Brûléed Brie

Brûlée means burnt in French, and it’s used to describe the process of applying intense heat to a thin layer of sugar to create a brittle caramelized crust on desserts. You probably know it from creme brûlée, but when you think about it, a thin crisp layer of caramel that shatters as you break into it would be a good thing in lots of situations…(like on top of a gooey wheel of baked Brie.) My Brûléed Brie is an absolute show stopper!

what exactly is brûléed Brie?

• Soft, creamy baked Brie cheese
• Topped with sugar
• Torched into a crackly shell with a molten interior
• The caramel crust will shatter as you plunge into it with your cheese knife. So. Good.

is it very sweet?

I’m not gonna lie, the brûléed top is like caramel candy, but in very thin shards. So even though this appetizer has a sweet element to it, the charred bits, plus the natural saltiness of the cheese, balances it out beautifully. You won’t feel like you’re eating dessert, trust me. Although, come to think of it…this would be an amazing way to end a meal, too. Just add fabulous ripe fruit (grapes, figs, berries.)

How to make Brûléed Brie

You’ll need a baking dish (a pie plate works well) and a kitchen torch.

1. Let your wheel of cheese sit out on the counter for 35-40 minutes to take the chill off. It will bake more evenly this way.
2. Use a sharp knife and gently scrap off some of the top rind. Leaving some behind is fine.
3. Place in an oven safe pie plate or other similar baking dish. Round works best. (Not sure? Bake your Brie on a sheet of foil and transfer later.)
4. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350F oven.
5. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the surface. Measure the amount specified, don’t use more or less.
6. Torch until golden and bubbling. Some darker spots are ok. The top will start out soft but hardens quickly as it cools off.
7. Serve your brûléed Brie asap, with crackers or crusty bread.

Tips for brûléing Brie

• Invest in a kitchen torch, they aren’t expensive, they’re easy to use, and they’re easy to store. I find this is the easiest and most reliable way to caramelize sugar. The broiler can heat unevenly.
  • When you sprinkle sugar over the Brie and hit it with a kitchen torch, the heat melts the sugar crystals almost instantly. As they melt, they start to bubble and turn golden ~ aka caramelization. The sugar goes from grains → syrup → thin, glassy sheet in just a few seconds.
  • Do a few practice runs with some sugar on a baking sheet to get the hang of it before sacrificing an entire wheel of Brie.
• Use regular white sugar, it melts and caramelizes the best. Use the amount I specify.
  • Turbinado has more flavor but harder to melt.
  • Brown sugar melts unevenly.
  • Maple sugar works but melts fast.
• Embrace the burn, there will be dark bits and that’s part of the brûlée experience!

easy kitchen torch technique

Once you get used to your torch, it’s a breeze to caramelize Brie. If you’re a newbie just remember to keep the torch moving in a slow even motion across the cheese, and don’t be tempted to get in too close or it can burn. You’ll see the sugar start to bubble and then slowly turn color.

serving brûléed Brie

First off, serve right away, don’t wait or the gooey Brie will start to firm up. My choice is to serve with thin slices of a crusty baguette. Look for a small thin loaf for best snacking fit.

Check out my other baked Brie recipes for inspiration.

See my troubleshooting faqs below the recipe card ⬇️

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Brûléed Brie

5 from 4 votes

Brûléed Brie ~ this is an easy appetizer for the holiday season ~ you only need a wheel of Brie and some sugar to make this quick and delicious baked Brie.

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Prep Time:7 minutes minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:17 minutes minutes

Servings: 9

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 8 ounces Brie wheel
• 1 Tbsp white sugar, castor sugar

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Put the wheel of Brie in a shallow baking dish that is a little larger in diameter than the cheese. You will be using this as your serving dish, too. If you don't have an oven safe dish you can bake the Brie on a sheet of foil on a baking sheet and then transfer to your dish.

  Bake the cheese for about 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is soft to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top of the cheese evenly with the sugar. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. (See tips for using a kitchen torch in the post above.)
• Let cool for a minute or two, to let the caramelized layer harden. Serve the Brie right away with crackers or a fresh baguette.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: baked appetizers, baked cheese, brie, cheese, Thanksgiving

Nutrition

Serving: 1 ounce · Calories: 100 kcal · Carbohydrates: 2 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 8 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g · Cholesterol: 28 mg · Sodium: 178 mg · Potassium: 43 mg · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 168 IU · Calcium: 52 mg · Iron: 0.1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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Brûléed Brie FAQS