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This baked brie in puff pastry is deceptively easy, yet sure to impress your party guests. It's the hit of any cheese board—perfect to enjoy throughout the holiday season. It's decadent, rich, creamy, and marries sweet and savory flavors into a nice, neat flaky package. Sweet jam and spicy chilies, combined with melted brie ooze out of the buttery pastry, making it an elegant appetizer for Christmas dinner, and it's shareable enough for a big crowd. The total time to make this pastry-wrapped brie is less than an hour, with a cook time of about 20 minutes. You can make this easy appetizer in just a few simple steps. You can also prepare it ahead of time for stress-free entertaining — the pastry can be refrigerated for up to a day. If you opt to use frozen puff pastry sheets, you'll need to thaw it first. Thaw the pastry at room temperature for at least than 40 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. ## Why Brie Cheese? While you could use any variety of cheese, there's something special about brie cheese. Its rich and tangy flavor, combined with that creamy consistency is perfect for this recipe. It's also convenient because it typically comes in rounds or wedges, which make it easy to fold up into a puff pastry pocket. Its mild taste also lends itself well to using other ingredients, such as jam, spices, herbs, fruit, or anything else you'd like to add. ## Should You Remove The Rind Off The Brie Before Baking? Contrary to what many think, the rind is definitely edible and actually tastes great when it's warm! In this recipe, it also helps keep the cheese in place while baking. ## Recipe Tips _Use a pie plate:_ Baking and serving the brie in a pie plate helps contain the melted cheese and can make it easier to scoop up bites. _Substitute pastry with pie dough:_ Pie dough is a great alternative to puff pastry here. _Make it ahead of time:_ You can refrigerate the pastry for up to a day before baking and serving it. To make sure it bakes well and retains its moisture, it will help to brush it with water or egg before baking. _Let it cool:_ Give the pastry at least five minutes to cool off after you pull it out of the oven before serving it. ## Variations Customize your recipe with one of these additions. _Cranberry sauce:_ Cranberry and brie are a match made in heaven. If you have any leftover from the holidays, toss it on top of the brie here. _Chopped nuts:_ Top your brie with a few spoonfuls of chopped up almonds, pecans, or walnuts for a satisfying crunch. _Baked apples:_ Cut up some baking apples and cook them slowly with butter, and if you like, brown sugar, until they’re soft, then put them on top of the brie. If you want it sweeter, you can also drizzle honey on top. _Caramelized onions:_ slowly caramelize one small onion over low heat until very brown, soft, and sweet-tasting. Feel free to stir in a bit of balsamic vinegar, then serve over the brie. _Dried fruit:_ Sprinkle dried cranberries or figs over the top of your pastry. _Pepper jelly:_ Instead of the jam and chile combination, you could alternatively use a savory and sweet pepper jelly. _Roasted garlic:_ For a savory combo, top your brie with roasted garlic. Roast two heads of garlic then squeeze the bulbs over the cheese until the individual cloves come out before wrapping with pastry. _Caramelized onions:_ Slowly caramelize an onion over low heat until it’s soft, then place them on top of the brie. _Dried herbs:_ Rosemary, basil, or thyme would all make wonderful additions to this recipe. ## Make It Mini If you'd like mini, finger food versions of this puff pastry you can purchase smaller, 1 oz. brie wheels. Simply cut your puff pastry dough into 3-inch x 3-inch squares with a sharp knife, then wrap each brie wheel as you would for a big wheel. Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, cool before serving. ## What To Serve With Your Baked Brie Accompany this show-stopping cheese pastry with crackers, apple slices, pears or crostini. Make sure whatever you use is hardy enough to scoop up the cheese. Something like rice thins may break easily when cutting through the pastry.
