Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce

One of my family’s favorite easy dinners is a cheese plate. And this baked brie with cranberry sauce really takes your cheese plate from ordinary to outstanding.

There’s just something special about brie. Whether you enjoy it on Tuesday night or New Year’s Eve, it makes the simplest evening feel like a party. You’ll always find a brie wheel at our birthday parties and family gatherings. And this baked brie with cranberry sauce is perfect for the holidays!

Why You’ll Love It:

Baked brie with cranberry sauce is so easy to make. Don’t be scared by the homemade cranberry sauce. It really is impossible to mess up. But if you’re pinched for time, feel free to substitute canned sauce. Between the absolutely delicious puff pastry and creamy brie no-one will even notice.

I can’t really pick just one star of this dish. The brie, the puff pastry, and the cranberry sauce all come together to make the perfect appetizer. But the great thing is that none of the components of bake brie with cranberry sauce require a whole lot of work.

You can find puff pastry sheets in the freezer section of most grocery stores. My grocery store also has a refrigerated version which I like even better. It only comes with one in the package, so I don’t have to worry about what to do with the extra puff pastry sheet. (Or, more likely, stumble upon the long-forgotten sheets at the bottom of my freezer.)

You also don’t have to worry about defrosting it first. Which is a step I almost always forgot. (If you do have the frozen puff pastry sheets and forget to defrost the ahead of time, open the box and separate the sheets. After a couple of minutes you will be able to carefully unfold the sheet. This will help the puff pastry defrost faster.=, in about twenty minutes).

In a pinch, you can also substitute Pillsbury crescent rolls for the puff pastry. Look for the dough sheet to make it even easier.

Not only is baked brie with cranberry sauce easy, it’s delicious. Like melt in your mouth, ignore all the other appetizers, go back for more delicious. And it’s impressive. Even though it’s super easy to make, there’s just something about that beautiful shiny pastry crust with the warm melty brie spilling out and the pop of color that make people ooh and ahh. (Or maybe they are just anticipating how good it is going to taste).

How to Make Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce:

Cranberry Sauce

Start by making the cranberry sauce. Give you cranberries and good rinse and pick through. Discard any cranberries that are brown, soft, or mushy. You don’t have to worry about drying the off because you are going to add water to the pot.

In a medium saucepan combine the cranberries, orange juice, water, brown sugar, and white sugar. You can reduce the amount of sugar you use. But you will also want to reduce the amount of water. You can also use all white sugar (although I love the depth of flavor that the brown sugar adds). And, you can even make this sugar-free by using brown-sugar Splenda or Truvia.

Cook the cranberry sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have mostly burst. I use a wooden spoon to smash up the cranberries a little bit ore. Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. You don’t have to babysit this sauce. Just keep the heat between medium and low and stir occasionally.

When you remove the cranberry sauce fro the heat you can stir in the orange peel, if using. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Baked Brie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Carefully open or unroll the puff pastry onto the parchment line baking sheet.

Add about cup of the cranberry sauce to the center of the dough. Place brie on top of cranberry sauce and gather up dough to cover the brie wheel. Trim the extra puff pastry so the dough sits flat.

Flip your brie wheel over and place with the seam side down on the baking sheet. Make a quick egg wash. Crack an egg into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Use a fork to beat the egg. Spread the egg wash onto the top and sides of the puff pastry with a pastry brush.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is lightly browned. Serve baked brie with cranberries warm.

Enjoy!

Truly, the only thing you need to enjoy baked brie with cranberry sauce is a fork. Both my daughter and I often cut off a wedge and just eat it as is. The puff pastry stands in for a cracker.

But it’s also delicious served with your favorite cracker. I also love to serve brie with grapes or apples or dried fruit.

Baked brie with cranberry sauce can easily be the star of a cheese plate. Fill out your plate with some hard and savory cheeses. Or just enjoy with your favorite gals of wine.

Happy Eating!

PS: Want another delicious appetizer? Try this Spinach Dip for a refreshing option.