Elevate your Christmas appetizer game with this stunning baked brie with honey and cranberries on top. This creamy, melty brie pairs perfectly with the sweet and tart cranberry sauce creating a flavor that’s pure holiday magic! It’s perfect for a classic Christmas party, an elegant dinner party, or even just a prelude to Christmas dinner!
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Cranberry Baked Brie Recipe
Baked brie is one of my all-time favorite dishes when it’s done right. Too often you get it and the brie isn’t baked fully so it’s not melty and gooey – well this cranberry baked brie gets it right.
The combination of the melted brie, the sweet and sour cranberry sauce, and the drizzle of sweet honey on top is about as good as it gets. And it’s about as easy to make as you can get!
While this is kind of fancier version of baked brie than say my bacon brie bites, it still goes with pretty much any Christmas party theme whether you’re having a gift exchange, a night full of playing Christmas games, or even just a gingerbread house party!
You could even add this to a Christmas charcuterie board – the flavors would be great with a variety of charcuterie board crackers and dippers! And don’t forget the homemade wassail to wash it down!
Why you’ll love this baked brie in particular
- Bold flavors – a perfect blend of tangy, sweet, and creamy. It’s everything you dream about when it comes to baked brie.
- Classy appetizer – we have a lot of Christmas appetizers on our site that aren’t so classy (looking at you cheesy pigs in a blanket) but this one really does work for a Christmas dinner party or a family Christmas party!
- Beginner-friendly – this is an elegant recipe that any level of cook can do. It’s about as simple as it gets!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Cranberries – these need to be fresh and washed. Buy them in bulk and make this cranberry baked brie then this cranberry orange bread.
- Apple cider – apple juice can be used but it won’t have quite the same taste. Make sure you’re not using apple cider vinegar – that’ll be a totally different taste and not what you want.
- Brown sugar – you can use regular sugar but it will give it a lighter taste and not the rich flavor this has as written.
- Cinnamon sticks – you can swap this for ground one tsp cinnamon if you don’t have sticks.
- Spices – both the ginger and the nutmeg can be swapped for similar spices or totally omitted if you don’t have them (but it’s obviously better with it).
- Cranberry sauce – you can use a canned cranberry sauce but it won’t be nearly as good as making the homemade cranberry sauce including in this post.
- Brie round – you’ll need one full brie round. Don’t try to to use wedges or brie bites – it’d still taste good, but it’s not going to be the same gooey baked brie flavor.
How to make baked brie with honey
With all your ingredients ready, it’s time to get cooking. Here is everything you need to know, including detailed pictures on how to make this tasty baked brie appetizer!
1 – Make The Cranberry Sauce
Begin by adding the apple cider, honey, brown sugar, and spices into a small saucepan. Over medium heat, cook and stir until the sugars have been fully dissolved. Make sure to stir regularly so nothing gets stuck to the bottom and burns.
Once the sugars are dissolved, add the fresh cranberries and turn up heat until the mixture starts to boil.
Once it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the sauce to cook for roughly ten minutes. Watch out for the popping cranberries while they cook.
Once all the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool.
2 – Layer the Brie
While the cranberry sauce is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the brie in a shallow round baking dish lined with parchment paper (or don’t.- see tip below). Cut a few slits into the top wax seal of the brie.
Note!
If you are planning on serving the brie directly out of the serving dish it’s being baked in then no need to put parchment paper down.
If you want to transfer the brie onto a charcuterie board or other plate, bake it on a layer of parchment paper. This will allow you to easily slide the cooked brie onto whatever tray you want.
For easy clean up, I suggest leaving the brie on a layer of parchment paper so it doesn’t jus stick to whatever tray you put it on.
Top the brie with a generous portion of the cranberry sauce. Depending on the size of your brie round, you may have sauce left over. If you do, no worries, it goes great with turkey or pretty much any holiday meal!
3 – Bake the baked brie
Place your cranberry covered brie into the preheated oven and bake for about fifteen minutes.
Remove from the oven and cover in a healthy drizzle of honey but don’t go overboard (although I personally never think there’s enough honey so maybe do go overboard).
4 – Serve Immediately
As soon as you add the honey, put the baked brie out to let people enjoy immediately. And when I say immediately, I mean immediately – baked brie is good at room temperature but it’s amazing served warm while it’s still ooey gooey.
That’s when it’s one of my favorite things ever!
Serve with variety of crackers or bread slices for a warm holiday appetizer. Everyone will love the combo of the cranberry, honey, and melted baked brie.
Expert Tips & Storage Information
Add texture by topping brie with walnuts. For an even sweeter dish, you can use candied walnuts but for me personally, it’s a little too sweet!
Adding the honey after it is baked will keep it from getting lost in the sauce.
Double the cranberry sauce to use as a spread for your holiday dinner.
Make the cranberry sauce the day before to save time and have the baked brie ready to go in just a few minutes.
Use the leftovers as a base for a delicious turkey or ham sandwich. It’d also be really good with a little fresh basil.
Store in an airtight container for up to five days in a fridge. Reheat by placing in a cold oven and preheating the oven to 350 degrees and letting the brie warm up again with the oven. It’ll be almost as good as new!
Baked Brie FAQs
Do you take the rind off before baking?
Nope, if you remove the rind before you bake it, all that cheesy goodness will melt everywhere.
Is the rind edible?
Yes! Though it’s much tougher than the soft cheese interior, you can eat the rind or eat around it if you prefer.
Can you make this ahead of time?
Baked brie is best enjoyed warm while the cheese is nice and melted, so I recommend not making it ahead of time but instead baking it right before you’re going to serve. You can, however, make the cranberry sauce ahead of time an store that in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the brie!
More Easy Christmas Appetizers
This baked brie would pair perfectly with any of these other easy Christmas appetizers!
- Broccoli bites – their green color makes these a fun and festive Christmas snack!
- Homemade chex mix – one of my all-time favorite snacks, this one goes with everything!
- Pesto crostini Christmas tree – a fun and festive appetizer that uses our delicious creamy pesto sauce!
- Caprese salad skewers – red, green, and absolutely delicious!
- Ham and cheese Christmas trees – a kid-friendly and fun Christmas tree appetizer filled with familiar flavors!
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Baked Brie with Honey and Cranberries
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce
- 6 oz cranberries
- ½ cup apple cider
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Baked Brie
- 8 oz brie round
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped – optional garnish
Instructions
Cranberry Sauce
- Add the apple cider, brown sugar, and spices into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stir until the sugars have been fully dissolved.1/2 cup apple cider, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger
- Once dissolved, add the fresh cranberries and turn up heat until the mixture starts to boil.6 oz cranberries
- Reduce to a simmer and allow the sauce to cook for roughly ten minutes.
- Once all the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened remove from heat and allow to cool.
Baked Brie
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the brie in a shallow round baking dish. Cut a few slits into the top rind of the brie.8 oz brie round
- Top the brie with a generous portion of the cranberry sauce (this will vary depending on the size of your brie).
- Bake in preheated oven for fifteen minutes.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle honey over warm brie. Top with chopped walnuts if desired.1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup walnuts
- Serve with crackers or bread for a warm holiday appetizer.
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