllo. The end result is a sweet and more savory version side by side. Here is the recipe.
Brie wrapped in Phyllo filled with Raspberry/Cranberry Preserve
800 grams brie — from Costco
1/4 cup Raspberry/Cranberry jam — P.C. brand, over 50% fruit, a good quality raspberry jam with cooked cranberries and sugar added to it
4 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup melted butter
Uncovered phyllo sheets, take one out at a time and brush with melted butter. Add another sheet on top and do the same, until you have done this to four sheets.
Cut brie in half and put half of the raspberry/cranberry jam on the bottom half. Centre onto phyllo sheet, and then add the top layer of brie. Brush with jam and then cover with phyllo to seal. Brush whole brie with melted butter. Cover in plastic wrap if it is not going into the oven immediately and place in fridge. When ready to cook remove from fridge for thirty minutes, unwrap and then place in a 375° F oven for fifteen minutes.
Remove Brie with a large hamburger(s) flippers onto a platter with edges. Drain melted Brie from the baking sheet with a rim into a bowl and cool and then add to brie.
Serving Ideas : Serve with St. Urbain Bagel chips (everything bagels sliced into very thin strips, available from Costco in Canada).
Oh my — when should I be over, Dom 😉 I love your half sweet half savory idea! I’ve made mini Brie bites with puff pastry, but never tried phyllo — it’s now on my list.
I love cranberries and have been baking with them recently. They remind me of the holidays and this would be a perfect holiday appetizer! I love the green sprigs of rosemary with the green and white – so festive and beautiful!
I have to remember to stockpile them in the freezer this year, I’d love to continue playing with them throughout the winter.
I bet that smooth creamy brie is fantastic with the sweet and tart cranberries – what a fantastic combination! Going on my holiday list of must make recipes for sure!
I love visiting your blog and make your recipes often! Baked brie with cranberries is one of my favorite appetizers, I also serve it with nuts, etc. You are so right you can never go wrong with brie!
Thanks Elizabeth — what I love about it is that you don’t even have to have a super special expensive Brie, that little bit of gentle baking makes any Brie luscious 🙂
This is a wonderful (as in WONDERFUL) idea. I love having some simple tricks like this up my sleeve, especially around the holidays. And it doesn’t hurt that it sounds incredibly delicious and gorgeous, to boot!
Those wheels of Brie really do last forever, so this is my new fallback for unexpected guests…
I am speechless at the thought of that oozing cheese and zingy cranberry goodness on a warm piece of bread. Yummmmm…
Wish I could have some for breakfast…
Breakfast works for me!