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Cranberry Baked Brie

Cranberry Baked Brie — An EASY 15-minute appetizer that’s filled AND topped with richly spiced orange-scented cranberry sauce. Perfect for holiday entertaining! This baked cranberry brie is salty, tart-yet-sweet, and IRRESISTIBLE!



Easy Cranberry Brie Appetizer

I love baked brie so much that I try not to make it very often — because there’s no stopping once I start!

This easy, 15-minute cranberry and brie appetizer that’s filled and topped with richly spiced and orange-scented cranberry sauce is perfect for holiday entertaining. 

Whether you make it as a Thanksgiving side or as an appetizer for Christmas or New Year’s Eve parties, it will be ooh’ed and ahh’ed over and devoured. Salty, tart-yet-sweet, and of course melted cheese is irresistible.

If you have homemade cranberry sauce — like Red Wine Cranberry Sauce — on hand, go with that. Or make this as a way to use up your leftover cranberry sauce. Winning at leftovers by way of cheese is always a great idea.

Ingredients for Cranberry Baked Brie 

To make the baked brie with cranberry sauce, you’ll need: 

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

If You’re Using Store-Bought Cranberry Sauce…

If you don’t have homemade cranberry sauce on hand and don’t want to make either of my 30-minute versions, no biggie. Doctor up a can of store-bought by adding orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla extract. A splash of spiced rum rather than vanilla is nice too.

How to Make Cranberry Baked Brie

Making baked brie with cranberry sauce couldn’t be simpler! Here’s an overview of the recipe steps:

  1. Slice a round of brie in half and top with cranberry sauce. Brie is easiest to slice when it’s cold, so be sure to cut it right after you remove it from the fridge!
  2. Add the other brie half, top with more cranberry sauce.
  3. Bake for about 10-15 minutes and serve!

Baking Tip

I have baked this on parchment paper that’s on a baking sheet and then transferred the parchment to a serving dish and cut off the excess parchment, as shown in the photos. And I have used an oven-safe baking dish lined with parchment for easier cleanup and served out of the baking dish. Do whatever is easiest.

Recipe FAQs

How Long to Bake Brie?

Because all ovens, the baking method chosen, and the ingredients used will vary, the baking time will be a little different for everyone so check early and often. My cranberry brie baked for roughly 10 minutes. 

Look for cheese that’s starting to melt but pull it from the oven before it turns into a total oozing hot mess and collapses.

Can I Wrap This Baked Brie in Puff Pastry? 

If you make one of my homemade cranberry sauces, you should be fine to wrap this cranberry brie in puff pastry since my sauces are quite thick. If you’re looking for a recipe for a recipe for something along those lines, make my Baked Brie In Puff Pastry which has been tested specifically for puff pastry.

Can Baked Brie Be Prepared in Advance?

The most you can do to prep for this recipe is make the cranberry sauce beforehand. Otherwise, you really can’t prep this dish in advance. 

What’s the best cranberry sauce for brie?

The answer is: whatever you have on hand! Depending on what I’m craving the week of Thanksgiving, I either prepare homemade red wine cranberry sauce, currant cranberry sauce, or apple cranberry sauce. Store-bought works, too!

What to Serve with Cranberry Sauce Baked Brie

I like to serve my Thanksgiving baked brie with cranberries with one or more of the following:

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4.47 from 56 votes

Cranberry Baked Brie

By Averie Sunshine
An EASY 15-minute appetizer that's filled AND topped with richly spiced orange-scented cranberry sauce. Perfect for holiday entertaining!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients  

  • about 1 cup homemade cranberry sauce*
  • one 8-ounce round wheel brie, cold
  • about 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
  • fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnishing

If using store-bought sauce:

  • one 14-ounce can whole-cranberry sauce
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, optional and to taste
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, may be substituted with orange extract and/or 1 to 2 tablespoons spiced rum
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet or an oven-safe baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper; set aside.
  • If you are using homemade sauce or leftover cranberry sauce, skip to step 3. If using canned sauce, add it to a medium bowl with the sugars (some canned sauces are still quite tart and you will appreciate the optional granulated sugar), orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, and stir to combine; set aside. Note – you will not use all of the sauce for this recipe and will have some leftover for another use.
  • Slice the round of brie horizontally in half to create two equal sized rounds. Place one of the halves (rind side down) on the parchment paper.
  • Evenly top with about 1/2 cup of the cranberry sauce, leaving a 1/2-inch bare margin around the perimeter.
  • Top with the other brie half (rind side up) to create a ‘sandwich’.
  • Evenly top with another 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, leaving a 1/2-inch bare margin around the perimeter. Optionally, if you don’t prefer as much rind on your brie, you can gently remove some or all of the top rind before adding the remaining cranberry mixture but I keep it on.
  • Optionally, evenly sprinkle with chopped nuts.
  • Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until fruit is warmed and cheese has softened but hasn’t turned into a gooey mess and collapses. Because all ovens, equipment, ingredients, etc. vary, watch closely and check early because there can be quite a bit of variance in the baking time.
  • Garnish with rosemary and serve immediately with crackers, bread, crudites, etc.

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 291kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 184mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 35g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Holiday Appetizers:

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry — Warm melted cheese, layered with cranberry sauce, and baked in flaky puff pastry is a crowd FAVORITE appetizer! Fast and EASY for you, IRRESISTIBLE for everyone else! It’s the PERFECT holiday appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, holiday parties, or New Year’s Eve! 

Black Currant and Walnut Stuffed Baked Brie — Gooey, amazing, salty-and-sweet! Stuffed with jam, topped with walnuts, and so easy! Perfect for holiday entertaining and parties!

Baked Brie with Balsamic Cherries – Only 3 ingredients and ready in 15 minutes! So easy and so good!

Hawaiian Roll Turkey and Cheese Sliders — Juicy turkey, Swiss cheese, and cranberry sauce all nestled in soft Hawaiian rolls that are brushed with butter and topped with poppy seeds for the BEST turkey sliders! FAST, EASY, and takes advantage of leftover turkey! Deli turkey also works.

Ham and Cheese Sliders – Baked juicy ham and Swiss nestled in soft Hawaiian rolls and brushed with a buttery Dijon, onion, and poppy seed topping!! Fast, EASY, and a party FAVORITE!!

Easy Jalapeño and Red Pepper Cheese Ball – Just spicy enough that the more you have, the more you want! A fast, easy, and foolproof hit!

Layered Cheese Slices – Cream cheese with nuts and dried cranberries in between cheese slices! The easiest appetizer ever and can be made it in advance! Everyone loves this goofproof recipe!

Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath — A delectable cheese ball mixture rolled in festive and colorful toppings and arranged into a wreath! EASY to make and can be made IN ADVANCE! No one can resist the allure of cheese!