Baked Brie Recipe, served with Cranberries and Bourbon Pecans

This baked Brie recipe with cranberry sauce and bourbon candied pecans will be your new favorite recipe for entertaining. It’s straightforward to mix and absolutely irresistible!

At a glance

What stands out: It looks impressive and tastes as good as it looks.

How long it takes: 20 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, oven
Servings: 8

Imagine us, rushing around on a busy morning, needing to get approximately a million things done before we leave for recess duty at noon. This seems to be our life lately, always rushing to get something done before we have to leave to go somewhere.

We realize that this struggle is not unique to us, but this was the case for us the day we were photographing this cranberry baked Brie. Running up and down the stairs, setting up the scene in our studio, putting the finishing touches on the recipe, music loud on Alexa, trying to get it all done.

But now imagine us, sitting on the floor of our studio, eating “just one more bite” of this baked Brie recipe. IT IS SO GOOD. We may have even had a sip of the champagne we used to style the photo. Only one, though, we pinky swear!

By the way, we did make it to school in time (showered, too!), and every single bite of this Brie was worth the rush that ensued afterwards.

Since then, we've made baked Brie time and time again for guests and it’s always a hit. Recipes like this baked Brie are our favorite kind of recipes: they look fancy but are deceptively straightforward to mix. If you’re looking for more recipes like that, be sure to check out our list of 32 Straightforward Holiday Appetizers.

About this Baked Brie Appetizer

Okay guys, seriously. We need to talk about how good this is. The creamy, rich Brie, the sweet syrupy cranberry sauce, and then the BOURBON GLAZED PECANS! Oops, sorry for yelling but we get a little carried away when something is so good.

Thinking about the holidays? Cranberries and Thanksgiving dinner go hand in hand. The sprigs of frosty green rosemary and bright red berries are just right for Christmas too.

We'll get you started with the recipe here and give you a few extra pointers.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 8 oz. Round of Brie Cheese: If you’re not familiar with this type of cheese, look for it in the deli section of the grocery store. It’s a soft cow’s milk cheese with an edible rind that often comes in a little round wooden box. A common brand in the U.S. is Président Cheese.
• Canned Whole Cranberry Sauce: We’re looking for whole cranberries here so don’t buy the jellied cranberry sauce which will turn into a syrupy mess.
• Pecans: Chop most of the pecans but if you like, leave a few of them whole. They look a little more impressive that way.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar has more flavor than light brown sugar but don’t worry if light brown is all that you have. It will work fine.
• Pure Maple Syrup: No substitutions with this ingredient! Do NOT use pancake syrup which isn’t maple syrup at all.
• Bourbon: You only need one tablespoon which provides plenty of flavor. Is the alcohol burned off? Sorry, no. For more information, check out this post from Idaho State University.
• Nutmeg and Cinnamon: These warm spices add lots of flavor. Try grating your own nutmeg, it’s so much better tasting!
• Crackers or Crostini: Even though you’ll want to eat the cheese by the spoonful, crackers or crostini provide a nice crispy platform. Learn how to make crostini –it’s straightforward and much more economical.
• Sugared Cranberries and Fresh Rosemary, for optional garnish: It’s straightforward to mix sugared cranberries too. And don’t they look cool? They add so much flair to a cheese board.

How it comes together

It’s straightforward! Turn the oven on, let’s get started.

Find a small baking pan and line it with parchment paper. You don’t want a pan to wash, right? Unwrap the round of cheese and place it on the parchment paper.

Spoon the cranberry sauce on top of the cheese — not the whole can, just a half cup!

In a small bowl, mix together the pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, nutmeg and cinnamon. Doesn’t that smell good?

Spoon the nut mixture over the cranberries.

Good so far? You should have kind of a layered thing going: cheese, cranberries, nuts. Pop the cheese with toppings into the oven and bake it for about ten to fifteen minutes. The cheese should feel soft and squishy in the middle.

Take the pan out of the oven and wait about five minutes before serving it. You don’t want anyone to scorch the inside of their mouth.

Although it’s evenly okay to leave it in the pan, you may use a large spatula to carefully transfer the round of cheese with the toppings onto a platter. Surround it with crackers or crostini and garnish with sugared (candied) cranberries and a sprig or two of fresh rosemary. Voilà!

Drink Pairings

Looking for a great cocktail to serve with this cranberry and cheese appetizer? Of course you are! Try a Vanilla Bourbon Fizz (Bourbon Champagne Cocktail) or a Cranberry Gin and Tonic with Rosemary. A Maple Old Fashioned or a simple Negroni are good choices, too.

Before you start

Make It Your Own

Take a look at the FAQ section for ideas. Here’s a few more thoughts from the cook.

• Alcohol free: Simply omit the bourbon. Really, that’s okay! Add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup to the pecan mixture. After you take the cheese out of the oven, a sprinkle of finely grated orange zest will easily make up for the loss of the bourbon.
• Double the recipe. Make two 8 oz. rounds of Brie on the same baking sheet and double all the topping ingredients, dividing the topping evenly between each round.

Make-Ahead Ideas

This straightforward appetizer only takes about five minutes to prep. The most time-consuming part is the pecan mixture. This can be prepped ahead in a small bowl and covered until you’re ready to bake the brie. If you want, open the can of cranberries and measure out the amount you need and cover the measuring cup until you’re ready.

If you’re planning on making your own crostini, you can do that up to two days in advance. Once they’ve cooled completely, put them into an airtight container.

Sugared cranberries can be made ahead, too, and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Keeping leftovers

Um, there won’t be any leftovers. Trust us on that one. If there are, you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave, but this is best eaten fresh.

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 round (8 ounces) Brie cheese
• ½ cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce (you won't use the whole can)
• ⅓ cup roughly chopped pecans (leave a few whole if desired)
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best!)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For serving:

• sugared cranberries (optional garnish)
• fresh rosemary sprigs (optional garnish)
• crackers or toasted baguette slices

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Unwrap the brie cheese, and place it on the baking sheet. Spoon cranberry sauce on top.
3. In a small bowl, mix pecans with brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
4. Pour the pecan mixture evenly over the cranberries, to form another layer.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is soft in the center, and liquids are syrupy and bubbling. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
6. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and sugared cranberries, if desired. Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices (crostini).

Notes

How to make sugared cranberries: They’re straightforward to mix with only 2 ingredients (sugar and fresh cranberries). Try our recipe for sugared cranberries.

From-scratch crostini: To serve with the baked brie, make your own toasted baguette slices. Learn how with this recipe: how to make crostini. You only need 2 ingredients (baguette and olive oil) and they can be made ahead.