This baked brie recipe is perfect for the holidays, or any party! A wheel of brie is topped with an orange/cranberry spread, crunchy walnuts, and floral honey, then baked until perfectly gooey. Serve with baguette slices, apples, crackers, and more!
This is one of my Appetizer recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
If you’re looking for a super easy holiday appetizer, look no further!
Even if you’ve never used brie before, I promise you, you can make this. There’s no puff pastry dough to fool with, just top the brie and bake it.
In our family, we don’t usually do appetizers for holiday dinners, since we all just wait to fill up on dinner later… but I know a lot of people serve appetizers before Thanksgiving and Christmas.
And this recipe is great for that! The cranberry and orange flavors match so well with the buttery walnuts, and the gooey brie cheese.
Plus, you can assemble it ahead of time, then just pop it in the oven about 15 minutes before you want to eat!
How to make baked brie?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Pulse cranberries and orange juice. This breaks up the cranberries into much smaller pieces, but you can use a knife to chop them if you prefer.
- Combine cranberry orange mixture. Mix the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, and orange marmalade.
- Assemble. Top the brie with the cranberry orange mixture, walnuts, then honey.
- Bake. This doesn’t take too long, about 12-15 minutes.
- Garnish and serve!
Helpful Tip!
Some recipes call for you to score the top of the wheel of brie, in a cross-hatch pattern. While you certainly can do that (and it makes it a little easier to dip into the top of the cheese), you don’t have to.
Variations of this recipe
- Cheese – any 8 oz wheel of brie will work for this recipe. I typically use President or Alouette double cream brie.
- Fruit – in place of cranberries, you could try using dried cherries, or figs/fig jam.
- Nuts – feel free to substitute your favorite nuts for the walnuts. Some other great alternatives are pistachios, almonds, pecans, or even pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds!
- Herbs – fresh thyme is a great alternative to the rosemary. Or you can add a pinch of dried rosemary or thyme, just be careful, since dried herbs are more potent than fresh.
- Honey – instead of traditional honey, try using hot honey (a honey that’s infused with chiles) for a fun extra zip of flavor.
- Dippers – we love to have sliced apples (honeycrisps are a favorite), buttery crackers, and crispy baguette slices. But black pepper or seed crackers are a great option as well.
FAQ’s
Nope, you can (and should) leave it on. Not only is the rind edible, it helps keep the cheese together as it bakes. Without the rind, the cheese will spill out and melt everywhere.
Since it doesn’t turn golden brown, it can seem difficult to tell when brie is “done”. But all you have to do is touch the center (with a butter knife or spoon), and it should feel really liquid-y inside.
Making baked brie ahead of time
I find baked brie tastes best when made right before serving, but parts can definitely be made ahead of time!
Complete all the steps to make the orange cranberry mixture. Then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Remove from the refrigerator, preheat oven, assemble and bake.
Storage
Leftover baked brie should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 4-5 days.
More Appetizer Recipes:
My Favorite Cast Iron Skillet!
Cast iron skillets are my go-to for recipes like this, where it makes a great presentation. However you could also use a baking dish if you’d like!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 8 oz wheel brie cheese
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup orange juice (I find this is about the equivalent of the juice of 1 orange)
- zest from 1 orange
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 Tbsp honey
Garnish
- fresh rosemary
Dippers
- apple slices we love using honeycrisp
- crackers
- toasted baguette slices ** see recipe for that in the chef notes section below the instructions **
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a cast iron skillet (or other oven save skillet). You can also use an 8×8" baking dish, just lightly grease it.
Make cranberry orange mixture
- Add the dried cranberries and orange juice to a food processor and pulse 10-20 times, until the cranberries are chopped into small pieces.
- If you don't have a food processor or would rather not use one, just use a sharp kitchen knife to finely chop the cranberries and add them to a bowl with the orange juice.
- Add the contents of the food processor to a small mixing bowl, then add the orange zest and orange marmalade and stir to combine well.
Assemble and bake
- Add the wheel of brie (leave the rind on) to the center of the skillet or baking dish. Top with the cranberry mixture, then top with walnuts, and drizzle with honey.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until gooey inside. Use a spoon or butter knife to gently press on the top, and it should feel liquid-y inside.
Serve
- Serve immediately with desired dippers. I find having a cheese knife (or just a butter knife), to help break into the rind is helpful. Enjoy!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this serves approximately 6 people, but the exact serving size is up to you.
Toasted baguette slices:
- 1 french baguette
- olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Slice baguette into roughly 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices and add to a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
- Brush each slice with olive oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until as golden brown as you’d like.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Catalina says
Mmmm…. my type of appetizer! I can’t resist it!
Erin says
Looks amazingly delicious! That is definitely a must make!
Erik says
So fancy, and I’m all here for it! Really impressed everyone.