Baked Brie

This is one of my go-to appetizers - it's a staple at our annual White Elephant Party.  It's simple, classy and delicious.  Plus, you can leave it plain or, add fruit, nuts, jams, or jellies.

My favorite way to prepare it is with Hot Pepper Jelly in between the brie before it's wrapped and baked.  The brie is creamy and mild and the little bite of the hot pepper is a perfect match.

Be sure to serve this immediately.  Brie gets quite hard as it cools so enjoy it while it's hot!  If you have a hot plate, it works great for keeping it warm.

Baked Brie

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1 wheel of brie
1 tbsp jam or jelly, if desired
1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Carefully slice the brie in half (skip this step if you are not filling your brie).

 

2.  Cut the puff pastry so that it is a large square, just slightly larger than the brie.  Using a rolling pin, roll the square out so that there is 2-3 inches of pastry on all sides of the brie.

 

3.  Place one side of the brie on the puff pastry and place your filling in the center.  Spread it so that it comes within a 1/4 inch of the edge.  Place the top of the brie on top and, starting with a corner, carefully encase the brie with the puff pastry.  Dip your finger in water and place it on the pastry as you seal.  This will help the pastry stick to itself and ensure a better seal.

 

 

 

4.  Carefully flip the brie over and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until the brie is golden brown.  Serve with slices of toasted baguette or crackers.  Enjoy!

 

 

~ Sara :)

 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones

I got the base of this recipe from one of my all time favorite sites, Skinnytaste, I just changed my add-ins.....and I made mine bigger portions ☺  Hers calls for just chocolate chips, stuck to that, but I used dark chocolate chips instead.  I've had an obsession with dried cherries lately, just eating them by the handful, so I knew that I wanted to add those in too (and, seriously, I don't need to be eating them by the handful).  This is the first time I ever made scones so I don't have anything to compare them to.  But, they came out pretty tasty!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones
Makes 8 Scones

 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chilled butter, diced
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° and either spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.  Whisk the first four ingredients in a medium-sized bowl

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.  Once mixed well, cut in the butter - do this with a pastry cutter, two knives or, do what I did and use a potato masher!  You want it to resemble a course meal.

Fold in the chocolate chips and cherries.  With a spatula, add the milk mixture and combine.  You want a sticky dough.


Dump the dough on to a floured surface (I just used the parchment paper on my cookie sheet).  With floured hands, knead the dough 3-4 times until it forms into a nice ball.  Place the dough onto greased cookie sheet and shape into a round - approx 9 inches in diameter and 3/4 inches thick.  With a large knife, slice the dough into 8 slices.  Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg white and sprinkle the sugar over the top.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  Serve immediately or let cool.  Enjoy!