This easy Baked Brie recipe is a favorite for holiday entertaining and cocktail parties.
Ok, friends… today I present to you the most delicious appetizer on the planet, if you’re a cheese lover! Baked brie is absolutely the best. It’s ooey and gooey, and you won’t be able to stop dipping bread slices in all of that decadent melted cheese. I’m going to call it the perfect appetizer for entertaining during the holidays. I make this all year long for cocktail parties too.
My history with baked brie:
Long before I started this website, I worked at a catering company. I packed parties, prepared all of the food, worked the parties and did dishes. My favorite appetizer when I catered parties was the baked brie. We used to make it in giant form– a huge round of brie kept warm and melted in a chafing dish. It was always a very popular food item at events where it was displayed, and I always managed to sneak in a few samplings because it was SO GOOD!
How to make Baked Brie:
It’s very easy to make this. You’ll begin with a round of bread and a round of brie. You’ll need them to be around the same size (the bread slightly larger than the brie), so just compare at the store and see what they have that works. You’ll dig out the bread, as shown in the photo. Save those bread pieces because those will be the dunkers for the melted brie. Then you’ll brush all of the bread with a mix of olive oil and garlic.
The next thing you’ll do is slice around the top of the brie with a sharp knife. You won’t take the top off until AFTER baking. The brie bread bowl is placed onto a baking sheet with the bread chunks, and then it’s baked in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Once out of the oven, you’ll grab the top of the brie and pull it away from the melted cheese– using a knife to scrape any attached melted cheese back into the bowl. Then you can serve your baked brie as is, or you can edge it with toasted almonds and dried cranberries for a more festive look.
How to toast sliced almonds:
Place a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced almonds. Stir occasionally to avoid burning, toasting the nuts until fragrant and golden. About 3 minutes.
It’s ready for serving as soon as it comes out of the oven, so make sure your guests are there and ready to start dunking! Include a little cheese knife on your platter for when you begin to get to the bottom of the bowl and the cheese isn’t quite as melted anymore. I think you’re going to find that everyone loves this Baked Brie a lot. Enjoy!
Here are a few more baked appetizer recipes you might like to try:
- Baked Jalapeno Poppers
- Baked Cream Cheese Wontons
- Low Fat Baked Crab Cakes
- Baked Cuban Sliders
- Baked Brie with Blueberry Sauce
- Chutney Baked Brie
- Baked Goat Cheese and Honey
Baked Brie
Ingredients
- 1 round loaf of French or sourdough bread
- 1 round of brie (the size that will fit inside the round loaf of bread)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- sliced toasted almonds and dried cranberries, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut through the bread and leave a shell about 1/2-inch thick on all sides. Scoop out the bread in the center and tear or slice the bread into chunks.
- Mix the oil and garlic in a blender (or stir together in a bowl). Brush the garlic oil inside the bread shell and extra slices with the oil mixture. Cut around the top of the brie round with a sharp knife. No need to remove it yet... you're just cutting into it so it will be easy to remove after the cheese melts. Place the cheese inside the bread shell. Place the filled shell and bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Watch closely and remove the bread chunks when they are crisp. Place the bread bowl of cheese on a serving board, and surround it with the toasted bread slices. Gently remove the top rind of the brie, scraping any melted brie that wants to stay attached to the rind back into the shell. Holiday tip: Sprinkle dried cranberries and toasted almond slices around the edges of the melted brie.Your guests should be instructed to dip their toasts into the melted cheese for serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could I use use fresh cranberries ?
I believe they would be much too tart.
I brought this baked brie to a dinner party tonight and it was a huge hit. The cranberries and toasted almonds on top are a must – I even brought extra in side dishes.
Yumm! I’m about to work on a new Brie recipe I’ve been thinking about… this looks like a great adaptation! I can’t recall ever seeing it done in a sourdough breadbowl before!