Baklava baked brie
A baked brie topped with walnuts, pistachios and honey, wrapped in phyllo pastry, baked and then soaked with flavoured syrup. This is a perfect Greek meze that has all the amazing flavours of the baklava dessert.
Greeks love cheese, but brie is probably not one of the cheeses that you will find gracing a traditional Greek table. There you will find appetizers make with cheese like feta or halloumi. Some of my favourites include sesame coated fried feta with honey and walnuts, halloumi fries with a citrus lime mint dipping sauce or tyrokafteri (Τυροκαυτερή) Still, I couldn’t resist creating a Greek-twist on baked brie by highlighting all the wonderful flavours and textures of baklava.
Why this recipe works
I first came up with this recipe during Greece’s Carnival season which happens right before we head into the period of Great Lent, a time of fasting before Pascha (Orthodox Easter). The weeks of carnival are considered to be somewhat of a bridge between pre-lent and lent.
One of the weeks of carnival is called Tyrini week or Cheese fare week. Those who follow the Lenten fast abstain from meat that week, but eggs and dairy are allowed, even on Wednesday and Friday which are usually strict fast days throughout the year. So cheese abounds and I felt it was the perfect time to post this recipe for baklava baked brie.
Of course, baklava baked brie can be enjoyed any time of the year, and it is particularly popular during holidays and special events. Guests are always impressed by the appearance of the baked brie, and because it comes all wrapped up in phyllo, it is hard to know exactly what is happening on the inside until you cut through it. What a lovely surprise!
The first time I had a baked brie was years ago at a friend’s house. The brie was served with a fruit chutney and chopped nuts. It was at once oozing with cheesy goodness, crunchy and salty from the nuts, and sweetened by the fruit. This was so delicious, and so different to me at the time that I have been obsessed with baked brie since them.
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We usually have some variation of baked brie at our family gatherings. Often it is a jam or chutney topped oven baked brie sprinkled with nuts or seeds. Other times we’ve smoked our brie on a cedar plank, or baked it wrapped in puff pastry. It was natural then that I would find a way to re-imagine baked brie and to make it Greek-ish! So, I topped the brie with pistachios and walnuts and wrapped it in phyllo pastry. After it’s baked, the whole cheesy package is soaked with a sweet syrup. The flavour of baklava combined with the brie is a great way to celebrate Tyrini week, holidays, anniversaries, and any night you want to treat yourself to something delicious.
Key ingredients
Whole brie I use a wheel of brie, with the rind.
Phyllo pastry Also called filo pastry, this super-thin dough bakes up nice and crispy.
Butter I use unsalted butter
Chopped walnuts I chop my nuts with a food processor or a large chef’s knife
Chopped pistachios I tend to purchase pistachios with the shell on, and shell them myself. It is less expensive this way.
Honey The flavour of the honey you use will impact the flavour of your baklava baked brie
For the syrup
Water – Plain old tap water is what you need here.
Sugar – White granulated sugar is sweet, but also milk flavoured.
Honey – I always use Greek honey or locally sourced honey.
Cinnamon stick – Using a cinnamon stick is a wonderful way to get the cinnamon flavour, without changing the colour of the syrup the way ground cinnamon would.
How to make
Prepare the syrup
Step 1
Combine all of the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Step 2
Stir, and when you notice that the sugar has dissolved, remove the sauce pot from the heat and set aside to cool.
For the baklava baked brie
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Remove the brie from its packaging and set aside.
Step 3
Take your 6 layers of phyllo and place your brie on it. Position your cheese on top of the phyllo. You must now cut the phyllo to size; the sheets should be just large enough to wrap the brie. See photos in the post for guidance.
Step 4
Discard the excess phyllo. Brush butter on each layer of phyllo, including the top layer.
Step 5
In the center of the top sheet of phyllo, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the crushed walnuts, 1 tablespoon of the crushed pistachios and the honey.
Step 6
Carefully, with a sharp knife, cut off the top layer of the white rind of the brie and discard.
Step 7
Place the top of the brie (the part with the rind removed) on top of the crushed nuts and honey.
