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Brie en Croute

This super easy Brie en Croute consists of a buttery, flaky pastry exterior. Once sliced, it reveals warm silky Brie lying just beneath the surface. The perfect party appetizer.

brie en croute with crackers
Deliciously Easy Brie en Croute is the perfect party appetizer

Brie en Croute

Ready or not, here it comes!  December has arrived and holiday season is absolutely in full swing.  The ongoing festivities beckon a cheerfulness that warms the chilly air, even for self-proclaimed cold wimps as myself.

In honor of this magical season, I’m showing off the delectable little Brie en Croute that’s popular on my dinner party menu.  Cute, isn’t it?  Some of the best things come in little packages. 

This cheesy hor d’oeuvres is gigantic on flavor, and will take the edge off the hunger while your family/friends wait for dinner to be served.  Beware of this phenomenal brie en croute’s capacity to steal the show.  Definitely be forewarned that the recipe will be highly requested.  Either that, or you’ll be asked to make it every year thereafter.  It could easily become your annual contribution.

Brie En Croute with crackers
Brie en Croute is super easy yet impressive.

Flaky Pastry on the outside

Brie en Croute.  It’s pronounced on-kroot, with gutteral french accent.  Don’t forget to roll the “r.”  Keep repeating just for fun, oui? 

In French, “en croute” refers to anything delish baked in a pastry crust.  That is indeed the sweet secret of this appetizer.  On the outside, it appears to be some kind of rotund pastry thingy flanked by crackers.  Oh, but once it is sliced into… that is the big reveal.

Warm, melty brie cheese on the inside

The first slice into the buttery, flaky pastry exterior reveals the warm silky Brie lying just beneath the surface. 

Resting on top of the soft Brie cheese is a gorgeous layer of toasted pecans and sweet raspberry preserves.  We love how flexible this Brie en Croute is; select your favorite nut and fruit mixture, if pecans and raspberries aren’t your cup of tea.   Almost any combination will result in a fabulous treat.

The combination of flaky pastry crust with melty cheese makes this the ultimate hor d’oeuvres to serve at your next little get together.

Brie En Croute on cutting board with crackers
Flaky outer pastry, warm cheesy center

Prep it Ahead and bake when ready to serve

My favorite part about Brie en Croute?  It is unbelievably easy to pull off.  It’s quickly assembled ahead of time, to be baked up right before you need it.  Just try to let it cool off a bit after baking before digging in, if you can wait. 

Feel free to experiment with various flavor variations: top the brie cheese with fig jam, raspberry preserves, cinnamon-sugar, toasted chopped pecans, or dried cranberries.

However you dress it up, Brie en Croute is perfect to include on the holiday menu, whether you’re the host or the guest.  Your hostess won’t be mad if you present this to her as a hostess gift, either.

Brie en Croute sliced with raspberry preserves and pecans
Brie en Croute is easily adaptable to flavor variations.

try this Easy Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip, Too:


Did you make this?

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brie en croute with crackers

Brie en Croute

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This super. easy Brie en Croute consists of a buttery, flaky pastry exterior. Once sliced, it reveals warm silky Brie lying just beneath the surface. The perfect party appetizer.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
  • 1 8 oz whole wheel Brie
  • ¼ cup raspberry preserves, or other fruit
  • ¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
  • 1 beaten egg
  • Turbinado, or coarse sugar for garnish
  • Assorted crackers for serving alongside

Instructions

  • Defrost puff pastry about 15 minutes and unfold.  Preheat oven to 375F and set rack in middle.
  • Slice off a thin layer of top rind only (we leave the rest of rind on, but feel free to remove it if desired.)
  • Lay puff pastry sheet out on flat surface and roll out just a little bit if needed to cover entire Brie.  Place Brie in center of the pastry. Top brie with nuts and preserves. Gently pull up edges of pastry, wrapping the Brie completely, and gather pastry edges at the top.
  • Secure the gathered dough at top with kitchen twine. Double check that none of the Brie is exposed, carefully sealing the dough on all sides. Brush the beaten egg all over top and sides of pastry.  Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  • Place Brie on parchment paper on cookie sheet.  Bake 20 minutes or until pastry is a nice golden brown.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with assorted crackers.

Notes

Baked brie should cool a bit before serving, to allow it to regain a bit of shape. Otherwise, it will be too melty inside.  Also, you can use extra puff pastry to make cut-outs for exterior design, if you're going for a special presentation.
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Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12.1g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 27.5mg | Sodium: 143mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 2.9g
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French American
Method: baking

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10 comments

    • stephbeads

    Your photography on all of your posts is really nice,

    • Sarah | Shine Food

    I have never known a starter of baked brie to go unloved or uneaten. Wrap it in puff pastry and you’ve got a holiday homerun! This looks absolutely fantastic.

    We’re celebrating some of our favorite holiday recipes on the Shine Supper Club this month. A recipe like this would make a great contribution; I hope you’ll join us!

    • jae

    This truly looks delicious and I’m going to try it!
    But sorry, I must point out that en croute does NOT translate to “on the way” in French. It means “in crust,” i.e. the pastry case. Not to be confused with “en route” which DOES mean “on the way” in French.
    And lastly, you have raspberry preserves and pecans in the Ingredients list, but nowhere are these mentioned in your Directions. I assume you just spread the preserves and then sprinkle the pecans on the brie before bringing up the sides of the dough. I also assume that you leave the rind on the brie (?), as removing it was not mentioned.

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks, Jae! You’re right about the preserves – layer it onto the brie before gathering dough – I fixed it in the directions. Good catch! Some people leave the rind intact, but I do remove just the top part. Thanks for noticing 🙂

        • Jim W

        We had a relative visitng for the holiday period and bought the brie and strawberry preserves and dough but never got around to making it. I am a bit confused about a couple of things: if there’s all this pastry, why serve with crackers? Also, it says to let cool some before cutting into – does that mean that any leftovers (she bought a lot of brie and patstry) need warmed before having again? Lastly: although it would be a lot mor work, would this be a good thing to try for small individual en crouts?

        • chewoutloud

        Great Q’s, Jim! Serving with crackers is common, because even though the cheese is wrapped in pastry, it’s still pretty ooey-gooey when you cut into it. The pastry is not very thick, so it’s nice to have crackers to go with. Yes, if you have leftover Brie en Croute, you’ll want to re-warm it before serving. Not piping hot, but warm is best. And, yes – it would be awesome to make small individual ones! It’s more work, but easy finger food for guests 🙂

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