Bourbon Brown Sugar Baked Brie with Bourbon Caramel

Bourbon brown sugar baked brie is a warm appetizer with a caramel that tastes of oak and sugar, not raw liquor. The trick is to simmer the bourbon down with butter and brown sugar before it ever touches the cheese. The recipe serves 6 and takes 25 minutes in all, with 10 minutes of prep and 15 of cooking. Most of the work happens at the stove, in one small pan, while the oven heats. After that you score the wheel, bake it, and spoon the caramel over the hot cheese so it runs down the sides. It reads as a grown up dish, yet nothing about it is hard.

Why this works

• The bourbon simmers first, so what reaches the cheese is flavor, not raw alcohol.
• Alcohol boils at 173 F (78 C), well under a simmer, so 3 minutes leaves the oak and drops the burn.
• Butter and brown sugar turn the bourbon into a thin caramel that coats the back of a spoon.
• Spooning the caramel on after baking keeps it glossy and pourable instead of baked-on.
• Flaky salt at the end sharpens the sweetness.

What to know about the ingredients

The brie. Use a double cream brie in an 8 oz wheel, 5 in across. That size fits a snug dish, which keeps the wheel from spreading as it softens.

The bourbon. You need only 2 tablespoons, so there is no reason to buy anything fancy. Use a bourbon you would not mind sipping. If you would rather skip alcohol, the brown sugar and butter still make a caramel, though it will taste milder.

Light brown sugar. Pack it into the measuring cup. Dark brown sugar works too and gives a deeper, more molasses flavor.

Butter and nuts. Unsalted butter lets you control the seasoning, since the flaky salt comes last. Walnut halves are in the ingredient list, and they bring a bitter edge that balances the sweet caramel.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Baked Brie

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The bourbon simmers down to a syrup first, so what reaches the cheese is flavor, not raw alcohol.

Prep10 min

Cook15 min

Total25 min

Serves6

Ingredients

• Brie wheel, double cream — 8 oz wheel (225 g)
• Bourbon — 2 tablespoons (30 g)
• Light brown sugar, packed — ¼ cup (55 g)
• Unsalted butter — 1 tablespoon (14 g)
• Walnut halves — ⅓ cup (40 g)
• Flaky sea salt — ¼ teaspoon (1 g)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it stops foaming, then stir in the brown sugar until it looks like wet sand.
2. Pour in the bourbon and simmer, stirring, until the mixture stops smelling sharp and coats the back of a spoon in a thin sheet, 2 to 3 minutes. This is the bourbon caramel.
3. Stir in the walnuts until each one is coated, then take the pan off the heat.
4. Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C) and score the top rind in a crosshatch of 1 in (2.5 cm) squares, about 3 mm deep, until the paler paste shows in the cuts.
5. Bake the wheel in a snug dish 12 to 15 minutes, until the center gives under one finger and the top has parted along the cuts.
6. Spoon the bourbon caramel over the hot wheel until it runs down the sides, add the flaky salt, and serve while it is still pourable.

Notes

• Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Wheel size: 225 g / 8 oz wheel, 5 in across.

Nutrition per serving

229Calories

9 gProtein

10 gCarbs

17 gFat

Estimated per serving from standard nutrition reference values; will vary with brands and substitutions.

Tips for getting it right

1. Wait for the foam to die. Melt the butter over medium heat until it stops foaming, then add the brown sugar. Stir until it looks like wet sand.
2. Smell the pan. After the bourbon goes in, simmer and stir until the mixture stops smelling sharp. That, plus a thin sheet on the back of a spoon, tells you it is done, usually in 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Take it off the heat. Once the nuts are coated, pull the pan away. Caramel keeps cooking in a hot pan.
4. Score cleanly. Cut a crosshatch of 1 in (2.5 cm) squares, about 3 mm deep, until the paler paste shows in the cuts.
5. Bake until it gives. After 12 to 15 minutes at 350 F (175 C), the center should give under one finger and the top should part along the cuts.
6. Pour while hot. Spoon the caramel over the hot wheel until it runs down the sides, add the flaky salt and serve while it is still pourable.

How to store, freeze and make ahead

The bourbon caramel keeps 2 weeks in the fridge. Warm it until it pours before using, a few seconds at a time in the pan or microwave. That makes this an easy dish for a party: make the caramel days ahead, then score and bake the wheel when guests arrive. The recipe does not give a freezing method for the baked cheese, so treat it as a serve-right-away dish. If a little brie is left, cover it and refrigerate it, then rewarm it gently before serving.

What to serve with it

Ginger snaps and sliced apple are the pairings that suit this one best. The spice in the cookies echoes the caramel, and the apple is cool and crisp against the warm cheese. Sturdy seeded crackers, toasted baguette and pear slices also hold up to the rich topping. A small bowl of extra walnuts on the board is an easy addition.

Variations

• Maple swap. Replace the bourbon with more brown sugar and a splash of maple syrup for a version without alcohol.
• Spiced caramel. Add a pinch of cinnamon to the pan with the brown sugar.
• Pecans. Use pecan halves in place of the walnuts if you prefer a sweeter nut.
• Savory finish. Add a few leaves of fresh thyme or rosemary on top just before serving.

For more warm appetizers like this one, browse our guide to Baked Brie and Cheese Boards, then try the Maple Pecan Baked Brie or the Salted Caramel and Chocolate Baked Brie.