Baked Brie recipe with Honey-Balsamic Cranberry Sauce, topped with Pecans and Pomegranates - perfect appetizer for the holidays!
Baked brie recipe is one of those easy appetizers that you just put in the oven to bake while you're reaching for crackers and preparing plates. While at it, why not make a delicious cranberry sauce to go with the melting brie cheese?
I love this time of the year! Festivities, decorations, Christmas music, snow. I am still in love with the holiday season as much as when I was a kid. And one of the best things about this time of year is that I get to indulge myself in cooking with the holiday ingredients, such as cranberries, pecans, and pomegranate. I use them literally on everything! Not surprisingly, these make great toppings and taste DELICIOUS on a soft, melted, baked brie cheese.
This baked brie recipe is so easy. Just bake the brie in the preheated oven at 350 F for 15 minutes. In the mean time, prepare the honey-balsamic cranberry sauce. Then pour it over the freshly baked brie, and sprinkle with the toppings: chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds! That's it! The whole recipe takes at most 30 minutes.
It's also a very budget-friendly appetizer. Many varieties of brie cheeses sold in the grocery stores are cheap and affordable. And, when baked and adorned with cranberries, pecans, and pomegranate, the melted soft cheese makes a really beautiful and delicious snack. Even though this baked brie recipe is supposed to make 6 servings, it's so good, my husband and I ate the whole wheel of brie that you see on the photos just by ourselves, in one sitting. And, we had a whole dinner afterwards, too.
Talking about dinner. If you want to make something other than ham for Christmas dinner, check out this beautiful and delicious roast duck with honey-balsamic glaze, or make duck breast with cranberry sauce, or try easy and super tasty paprika roasted cornish hen with vegetables.
Also, if you need some ideas for sides I have a great collection of 10 holiday side dishes.
And, I do hope you try this baked brie cheese recipe and enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!
Baked Brie with Cranberries, Pecans, Pomegranate
Ingredients
- 8 oz brie cheese (whole wheel of brie cheese)
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a small baking dish with parchment paper. Place brie into the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes until the brie softens.
- To a small saucepan or skillet, add honey, balsamic vinegar, and dried cranberries. Bring this mixture to boil, constantly stirring, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 minute, stirring, until the sauce reduces just a bit, and the cranberries puff up.
- Carefully transfer the brie to a serving dish, using something flat like a pie server. Top with hot honey-balsamic-cranberry mixture. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds.
- Serve with crackers.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hello Julia,
When I was a little girl, I ate some pomegranate seeds, but had to spit out the seeds. Do you eat them or spit them out or what? Appreciate your answer. Thanks.
Flo
Hello Julia, can the topping be made the day before and then rewarm after baking brie? Or, alternative preparing topping day before and instead of rewarming just top and bake with Brie? Thank you
Debbie, both options would work great! You can make the topping the day before and warm it up separately or together with brie (in the oven) when ready to serve.
Do not warm up the topping with the pomegranate seeds - just sprinkle them fresh on top.
Also, keep pecans separate and add them right before serving, as they will lose all their texture and get soft and soggy in the sauce.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays! ❤️❤️
If I use a high quality balsamic vinegar I got from Italy that is already thick do I need to add the honey?
Angela, no, you don't need to add honey if you use a thick, high-quality aged balsamic vinegar. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️
I so want to try this!!!
It's really good! Happy Holidays!
can you use fresh cranberries
Cindy, if you want to use fresh cranberries, I would do this:
1) Roast fresh cranberries in the preheated oven at 400 F on the parchment paper line baking sheet (spread out the cranberries) for about 15-20 minutes or until most of the cranberries have popped.
2) Add roasted cranberries to a heat-proof medium bowl. Add honey (to taste), and mix. And then use them in this recipe (adding the balsamic, etc.).
I would like to take this to a Thanksgiving get together. Can you recommend a way to modify this recipe with suggestions for prep/transporting and reheating?
Judy, I would do the following to make it ahead:
1) Make the sauce in advance.
2) Bring pecans in a small Ziploc bag and pomegranate arils in another separate small Ziploc bag.
3) Take the refrigerated brie still packaged. Bake the brie when ready to serve and warm up the sauce briefly in the microwave.
4) When the brie is done, pour the warmed-up sauce over the brie and top with pecans and pomegranate.
This brie was a showstopper yesterday! So beautiful. the only problem was that it wasn't enough cheese - so will have to make more next time.
So pleased this recipe was a hit at your Thanksgiving! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback - I appreciate it!
This was our appetizer this Thanksgiving, and it was a hit! The cheese got cold since we were running late, but it didn't matter - the cranberry sauce made it so delicious! Will make it again.
This appetizer is a great choice for Thanksgiving! Glad you liked it and thank you for your comment and a 5-star review - I appreciate it! 🙂
Looks yummy! Would Craisins be dried cranberries, or are there unsweetened ones?
Craisins would work great! I used dried sweetened cranberries.
Looks delicious!
I just made this tonight using dried cranberries. Everyone loved it! I did bake it with the sauce on it with made it even better.
Amy, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! It sounds delicious to bake the brie with the sauce on it!
Great recipe! This is now my go-to for baked brie. You don't miss the pastry at all, and it's beautiful, too.
Glad you liked this recipe!
Oh my!! This sounds terrific and I am going to make it for MY husbands 75th birthday dinner with nine close friends on The 30th!