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Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie, the holiday appetizer. It’s quick, easy, and most importantly…incredibly delicious. Store-bought puff pastry wrapped around creamy brie cheese with homemade cranberry sauce and toasted pecans. Then baked until the pastry is golden and the brie warm and melty. A truly mouth-watering appetizer that’s perfect for holiday entertaining. It’s festive, easy to prepare, and always a crowd favorite.
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I can remember so many holiday parties spent at my Nonnie’s house when she served this brie. This was her go-to appetizer. She perfected the Brie appetizer. And let’s be honest, she really perfected the holiday party.
My Nonnie had a way of making every party she held, whether big or small, feel so special. She paid attention to detail and was always the perfect host. She was welcoming, social, and she did her parties up in her own style too.
She could give us all a lot of tips when it comes to throwing a holiday party that people really want to attend. I know that at the top of her list would be two things, keep the wine flowing, and always, always have good appetizers.
She had an assortment of easy appetizers she’d turn to for her parties. But cranberry baked brie was a holiday staple. On Christmas day she’d serve this before dinner and it was always the first dish to go.
I don’t have her exact recipe, so this recipe is more from memory, but it’s totally delicious. She’d very much approve.
This brie is easy – start with the cranberries
If you happen to have cranberry sauce in the fridge, you can skip this very first step. Otherwise, start with the cranberries!
I made a quick sauce with fresh cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup. Nonnie definitely used brown sugar, but maple feels little less sweet to me. I added a splash of vanilla and a tiny pinch of cinnamon for a sweet/savory combination.
Next, the pastry
Nonnie knew that appetizers needed to be simple, so store-bought puff pastry was a must.
Unwrap the brie, then sit it on top of the puff pastry dough. Top the brie with the cranberry sauce, and then a handful of toasted pecans. Then wrap the brie up.
Last step, brush the pastry with an egg wash and add a sprinkle of course sugar or drizzle of honey. This step isn’t needed, but it makes the pastry really sparkle. It’s fun for the holidays and adds a nice deliciousness too.
Throw the brie in the oven, and done.
Quick, easy, and perfect!
When the brie comes out of the oven, serve it immediately with your favorite crackers or toasted bread. It’s hard to describe just how good this really is. But if you love cranberries, and you love brie, you must make this. It’s classic, but turned up a notch, and it really is roll-your-eyes-back GOOD.
Promise, this will be the favorite appetizer of the night!
Looking for other easy brie recipes?? Here are my favorites:
5 Ingredient Cranberry Brie Cinnamon Puff Pastry Swirls
Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread
Mini Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie Bites
Lastly, if you make this Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pastry Wrapped Cranberry Baked Brie
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
Brie
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 8-12 ounce wheel of brie cheese
- 2/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. To make the cranberry sauce: in a medium pot, bring the cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Boil 10-15 minutes or until the cranberries burst and the sauce becomes jammy.2. Preheat the oven to 425° F.3. Lay the puff pastry flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the brie in the center of the pastry and remove a little of the rind from the top of the brie. I leave the rind on the bottom and sides intact. Spread the cranberry sauce over top and then sprinkle over the pecans. Fold the corners of the pastry over the brie. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown. 5. EAT and enjoy with your favorite bread or crackers…or just with a spoon.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I wanted a recipe. Not a diatribe on the exisistential crisis facing the authors grandmother and how they gathered nuts for the recipe alongside nowadays farmers visiting from outer Mongolia.
Bloody ridiculous.
If you don’t enjoy recipes kindly shared by the author for free to all, feel free to look elsewhere. We enjoy the back story, insights and tips from Tiegen. Thank you, bye!
Hi Julie,
Feel free to press the “skip to recipe” button next time:) Happy Holidays! xT
You are too gracious Tieghan!
The Christmas grinch
Sooooo delicious! Made for Christmas and will absolutely make a again! Used an 8oz wheel of Brie, didn’t include all of the cranberry sauce and pecans as I was worried they’d spill out as some of the reviews noted. It was perfect!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
made this for Christmas and my family loved! super easy and delicious!
Hi Elaine,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
I made this on Christmas Eve and it was a hit. My family devoured it!
Hi Terri,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving.
Hi Barbara,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!?? xTieghan
can this be made ahead of time?
I was wondering the same thing! If not the entire recipe, could the cranberry sauce be made ahead of time? Thanks!!
Hi there,
Yes, you could assemble ahead of time and then just bake when you are ready to serve. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Andrea,
Yes, I would assemble everything ahead of time but wait ti bake until you are ready to serve. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
New follower here! I am actually making 3 of your recipes for Christmas! I am excited!!
Stupid question about the cranberry sauce, if I am making it from a can, I can just skip the whole cranberry process, correct? I don’t have to add the maple syrup or anything else, right?
Jenifer W
Hi Jenifer,
Yes, that is correct. I hope you love everything you make and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
I have a camembert cheese roll, will this work for this recipe the same as brie cheese does?! (:
Hey there,
Yes, that will work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi there! May be a silly question, but can I use a 16 Oz Brie round instead of 12? Would it change anything as far as the ratio of ingredients? Thanks!
Hi Heather,
That would be just fine to use, you can follow the recipe as is. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I am going to bake this for Christmas but my turkey will be in the oven at 350 degrees if baking it at the same time how much would I adjust the baking time?
Hi Sandra,
I would bake for probably 45 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, happy holidays! xTieghan
I’ve made several baked Brie recipes over they years and this one is my new favorite. I’ve made this twice in the last two weeks and will be making it again for Christmas. It is simple to put together, makes a lovely presentation (don’t skip the sugar!), and everyone loves it!
Hey Joanne,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
This was AMAZING ?
Hi Melody,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!? xx
Would this be ok to prepare everything the day before and put in the fridge and bake the next day? The cranberry sauce won’t affect the consistency of the tart? Thank you!
Hey Sarah,
Yes, this should work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I am so excited to try this…I am thinking I will prepare the night before as mentioned above. My question is…I plan to bring this to work Christmas party…I’m going to try and keep it warm til I get there….but do you think I could possibly warm in microwave for a bit? Thank you ❤️
Hi Shelley,
Yes, I think that would be just fine to do. I hope you love this recipe and happy holidays! xTieghan
Can you use canned cranberries
Hi Barbara,
Yes, those will work for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi!
I am hoping to make this for my in-laws tomorrow and don’t have time to practice so I’ve been studying lots of recipes…yours looks the best! ? Do you roll out the dough at all or just leave it as the thickness right out of the package? Thank you!!
Hey Emily,
No need to roll the dough:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This was a hit at my cookie exchange this year! I wish I took a photo but it was delicious. I had the same issue with the cheese spilling out a bit but I didn’t mind. Definitely a keeper! And that cranberry sauce. Amazing!
Hey Christina,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan