Cranberry Brie Crescent Braid

Cranberry Brie Crescent Braid – creamy brie cheese and tangy cranberry sauce wrapped in  warm golden crescent dough. Simple, elegant appetizer perfect for brunch too!

Whether you’re enjoying this with a cup of coffee in the morning or bringing it out of the oven and serving with a nice white wine, this Cranberry Brie Crescent Braid is as simple as it is elegant.

Warm brie cheese melted with tangy cranberry sauce, some orange zest gives a burst of citrus and just a hint of fresh rosemary baked inside golden, flaky crescent dough. 

It couldn’t be any easier to make this beautiful appetizer that looks fancy – without all the work. A delicious twist on baked brie.

Besides being an easy, elegant appetizer, this Cranberry Brie Crescent Braid would be perfect along with an overnight egg casserole LINK for brunch – oh – and don’t forget the mimosas LINK too!

I added thinly sliced almonds over the egg wash (that goes it gorgeous golden sheen!) on the top before baking, but if nuts are an issue in your house, you can definitely leave them off with delicious results.

What’s in this cranberry brie crescent braid?

• parchment paper for easy cleanup
• refrigerated crescent dough sheet
• brie cheese
• whole berry cranberry sauce 
• orange zest
• fresh rosemary
• egg
• coarse sugar
• sliced almonds

Optional garnishes:

• rosemary sprigs
• fresh cranberries

how to make a cranberry brie crescent braid:

NOTE #1: use canned cranberry sauce (whole berry!) – or – make your own with this easy recipe!

NOTE #2: if you can’t find crescent sheets, crescent rolls work – firmly pinch the perforations to seal. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup. 

In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, orange zest and finely minced rosemary then set aside.

Unroll the crescent sheet and place it on the baking sheet gently pressing to uncurl the edges then spoon the cranberry mixture down the center leaving about 3 inches of the sides of the dough bare.

Remove the rind from the brie using a paring knife or potato peeler, then thinly slice it and lay it over the top of the cranberry sauce.

Make diagonal slits about 1 1/2″ wide, slicing almost to the filling then starting at one end, pull one strip over the other (braiding) down the length of the dough. 

Whisk the egg and a tablespoon of water together in a small bowl then lightly brush the top of the bread with the egg wash. Sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the top then add the sliced almonds.

Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let it rest 5 minutes then slice and serve.

Serving suggestions:

• Slice and serve as an appetizer with your favorite wine.
• Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
• With a breakfast casserole for brunch with mimosas.

tips for easy, stress-free entertaining:

• Music. A playlist of all your favorites – holiday or otherwise creates a fun atmosphere.
• Wine. Chill white wine ahead of time, offer red too and be sure you have enough glasses for everyone.
• Food. Keep it simple! You’ll have more fun if you’re not in the kitchen the whole time!
• Prep. Do as much ahead of time as possible.
• Help. Accept any and all. Enough said.

Need more easy, elegant appetizers?

 Mini Crab Cakes – mini cakes loaded with crab meat – a crowd pleaser!

Garlic Butter Scallops – golden, pan seared scallops drizzled with lemon garlic butter sauce. 

Charcuterie board – Instagram-worthy cheese and meat board – something for every appetite!

You could even switch up this recipe by adding leftover turkey for a turkey-cranberry-brie combo. 

Enjoy!

If you tried this Cranberry Brie Crescent Braid or any other recipe on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment below or a bunch of stars!

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Cranberry Brie Crescent Braid

Golden flaky crust wrapped around a delicious blend of brie cheese, cranberry sauce, orange zest, rosemary and finely chopped pistachios. 

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry brie cheese appetizer recipes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: A Gouda Life

Ingredients

• parchment paper
• 8 ounce crescent dough sheet
• 6 ounces brie cheese
• 2/3 cup cranberry sauce whole berry type
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly rosemary finely chopped
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, orange zest and finely minced rosemary then set aside.
• Unroll the crescent sheet and place it on the baking sheet gently pressing to uncurl the edges then spoon the cranberry mixture down the center leaving about 3 inches of the sides of the dough bare.
• Remove the rind from the brie using a paring knife or potato peeler, then thinly slice it and lay it over the top of the cranberry sauce.
• Make diagonal slits about 1 1/2″ wide, slicing almost to the filling then starting at one end, pull one strip over the other (braiding) down the length of the dough. 
• Whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl. Brush the top of the braid with the egg wash. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the top then add the sliced almonds.
• Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let it rest 5 minutes then slice and serve.