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With just six ingredients, this easy Apple Pecan Baked Brie recipe is an instant hit at holiday parties! You can’t go wrong with warm, melty cheese topped with sweet and nutty caramelized apples and pecans; this is the ultimate fall appetizer that’s ready in minutes.
This Baked Brie Recipe is Perfect for Fall
When it comes to holiday dinners, I come from a family where “no-fuss” takes on a whole new meaning: pre-made biscuit dough, cranberry sauce from a can, and gravy from a jar.
Corn pudding is about as gourmet as the home cooking gets for big family meals! As much as I love to bust out my culinary chops, I’ve also learned that simple can often be just as delicious.
This in mind, when it comes to party appetizers, my holiday season staple is a delicious Baked Brie. It’s funny how one of my most simple recipes has become my signature dish, from Thanksgiving to Christmas dinners. Don’t we love it when something so easy is also super impressive?
For all their no-fuss tendencies, the family gets fancy with their requests for French cheese, all bubbly and delicious. That’s where I’ve gotten creative with variations like my Pineapple Pecan Baked Brie and Honey and Nut Baked Brie with great success!
This fall, inspiration struck again for a little something different. This is what led me to this absolutely mouthwatering, seasonal recipe for Caramelized Apple Pecan Baked Brie that will definitely be on repeat throughout the holidays.
What You’ll Need
This recipe really goes all-out in the fall inspiration department. Cozy spices, crisp apples and the rich flavors of brown sugar and pecans; the ingredients list is the stuff of autumn dreams! And it’s only six items long:
- Brie Cheese: For this recipe, I use an 8 oz. wheel.
- Apple: One large apple, chopped into half-inch pieces.
- Apple Juice: Pure apple juice or apple cider is the secret ingredient that takes the caramelization of the topping up a notch! Martinelli’s Apple Juice adds the perfect sweet apple flavor to this baked Brie recipe.
- Brown Sugar: Light or regular brown sugar for a rich and caramelized flavor and golden color.
- Cinnamon: A hint of warm spice that pairs unbelievably well with apples and Brie.
- Pecans: Chopped or crushed.
Do I Need to Remove the Rind from Brie?
Not only is the rind edible, it’s best if left on! This will hold the Brie’s gooey insides in place while the cheese is baking and afterwards once the toppings are added. Before baking, score the top of the rind lightly using a sharp knife so that it’s easy to peel off once warm, leaving the sides intact.
How to Make Baked Brie
This recipe for baked Brie is truly a thing of holiday beauty. With only six ingredients and a few minutes in the oven, you’ll be serving this delicious cheese dip to your friends and family in no time at all. Follow these steps and revel in how simple and special this baked appetizer is to make:
Bake the Brie: It all starts with the Brie cheese. Score the rind and warm the cheese in the oven until it becomes melted, then peel the rind off the top. Even at this stage, it’s perfect for dipping crackers, bread, or apple slices. While that alone is enough to make me weak in the knees, it gets better!
Make the Apple Pecan Topping: During the cheese’s brief stint in the oven, mix together your apple pecan topping with brown sugar and just a hint of cinnamon, and boil it in the apple juice until it becomes thick and sticky. Pour that over the top of your baked Brie, and you have heaven on a cracker.
Make the Best Baked Brie
- Don’t Over-Cook the Cheese: Overheated cheese will harden faster when cooling, so keep an eye on your Brie when it’s in the oven and remove it as soon as you see a hint of goo beginning to peek out.
- How to Choose the Best Brie for Baking: I opt for budget Brie whenever I bake it, since the cheese is just as flavorful and is topped with other ingredients anyway. Take advantage of a higher end Brie by serving as is!
- Bake Brie in a Ceramic Dish: Baking the Brie in an oven-safe dish offers dual benefits: one, it’s easy to serve and secondly, it will keep the warm Brie cheese gooey and spreadable for longer.
What to Serve with Baked Brie
Serve your Brie alone with crackers or as the centerpiece for a larger cheese board alongside bunches of grapes, cured meats, fruit preserves, mixed nuts, and other plain cheeses like goat cheese and Roquefort. Here are some more suggestions for serving:
- Strong, sturdy Crackers or Crostini are best for serving with Baked Brie. Avoid thin or airy crackers and chips as these won’t hold up to scooping and spreading.
