Baked cranberry brie is an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer to add to your menus this holiday season. 

Baked Cranberry Brie: An Easy Showstopper

This cranberry and brie appetizer is a stunner, but it’s an easy addition to your menu when hosting. You can have the cheese assembled and ready to bake in advance, and pop it into the oven right before your guests arrive. For ease, you can use an organic, canned cranberry sauce, but if you’re already making a side of sauce, steal a scoop for this dish.

I like to make my homemade cranberry sauce with wine instead of water, so for an extra layer of flavor, you can add a splash of cooking wine to store-bought cranberry sauce. The possibilities are pretty endless: add a kick of orange zest, swap the cranberry sauce for a fig jam, or add the whole dish to a cheese and charcuterie board for a real show-stopper.

If you’re attending a dinner party, this baked cranberry brie is still an easy appetizer you can offer to bring. Pre-bake at home so the puff pastry is lightly golden, then finish baking at your host’s house.

It seems this appetizer is also a pup-pleaser. Maple couldn’t resist, and I can’t blame her for trying.

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Cranberry Baked Brie

Course: Appetizer

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (I like the Dufour brand)
• 1 8-12 ounce wheel of brie cheese
• cranberry sauce
• toasted pecans, roughly chopped
• fresh sage and thyme
• 1 egg, beaten
• rosemary sea salt, optional

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Flatten the puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the brie in the center of the pastry and remove a thin layer of the rind from the top of the brie.
• Spread the cranberry sauce over top, then top with fresh herbs and pecans.
• Fold the corners of the pastry over the brie, and seal the edges. Top with an additional puff pastry shape if you have extra dough and want to add a garnish.
• Brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with rosemary sea salt or the spice of your choosing.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown.
• Serve warm with crackers (I recommend cranberry & herb and/or corn-anise biscuits) or baguette.