Before I take a few days off for Christmas, I’ve got one last delicious drop for you. I would suggest that if you were to make one special dish for yourself this Christmas season, it should be baked brie.
Baked brie is not only an easy appetizer, it’s also a delicious treat that can be prepared in no time at all. There are several ways to top baked brie.
My baked brie was topped with caramelized apples and pecans, but there are many other topping options below.
If you want to know more, see the specific recipe below with Apronese.
What is Brie?
A Brie cheese is a soft, creamy cow’s milk cheese with a pillowy white outer rind and a creamy, beige center.
At room temperature, the cheese is soft and spreadable, but when it is baked for a short time, it becomes ultra melty and creamy, and it’s one of my favorite treats. My favorite thing about Brie is how rich and creamy it is, which makes it perfect for special occasions, such as the Christmas season.
The brie cheese is usually sold in small wheels or wedges.
The brie should be purchased in a whole 8oz. wheel for this recipe because when the cheese is softened, it will melt into a near-liquid form when it is sliced into small wedges.
Is the Rind Edible?
I am happy to inform you that the soft white rind on brie cheese is 100% edible. Some people are not interested in the musky flavor, but for me, it is an enticing contrast between the earthy exterior and the creamy interior.
Regardless of whether you prefer the rind flavor or not, if you still don’t know, you may want to remove the rind before topping and baking your cheese wheel.
This will enable you to scoop the cheese out of the center without getting any rind in your mouth. It is important to keep the bottom rind intact, as well as the sides, to ensure that the melted cheese stays inside.
The Budget Guide to Brie
I wouldn’t worry about buying a less expensive brie cheese because even lower level cheeses are so creamy and delicious that I wouldn’t worry about buying one at a lower price point.
At Aldi, I found one for $2.99, and at Kroger, I found another for $3.49 (other brands can easily cost 2-3 times that). Typically, brie cheese is found at specialty cheese counters, while less expensive wheels are typically found near prepackaged refrigerated cheeses.
You can check your local grocery stores’ websites to see their selection and prices before heading out before driving from store to store. Search for “brie” on each store’s site before heading out.
What Kind of Baking Dish to Use
As a general rule, if you’re cooking baked brie, you’ll want an oven-safe dish that is the same size or smaller than your wheel of brie.
To ensure that the toppings will overflow if you’re adding something like caramelized apples like I did below, you need a dish that’s a little bigger (maybe one inch wider in diameter) than the one where you’re adding them.
Topping Ideas for Baked Brie
My baked brie is topped with caramelized apples and pecans for a tasty little treat (recipe below), but there are so many other ways you can top it, some of which just require you to open up a jar of your choice. Here are a few of the many ways that you can top your baked brie:
- Honey, nuts, and flakey sea salt
- Apricot jam and pistachios
- Fig jam
- Cranberry sauce or cranberry relish
- Cranberry sauce or cranberry relish
- Caramelized spiced pears
Easy Baked Brie with Apples
Whether you’re celebrating a holiday party or spending a special night in to relax with a friend at home, this deliciously decadent baked Brie is the perfect appetizer.
Author: Beth
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 apple ($0.70)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.09)
- 1 pinch cinnamon ($0.02)
- 8 oz. wheel of brie ($2.99)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans ($0.52)
Instructions
- You need to preheat the oven to 350oF. Peel and chop the apple into 1/2 inch long pieces, then put them in a baking dish.
- The butter should first be melted in a small skillet over medium heat, then add the chopped apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Once the butter has been melted, mix the apple pieces into the brown sugar and then wait for about 10 minutes until the brown sugar has reduced into a sticky caramel.
- If you want to remove the top layer of rind from the wheel of brie, you can do so, or leave it whole and score the top of it with a hatch pattern. You can then place the brie in a small baking dish, then add the caramelized apples on top and finish by scattering the chopped pecans on top.
- After the brie has been preheated in the oven for 15 minutes, you are ready to serve it as a warm appetizer with crackers, bread slices, or apple slices.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 serving ・ Calories: 230 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 11 g ・ Protein: 8 g ・ Fat: 18 g ・ Sodium: 273 mg ・ Fiber: 1 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make Baked Brie with Apples – Step by Step Photos
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and chop an apple and place it in a bowl.
Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. As soon as that is done, add the chopped apples, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon to the skillet and keep cooking for another minute.
Cook the apples in the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until the apples are softened and the brown sugar has turned into a thick caramel sauce (about 10 minutes). You can stir in the chopped pecans now (¼ cup) if you want them more like candied pecans, or add them later if you want them to have a more toasty flavor.
In order to bake your brie, place the wheel of cheese in an oven-safe dish close to the size of the cheese wheel. To get rid of the rind, you would need to slice the top of the wheel off, as it has an unfortunate flavor to it.
In my opinion, the best way to make it easy to dip crackers into the crackers is to score the top in a hatch pattern that makes it easier to do so. If you do not like the rind intact, you can also leave it intact.
There are several ways you can cook caramelized apples with this recipe: put them on a wheel of brie, top them with 1/4 cup chopped pecans, and bake them for 15 minutes in a 350°F oven preheated to 350°F.
It’s still hot out there, so don’t wait until it’s too late to dig in.
A delicious dish that Apronese believes that even fastidious people must fall in love with. Share your thoughts on this dish in the comments section.
