Description
A simple yet sophisticated holiday appetizer featuring a wheel of baked brie topped with a homemade cranberry-orange sauce, toasted nuts, and fresh herbs. It looks impressive but requires minimal active cooking time.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 wheel (8-10 oz / 250-300g) Brie cheese
- 1 cup (125g) fresh cranberries
- 1 large orange (zest and juice)
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) honey
- 1/2 cup (60g) walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Optional: 1 small sprig rosemary, finely chopped
- Crackers, bread, or apple slices for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
- Chop walnuts or pecans. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, then set aside to cool.
- In a small saucepan, combine fresh cranberries, orange juice, honey, and orange zest. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and mixture thickens into a sauce (5-7 minutes).
- Remove sauce from heat and stir in thyme and black pepper. Let cool slightly.
- Place the wheel of brie in the prepared baking dish. Pour the warm cranberry-orange mixture evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle toasted nuts and extra thyme leaves over the sauce, pressing gently to adhere.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until the cheese is soft, jiggly, and bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving with crackers, bread, or apple slices.
Notes
Do not use dried cranberries as they will not create the desired sauce consistency. Toasting the nuts is essential for flavor and texture contrast. If using frozen cranberries, thaw and pat dry first. The dish is naturally gluten-free if served with GF crackers.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-18 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the wheel wit
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 12
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 10
Keywords: baked brie, cranberry orange appetizer, holiday party food, gluten-free appetizer, easy cheese recipe, autumn recipes, Thanksgiving appetizer