Name: Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 8- ounce approximately wheel of baby Brie; 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed according to package directions); 2-4 tablespoons pepper jelly; 1 egg white mixed with 2 teaspoons water

This is one of my favorite easy and elegant ways to dress up an appetizer platter. Baked brie with Pepper Jelly is a wheel of creamy brie, cut in half with pepper jelly in the middle, and wrapped with puff pastry. When baked, the pastry on the outside becomes puffed and golden and the inside becomes melty and spreadable. Serve it with crackers or crostini and fresh fruit or vegetables. Sliced apples is a favorite of mine!

baked brie with pepper jelly on a serving player

Ingredient Notes

The ingredient list here is short and sweet!

Ingredients for baked brie on a counter

Brie – One small wheel, about 8 ounces. Often called “mini brie”. Brie is soft and creamy, easy to spread or dip in when melted, and has just a bit of a kick. It pairs perfectly with the salty/sweet combo we have going on here. You generally find brie in the deli or specialty cheese section of the grocery store.
Pepper Jelly – This is exactly what it sounds like- jelly made from peppers! It’s sweet and spicy (but not overly so). You will often find it in your grocery store near the fancy crackers by the deli, or on the aisle with other jams, jellies, and preserves. Tabasco is a great, widely available, reliable choice.
Puff Pastry – Find this in your store’s frozen foods section, near the desserts (not to be confused with phyllo dough, often in a similar box!) It usually comes with 2 sheets per box. You’ll just use one here so you can keep the other in the freezer for later.

How to Make Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly

How to make Baked Brie

1. Allow one sheet of puff pastry to thaw according to package directions.

2. Preheat the oven to 400. When the pastry has thawed, gently unfold it on a sheet of parchment paper. If there are any cracks, lightly moisten them and gently press them back together.

3. Carefully cut the wheel of brie in half lengthwise (it helps if it’s cold).

4. Place one half, rind side-down, on the pastry sheet. Spread a layer of pepper jelly over the cheese. Then place the other half, rind side-up on the jelly, almost like a brie sandwich.

5. You’ll want 2-3 inches of pastry surrounding the cheese, but any more than that will get bulky, so you may need to trim about 1″ of pastry on one or more sides (reserve the scraps for decorations). Carefully wrap the pastry around the cheese, sealing the edges shut so the melted cheese and jelly won’t leak out when it’s baked.

6. Invert the pastry-wrapped cheese onto a lightly greased baking dish so the seam side is down. If you want, you can cut some decorative shapes out of the dough scrap sand use them to decorate the wrapped cheese.

7. Brush the pastry with an egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers, slices of bread, and fresh fruit like pears, strawberries, and apples.

If you want, you can have a jar of pepper jelly handy so if there isn’t enough of that flavor in the baked brie (it actually ends up coming out pretty subtle), you can add a little more.

Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly on a platter with apple slices

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time? This appetizer is so quick and easy, it’s probably best to prepare fresh. That said, If you really need to, you could probably prepare it through wrapping with pastry and then refrigerate for several hours. When ready to cook, brush with egg/water mixture and bake until golden, which could take a few extra minutes.

Other great ways to enjoy Brie cheese

Did You Make This?

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