Name: Easy Cranberry Baked Brie with Thyme
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup water; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 cup lingonberries/cranberries; 2 sprigs thyme; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; a pinch of nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (optional); honey (to taste); 9 oz or 250 grams brie wheel; a handful pecans (roasted); 1 tablespoon honey; 3 sprigs thyme ( to garnish); salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste); crusty baguette or ciabatta bread (to serve)

Easy Cranberry Baked Brie is a creamy, gooey, runny-centered baked brie topped with cranberry sauce, roasted pecans and thyme. Try this super simple, delicious 15-minute vegetarian holiday appetizer for your next feast, party, or evening at home.

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Whether you’re looking for a festive Christmas appetizer or post-Thanksgiving snack, this easy cranberry baked brie with thyme is perfect.

In fact, if you’ve got leftover cranberry sauce, this is your dish!

How To Eat Brie Cheese

If you’re new to Brie (or Camembert), don’t worry. They are very easy to use in recipes and delicious to eat.

This type of cheese usually comes in a wooden box so it can breathe and not get too moist or dry out. Don’t unwrap your cheese until you’re ready to bake it.

Many wonder if the coating can be eaten and the answer is yes! In fact, it adds a great flavor and texture contrast.

So really all you’ll do is bake it and eat the entire thing!

Ingredients For Your Vegetarian Cranberry Baked Brie Appetizer

Brie/Camembert in a wooden box
Leftover (or freshly made) cranberry sauce/lingonberry sauce
Thyme
Honey
Pecans
Crusty baguette/ciabatta bread to serve.

Once you gather the ingredients, you’ll have a piping hot, delectable, vegetarian hors d’oeuvre for your table.

Tips For Serving Baked Brie

Once your Baked Brie With Cranberries (or Camembert) is ready to serve, plate it up and pair it with some mulled wine for a European inspired treat.

Be sure to either bake your brie in a dish you can serve it directly out of or use a wide spatula to transfer it. Don’t attempt to move it using just your oven mitts or or a thin spatula because (ahem, voice of experience) that can get messy.

What If You Don’t Like Cranberry Sauce?

Don’t worry; you can use any fruit sauce or jam you prefer. It’s also delicious with blueberry, cherry, peaches, baked plums, pears, and even baked apples.

How to Make Easy Cranberry Baked Brie with Thyme

The recipe is very easy if you already have the cranberry sauce. If not, you can make it yourself within minutes. I took equal parts of cranberries and lingonberries for my sauce.

Tart and slightly sweet lingonberries (or mountain cranberries) are probably hard to find outside Scandinavia and Russia. It might be a good idea to check your local Russian store.

Lingonberries are usually sold frozen. You can order them here if you are in the U.S. or purchase a ready made lingonberry jam from Ikea (they have it on Amazon!).

To make the cranberry/ lingonberry sauce, use ¼ cup water and 2 tablespoons brown sugar for every cup of berries. I used 50:50 ratio cranberries and lingonberries but you can use any. Just make sure you add the right amount of water.

In a small saucepan bring ¼ cup water with 2 tablespoons brown sugar to a boil over medium heat. Add the berries and thyme sprigs and cook until the berries burst open, for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Crush the unburst berries with a potato masher. Discard the thyme sprigs.

I like to add additional spices to the cranberry sauce. This year I added nutmeg, allspice and a tiny bit of lemon zest. If the sauce is too sour for your taste, add additional honey.

Once the sauce is ready, bake your brie. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 C, remove all the plastic packaging from the brie and place the brie wheel into a wooden box it comes with. Bake for 15 minutes.

Top the baked brie with cranberry sauce, roasted pecans and drizzle with honey. Decorate with thyme sprigs. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy with crusty baguette or ciabatta bread! Serve with festive German mulled wine (Gluhwein).