- Rustic Bread or Baguette, either fresh or toasted, also holds up to the molten texture of Baked Brie cheese.
- Apple and Pear Slices are delicious alongside the sweet nutty topping, and make a great gluten-free option.
- Fresh herbs like Rosemary and Thyme are wonderful both for decoration as well as adding extra flavor.
My family and I absolutely love enjoying a Baked Brie served alongside a glass of Bubbly or Sparkling Cider. Along with being the secret ingredient in this recipe’s caramelized Apple Pecan topping, Martinelli’s Sparkling Juices and Ciders have been our go-to bubbles on special occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years for decades!
Can I Save Extras for Later?
You can absolutely save Baked Brie leftovers, melted with the caramelized topping, to reheat or repurpose! Keeping in mind that a full Brie wheel takes only a couple of minutes in the microwave, use this as a guide when reheating the extras. You can also reheat leftover Brie in the oven the same way it was baked in the first place.
Leftovers can be enjoyed spread onto toast or crackers.
Caramelized Apple Pecan Baked Brie
Ingredients
- 8 oz Brie cheese 1 wheel
- 1 large apple, chopped into about 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup Martinelli’s Apple Juice
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place brie round on baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut into the rind on the top of the brie about a quarter inch from the edge. Do not remove the rind.
- Bake 15 minutes, or until cheese is soft and melted.
- While the Brie is baking, in a saucepan, combine the apples, Martinelli’s Apple Juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 8-12 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Stir in pecans and cook for another minute or two. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Remove the hot brie from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Carefully remove the top rind using a sharp knife to separate it, if needed.
- Pour the apple mixture on top of Brie. Serve with crackers, baguette, apple, etc. for dipping.
Notes
Did you make this?
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More Easy Appetizer Ideas
Looking for more simple but special holiday appetizers? Here are more recipe ideas to try:
I have made this recipe so many times in the last couple years that I don’t even need the directions or measurements anymore lol. It is my absolute favorite brie recipe! I’d hands down recommend it to everyone. I definitely adjust the brie baking time just based on looking at it and add an extra min or two as needed to make it nice and melted. So good.
Sorry, but you need to change some thinking. Brie is constantly referred to as an appetizer. My favorite way to enjoy brie is a movie night. Find a wonderful recipe like yours, gather apples, bread, and any dipper of choice. Chill a bottle of wine like
Moscotto. Settle in for marathon movie viewing on Netflix. This is a cozy and relaxing way to spend a winters´ afternoon or evening. No party stress. Pure relaxation. We need an occasional pampering. Your brie recipe is my next movie marathon choice. Try it you´ll like it. You deserve it!
Heck, I’ll take a wheel of Brie as a meal any day! However, my family loves to dig into Brie recipes like this to hold us over before a holiday meal and I love to share with them, so I enjoy making it as an appetizer! I hope you enjoy your movie night. Sounds fabulous! I definitely need to do the same.
I can never resist Baked Brie!!
Neither can I, so welcome to the team!
I would inhale this SO quickly. It looks amazing.
Thanks, Kim!
Perfect holiday appetizer! Beautiful job 🙂
Thanks, Jackie!
I need to try this cider and of course, I’m totally drooling over this brie!
Thank you, Jen!
I love everything about this!! Looks so easy to make!! And perfect for a holiday party!
Thank you, Julie!
I love how easy this is to make! And with how much my family loves cheese, especially my dad, they’d make an entire meal of your baked brie. No joke! ???? As for me? I’d make a double batch of the apple topping and save the second part ALL for myself! What an amazing idea to use Martinelli’s pure apple juice — I need to find some of that ASAP!
Thanks, Amy! Incidentally, doubling the apple topping might be the most genius move ever! 😉
Baked Brie is one of my favorite go-to party recipes. Your apple topping looks incredible! This would be the first dish to disappear at any gathering!!!
Thanks, Liz! Baked Brie is an amazing appetizer, isn’t it?
This looks absolutely incredible. I have to make this!! The caramelized apple and pecan looks amazing!
Thank you, Naomi!
Baked brie is my love language. This looks fantastic!
Thanks, Courtney!