Step 8
Begin to fold the phyllo so that you wrap the entire brie.
Step 9
Carefully lift your brie package, flip it over, and place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. The top will be the smooth part, which has the crushed nuts right underneath the phyllo.
Step 10
Baked in the middle rack of your oven for 20-25 minutes.
Step 11
When your phyllo is golden brown, remove the brie from the oven and transfer it to the serving plate. Your serving plate should not be flat, or you will make a mess with the syrup.
Step 12
Pour your cooled syrup all over your warm baklava brie. Top the brie with the remaining 1 tablespoon of crushed walnuts and the 1 tablespoon of crushed pistachios.
Step 13
Serve immediately with baguette slices and crackers.
Recipe substitutions
Use different nuts
You can definitely make this baklava baked brie with almonds instead of pistachios or walnuts. I love to change the recipe by changing the nuts, depending on what I have on hand.
Use maple syrup instead of honey
Typically baklava is made with honey, but if you prefer to sweeten your baklava baked brie with maple syrup instead, go right ahead! Use the same amount of maple syrup as you would have honey.
Cooking tips and helpful hints
Working with phyllo dough can be tricky. If you leave it exposed to air for too long it can dry out and become difficult to work with. It also tears really easily. Neither of these reasons however should cause you to avoid working with phyllo. It is actually not as fragile as you might think. Keep it covered with a cloth when you are not using it to keep it from drying out. If it tears a bit, no matter. There will be so many layers that the tear will be covered with another sheet of filo.
You will notice that the bottom layer of this baklava baked brie is very thick with phyllo, because of all of the folding over of various sheets. This offers good stability to the brie as you start to eat it, but may be too thick for you to eat. This is fine; the bottom provides a good surface to scrape the brie off of.
Serve your baklava baked brie on a shallow bowl or a dish with a raised edge. If you use a flat plate you will create a big mess once you pour the syrup over the baked brie.
Your baklava baked brie is best when served immediately.
Related recipes
Looking for more recipes where cheese is the star? Check these out:
Baklava baked brie
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 round whole brie 170 grams
- 30 grams butter melted
- 6 sheets phyllo
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
- 1 tbsp honey
For the syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
Prepare your syrup
- Combine all of the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp honey, 1 cinnamon stick
- Stir, and when you notice that the sugar has dissolved, remove the sauce pot from the heat and set aside to cool.
For the baklava baked brie
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the brie from its packaging and set aside.1 round whole brie
- Take your 6 layers of phyllo and place your brie on it. Position your cheese on top of the phyllo. You must now cut the phyllo to size; the sheets should be just large enough to wrap the brie. See photos in the post for guidance.30 grams butter, 6 sheets phyllo
- Discard the excess phyllo. Brush butter on each layer of phyllo, including the top layer.
- In the center of the top sheet of phyllo, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the crushed walnuts, 1 tablespoon of the crushed pistachios and the honey.2 tbsp chopped walnuts, 2 tbsp chopped pistachios, 1 tbsp honey
- Carefully, with a sharp knife, cut off the top layer of the white rind of the brie and discard.
- Place the top of the brie (the part with the rind removed) on top of the crushed nuts and honey.
- Begin to fold the phyllo so that you wrap the entire brie.
- Carefully lift your brie package, flip it over, and place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. The top will be the smooth part, which has the crushed nuts right underneath the phyllo.
- Baked in the middle rack of your oven for 20-25 minutes.
- When your phyllo is golden brown, remove the brie from the oven and transfer it to the serving plate. Your serving plate should not be flat, or you will make a mess with the syrup.
- Pour your cooled syrup all over your warm baklava brie. Top the brie with the remaining 1 tablespoon of crushed walnuts and the 1 tablespoon of crushed pistachios.
- Serve immediately with baguette slices and crackers.
Wow! How fabulous is that??!!
It is really fabulous 🙂
Brie doesn’t have Greek origins but the creaminess of the cheese makes it a good fit in the cuisine. This baked brie baklava recipe is an excellent merging of the two cultures!
Thanks Nick! We agree 🙂 and we hope that you give this a try. We think you’ll love it!