Home » Recipes » Course » Appetizers » Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly
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April 24, 2024
Author: Kate Jones
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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!
Ingredient Notes
The ingredient list here is short and sweet!
- 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
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.
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
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs {Easy!}
- Cranberry Orange Goat Cheese Bites
- Honey Cranberry Orange Baked Brie
- Mini Pastry Wrapped Brie Bites
- Pastry Wrapped Asparagus With Prosciutto
- Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
- Honey Cranberry Orange Baked Brie
- Sliced Steak and Brie Sandwich
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture on tag me onInstagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly
5 from 1 vote
A simple, easy sweet and savory appetizer that's elegant and quick to put together.
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
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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
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.
On a lightly floured surface, gently unfold the puff pastry sheet, mending any broken spots. Cut the brie in half lengthwise and place one half, rind down, on the pastry.
Spread with jelly and then place the other half of the brie, rind up, on the cheese. Top with more jelly if desired.
If necessary, trim the excess pastry and then fold it over the cheese, sealing the edges. If desired, decorate the brie with decorative shapes cut from the excess dough.
Place the bundle, seam-down, on a lightly greased baking dish.
Brush pastry with the egg white/water mixture.
Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve with crackers, bread, and fresh fruit (like strawberries, apples, pears, and grapes) if desired. This is perfect as an easy, elegant holiday appetizer.
Author: Our Best Bites
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Meet The Author
Sara Wells
Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books,Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes,Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such asParenting Magazine,Better Homes & Gardens,Fine Cooking,The Rachel Ray Showand theNew York Times.
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Questions & Reviews
My mother-in-law introduced me to baked brie the first Christmas I spent with my [soon-to-be] husband's family and loved it! She makes it just like this – complete with the cute, decorative cut-outs. Have never had it with the pepper jelly, though – sounds good.
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THis is definately one I'm going to make. I also love brie with this fig jelly that I used to get at Longo's in Canada. I wonder if I can find that here. It's the best with pecans inside as well.
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This is one of my 'go to' holiday recipes. Delicious and looks like you spent a long time making it! Like the picture posted I also make holly pastry garnishes to jazz it up. 🙂
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I LOVE baked brie! I have made a variation of yours for every family holiday get together for the past couple of years. You mix honey and dried cherries and then plop them on top of the brie, then wrap if the puff pastry. It's seriously good!
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Beautiful and flavorful idea. Thanks!
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Yum. Is there a cheese out there lovelier then brie? I think not. I've done a variation of yours before using minced shallots and dried figs cooked in some port instead of the jelly. Amazing. I got a jar of pepper jelly in a jam exchange I participated in this summer, so this just might get added to the next co*cktail hour 😀
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COngrats to all the winners!!! So happy for all of you. 🙂
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This looks so good! I really want to make this for thanksgiving. My boyfriend's family always has a cheese plate, but I think this would be great to bring!
You guys always have the best recipes!
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Sarah–I got it from a trip to the farmer's market; it's mayhaw pepper jelly (I've only heard of mayhaw jelly since I moved to the South) and it is de-LISH. 🙂
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This looks to die for! What recipe do you use for the red pepper jelly (my favorite!)?
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Yep, here's a link to all the teeny tiny Williams-Sonoma baking goodies. I've got my eyes on those Christmas ones now…
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/bakeware/baking-pastry-tools-bakeware/?cm_type=gnav
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Girls- I'm not sure if Kate has a set like this, but these are my FAVORITE! I use them to top my pie-in-a-jar:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fall-forest-pie-crust-cutter/
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The first time I ate Brie we were in a yurt up in the sawtooth mountains, and my hubbys cousin brought it. He is obsessed with cheese. So we had Brie, with Raspberry sauce. It was good. But this sounds AMAZING! We will have to give it a go. (We are down to only 3 jars left of my jalapeno jelly.) Oh and you guys' White Chicken Chili. All I can say is fabulous!
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This looks amazing! And because I like all things beautiful, where can I find that cookie cutter? Mine are all old and flimsy and I never use them for that reason.
Oh, and I tried your Zesty Sloppy Joe's two weeks ago and they were superb. Never again will I buy that stuff out of a can!Reply
Wow! That brie looks amazing. I must know, where did you get that adorable leaf cookie cutter?
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YUM!! now we just need a yummy recipe for the pepper jelly!! (hint, hint)
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Umm, wow, that baked brie looks heavenly. I'm definitely going to try that… a fun appetizer idea for the holidays.
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I've love Brie, especially when I coat it with caramel and nuts and throw it in the oven. I'm nervous to try pepper jelly but this recipe looks delicious!
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My favorite pepper jelly is raspberry chipotle. I love it with cream cheese. I also love baked brie. So, I love the idea of the combination! Can't wait to try it. I usually do baked brie by putting a layer of brown sugar, some pats of butter, and sliced almonds on the puff pastry, then lay the brie on top of it, wrap and turn over, so the sugar/almond mixture ends up on top and gets all melty with the cheese when you bake. I want that leaf cookie cutter – very cute.
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I think I'm going to LOVE This!! but I'm going to use the Tastefully simple Sweet pepper Jalapeno Jam that I love! Thanks! I've never had brie and bought some to "try" the other day.. yumm!!
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You are killing me with this! I am pregnant, and not supposed to have soft cheese, but I may just have to make this for the holidays and sneak a little taste!!
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This looks great. An even easier thing to make is to take a block of cream cheese and let it warm to room temperature. Then, just pour some pepper jelly on top and serve with crackers. Mmm….that pepper jelly is awesome stuff.
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YAAAAY!! I could kiss you girls right now!!
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This is perfect!! I have never made anything with brie and what a fun project. I canned my own pepper jam this year so we are good to go 🙂
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Nikki–It really depends on the cheese. Some of the rinds are hard and yucky and some of them add kind of a cool texture. I used Alouette baby Brie specifically because you can eat the rind (and it's good).
Hope that helps!
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This may be a really stupid question…but, I never understood eating the rind? Do you just eat around it or do you actually eat the rind with the cheese/jelly/puff pastry? Can the rind be taken off before you cook it or will that make too much of a mess?
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Hi, I'm the Amy R that won, but alas, no email 🙁 I could tell it was me cause I clicked on the link. .I can be reached at [emailprotected] . . . . Oh, I made your Cinnamon Carmel Corn 2 weeks ago and it was so easy and WONDERFUL! I took it to a quilt group and everyone wanted the recipe so I told them about your blog~ Thanks for all the yummyness!
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Elizabeth–I have emailed or otherwise contacted all the winners. I believe this Elizabeth was a librarian with a blog, but I'd have to get on my other computer to remember for sure. Regardless, if you haven't received an email or a blog comment saying that you won, then it's probably not.
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Couple of questions: is the Elizabeth that won a walmart gift card me? And if so, does this count as contacting you? Thanks! 🙂
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I am so excited I won! Yay!
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