Balsamic Cherry Baked Brie — This 3-ingredient baked brie is the perfect last-minute holiday appetizer! It’s salty and sweet, and oh so creamy. This stuff is seriously good!
Easy Baked Brie Appetizer
I love appetizers so much. I’d rather have them than entrees. And of all appetizers, baked brie is my absolute favorite. And this is the best baked brie.
Quite a claim, but it’s that good. It’s such a simple recipe with just three ingredients, but it’s amazing how satisfying, comforting, and just face-stuffing worthy it is.
It pairs salty-and-sweet, with smooth and creamy. Throw in the texture and chewiness from the cherries, and served on top of crunchy crackers, it’s a total slam dunk. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes, making it the perfect last-minute party appetizer.
To make it, slice the top off from a wheel of brie, spoon on a mixture of cherry jam and balsamic vinegar, put the top back on, and bake for 10 minutes. Mindlessly easy.
One thing notably absent from this baked brie is puff pastry or any kind of pastry or pie dough. Many times when brie is baked inside dough, the dough overwhelms it, and I find myself having to weed through way too much dry, tasteless bread to find the melty cheese that I covet. If I wanted puff pastry, I’d make cream puffs.
The cheese is melty, luscious, and the saltiness is tempered by sweet-yet-tart cherry jam and balsamic vinegar. I love all things balsamic and could drink balsamic reduction. Plucking out those sweet and tangy cherries from the big pile was so satisfying.
This is without a doubt my favorite appetizer I’ve ever posted. I don’t know why it took me 5 years and hundreds of recipes later to do so, but better late than never.
If it was served at a party, I’d make sure to babysit the table until it was gone. It was so good that it took every ounce of willpower not to devour the whole thing. Definitely and totally worth the cardio.
What’s in This Baked Brie Recipe?
The ingredient list for this baked brie appetizer is super short, and that’s the beauty of this flavorful recipe! Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy appetizer:
- Wheel of brie
- Cherry jam or preserves
- Balsamic vinegar
- Crackers, bread, etc. for dipping
How to Bake Brie
Place the brie on a cutting board and carefully cut off one end (you just want to get the rind off). Place the bottom of the brie onto a Silpat-lined baking tray and spoon a mixture of cherry preserves and balsamic over top.
Loosely place the brie “top” over the preserves, then bake until the cheese has melted. Transfer the gooey cheese to a serving platter using two spatulas, or whatever you think is easiest.
Brie is best warm and fresh, although it will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, including the cherries. It firms up, but slicing pieces off and serving on crackers or bread works fine.
Can I Use Fresh Cherries Instead of Preserves?
Probably, but you’d want to cook them down on the stove with a little sugar to make them nice and jammy before spooning them onto the brie.
Can I Use Canned Cherry Pie Filling?
No, canned pie filling would result in the wrong texture and flavor.
Tips for Making Baked Brie
Be very careful when cutting the top off the wheel of brie. Cutting through the rind can take some muscle, so be patient and go slowly.
When dolloping the cherry preserves onto the brie, I like to leave a 1-inch margin so the preserves don’t bubble over in the oven and burn.
This is definitely not a neat and tidy appetizer. Your guests will need to be willing to really dig into it with bread and crackers, but it’s so worth it.
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The Best Baked Brie with Balsamic Cherries
Ingredients
- one 8-ounce wheel of brie
- about 1/3 heaping cup cherry jam or preserves
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- bread, crackers, mini toasts, chips, etc. for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place brie on a cutting board and slice off one end of it so that the ‘top’ is about 1/8-inch thick. Cutting through the rind takes a bit of elbow grease. Use a sharp knife, take your time, and be careful.
- Place base of brie in the center of prepared baking sheet with the top nearby; set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir to combine the jam and balsamic vinegar. Taste and make sure you like the balance of flavors; adjust if necessary.
- Spoon jam mixture over the center of brie and keep a bare 1-inch margin around the perimeter to help prevent runoff while baking.
- Loosely place the brie ‘top’ over the jam mixture.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. In the final moments, jam may runoff which is okay, but keep a watchful eye to make sure it’s not burning if it’s touching the baking sheet.
- Using two large spatulas or whatever method is easiest, transfer brie to serving platter. Serve immediately with your favorite bread, crackers, etc.
Notes
- Brie is best warm and fresh, although will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, including the cherries. It firms up, but slicing pieces off and serving on crackers or bread works fine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is Lovely!! To the 2nd one for entertaining, we Added 1T orange marmalade to the cherries and balsamic.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you enjoyed this!
I love your recipes so much. They are divinely tasty and so easy to make! I am so happy that I found this awesome website. :-D
Thank you!
Can you bake this in a brie baker? I got one as a gift and have never used it!
I’ve never ever heard of that item! I don’t know since it’s news to me!
Can I use fresh cherries?!
Yes but you’d probably want to add some sugar and mash them a bit and cook them down a bit because you won’t get the same drippy, juicy factor without doing it.
I want to try this so bad but cannot find cherry jam or preserves with whole cherries! Would cherry pie filling work? We were going to have it at Easter but after searching three grocery stores, gave up!
You can’t find ANY cherry jam, anywhere? It doesn’t have to be ‘whole cherries’. Just some cherry jam, any kind. I wouldn’t use pie filling as I think it will be the wrong sweetness and texture. If you can’t find cherry jam, I would move onto another flavor of jam you think that sounds good…maybe a mixed berry, strawberry, pineapple, orange marmalade but I wouldn’t use pie filling.
This is gorgeous! I love brie so it’s not like I need an excuse to eat it, but if I did, this recipe would be a valid one! Love!
Thanks, Rach!