Holiday Baked Brie
Holiday Baked Brie is a classic Brie en Croûte, or brie baked in puff pastry. I topped the Brie with a simple cranberry sauce made from dried cranberries.
I’ve talked the history of Brie in puff pastry before. It used to be a holiday tradition when I was growing up. Sometimes we just had Brie, but we would wrap that delicious cheese in puff pastry often. For me, it’s completely irresistible.
What is brie cheese?
Like many cheeses, it’s a cheese invented by the monks in the 7th century around the area of Meaux and Melun near Paris. Also called the Queen of Cheese, it was once a tribute required to pay kings of France. Imagine that! The cheese in side of the rind is sometimes referred to as paste, too.
Brie in France is different from the Brie we have in the US. FDA regulations require that dairy be pasteurized. So, there’s no exporting authentic Brie made from unpasteurized milk. Then there’s the whole, it must age until it’s brown thing. The Brie we receive is called stabilized brie.
There are two categories of brie based on the cultures used. It is either Lactic or Stabilized. Lactic Brie is made from unpasteurized milk and ages for a long time. Until the rind turns brown. Can you imagine seeing that on the shelf here? People would complain, I’m sure. This longer aging process makes for a richer cheese with more complex flavors.
Stabilized Brie doesn’t have that long maturing process. Because of the cultures used, it wouldn’t benefit aging any more than required. The consistency is the same throughout the cheese. It also has a milder flavor than it’s counterpart.
What is the rind on Brie cheese?
If you’re like me, sometimes it’s a flavor you just don’t really appreciate. The rind can be mild and flavorful and it can be strong and pungent. The latter is what I typically cut off the Brie wheel because, well, it doesn’t taste good to me. I see some of you shaking your head in agreement.
The rind is edible mold. Yes, it sounds gross. But mold isn’t always a bad thing. I mean, that’s how we got penicillin. The cheese gets an injection of this mold and, strangely enough, it grows on the outside of the cheese.
This is a labor of love, in a way. The mold spores grow on the outside of the cheese. But as well know mold spores can be quite fluffy in nature. The cheesemakers check the cheese every so often and pat those spores down. Repeatedly. And that, my dear readers, is what makes up the rind of Brie cheese.
Some will argue that the rind complements the flavor of the Brie. It provides an earthy from the mold spores encasing the aromas of the air it’s grown in. That earthiness complements the creamy, salty paste of the Brie it’s wrapped around. They’re meant to be eaten together.
But that is a personal preference and depends on how pungent the rind is. I remember it being very pungent growing up and I always cut the rind off to get to the creamy cheese inside. Now, maybe it’s because I’m older and not as picky or because the rind has changed due to shortened aging based on demand. Either way, the rind on the Brie cheeses I’ve purchased lately are not as pungent as I remember.
What types of Brie are there?
There are at least 5 main types that I now of:
- Brie de Meaux – made with raw milk and produced in the town of Meaux since Roman times.
- Brie de Melun – also a raw milk cheese, this cheese comes in small wheels aging more quickly for a sharper flavor.
- Black Brie – This is aged for a long time, as long as 2 years making the rind dark and crumbly.
- Double or Triple Cream Brie – This style has cream or milk added before it solidifies into a curd.
- Non-AOC or International Brie – There are many other areas of the world that boast a delicious Brie cheese and not all of them are made with cow’s milk. I bought a goat cheese Brie the other day. Very interesting.
I will caveat that Brie is sort of like Champagne. There is a certification process that authenticates Brie cheese, and other foods, made in France. This Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designates those cheeses made in specific regions to be basically authentic. These foods are made using traditional processes and in specific areas of France. Outside of the region, it can still be a Brie but not an authentic Brie. These are non-AOC Brie cheeses.
How do you make Holiday Baked Brie?
I had cranberries leftover from another recipe I made earlier this year. And that all started with 2 bags of almost completely stale dried cranberries. Knowing that I don’t like to waste food, I reconstituted them with some water and sugar. They simmered long enough to start to jelly on their own.
I cut the rind off the Brie. You don’t have to do this. In fact, it would help to keep the bottom and sides on the Brie and just take off the top. This allows the cranberries and Brie to mingle while baking. Then trim the puff pastry. You don’t want the whole sheet unless you have a larger wheel of Brie. If you don’t trim it, then it’s more pastry than brie.
Spread some of the cranberries in the center of the puff pastry about the size of my Brie wheel. The Brie goes on top, upside down. I spread some water on the edges of my puff pastry to make sure it is sealed. This is not required, of course. Pull up the edges of the puff pastry making sure to encase the whole wheel completely. Brush the puff pastry with a lightly beaten egg and then bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.
What does Holiday Baked Brie taste like?
Addictive. But maybe it’s just me. Brie baked in puff pastry is like double kryptonite for me. There’s the flaky and buttery crust. Then you cut into it and the Brie and cranberries come oozing out. That’s when my mouth really starts to water.
The Brie is creamy and slightly salty. The cranberries are tart and slightly sweet. It’s a party of flavors in your mouth. The cranberries can be sweet or savory. Feel free to add some orange zest or some herbs like rosemary and thyme.

Holiday Baked Brie
Holiday Baked Brie is a classic Brie en Croûte, or brie baked in puff pastry. I topped the Brie with a simple cranberry sauce made from dried cranberries.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1/4 cup cranberry sauce, jelly, or chutney
- 8 ounce wheel Brie cheese
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Place the puff pastry on a clean work surface.
- Trim the puff pastry to 3 inches larger than your Brie wheel.
- Spread the cranberry sauce, jelly, or chutney in the center of the puff pastry in a circle the same size as your wheel.
- Place the Brie wheel in the center and pull the sides of the puff pastry up on all sides of the Brie.
- Make sure to press all seams to seal the cheese inside.
- Brush the puff pastry with the egg.
- Bake at 425 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes before serving with crackers, crostini, or a sliced baguette.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 147Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 52mgSodium 206mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 0gSugar 4gProtein 7g
Welcome to #CranberryWeek where we celebrate all things cranberry! We have 11 bloggers sharing over 25 recipes this week. There are sweets, savories, and even a few beverages this week. Make sure to follow #CranberryWeek on social media to see all the delicious recipes we’re sharing this week.
Monday’s Cranberry Recipes
- Cranberry Cheesecake Bars from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Cranberry Cordial from Palatable Pastime
- Cranberry Martini from Art of Natural Living
- Cranberry Pulipongal from Magical Ingredients
- Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon and Orange from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Fall Harvest Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Glazed Cranberry Orange Scones from The Spiffy Cookie
- Holiday Baked Brie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Rye Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Skillet Cranberry Sauce with Port from Shockingly Delicious
- Spiced Cranberry Margarita from Our Good Life