Baked Stuffed Brie filled with Cranberries & Walnuts – A Better Brie

One of the most common mistakes people make when serving cheese, is not letting it come to room temperature first, so that all the flavors can be fully realized. This beautiful, baked stuffed brie takes that principle to the next level.

I went with a festive, and seasonally appropriate filling of cranberries and walnuts, but I’ve done this with at least a dozen different fillings, so don't be afraid to play around. 

Believe it or not, Michele and I once had a frozen stuffed brie business for a brief time, and supplied them to some of San Francisco’s finest shops. The business was called, “A Better Brie,” and while we moved on to bigger and better things, we had a lot of fun doing them, and they were very well received. Candied pecan was our best seller, with caramelized mushrooms coming in a close second.

What you seen here is exactly how we used to put them together, so if you weren’t around these parts in the early 90’s, here’s your chance to taste what you missed. I really hope you give this baked stuffed brie a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 small wheel of brie (about 6 to 8 inches is perfect)

handful of dried cranberries, chopped

handful of chopped walnuts

enough puff pastry to cover (1/8-inch thick), plus extra for design

1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

-- Freeze for 1 hour, bake at 425F. for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is browned, and the brie is soft.

*By the way, do not skip the freezing for one hour step. The crust needs to bake to a golden brown before the brie starts pouring out, so it must be partially frozen when it goes in the oven. If you happen to make it ahead of time, and put it in the oven frozen solid, then I’d lower the temp to 400, and give it an extra 10 minutes or so, or until the cheese is runny.

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