Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce

Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.

Let’s talk about holiday appetizers and cocktail party snacks. Everyone needs just one or two really reliable crowd-pleasers around the holidays, no? It’s a relief for a cook to set out a plate of tasty bites while he puts the finishing touches on a meal. And in the spirit of giving, let me offer you the prettiest, easiest, and most lusciously decadent appetizer I know: baked brie in sweet cranberry sauce. I mean, hello.

I adore cranberries and I don’t think that they should be relegated to just one appearance on the Thanksgiving table. Their tangy zip and vivid color are a boon to all kinds of fall and winter dishes. They also keep very well. I usually stash a few bags in the freezer during post-Thanksgiving sales.

This appetizer features all of these good things about cranberries, and it uses up leftover cranberry sauce, too. It’s a great reason to just make a little extra for Thanksgiving dinner. Better yet, double the recipe. People love this stuff.

• Deliciously old-school. Ooey and gooey and deliciously old-school, this is by far my favorite way to make baked brie. The brie’s woodsy richness is complemented by the tart, slightly astringent cranberries, and it’s baked until it’s bubbling and oozey then scooped up with crackers.
• It’s rich, sweet, and festive. Baked brie is the ultimate holiday appetizer, although I’ve found that people will attack it at any time of year.

• Brie: Use an (8-ounce) round of brie cheese. Keep it chilled before baking.
• Cranberry sauce: You can use any whole berry cranberry sauce, such as our spiced cranberry sauce.
• Brown sugar: Add light or dark brown sugar for some sweetness.
• Orange zest: Finely grated orange zest brings citrusy aroma and flavor.
• Nuts: Choose any combination of coarsely chopped nuts, such as pistachios, almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
  

1. Make the cranberry sauce topping. Stir the cranberry sauce, brown sugar, vanilla extract, finely grated orange zest, and ground nutmeg together in a small bowl.
2. Assemble. Place the cold brie cheese round in a small baking dish or pie plate. Spoon the cranberry mixture over the top and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
3. Bake. Bake at 350°F until the cheese feels soft when gently poked. Serve immediately with assorted crackers.

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