Stress Less With Our Puff Pastry Brie Appetizer

Over the past year, my sister and I have really been trying to incorporate healthy living goals into our every day lives. It’s not always easy, but we feel that it’s very important to the overall happiness and health of our families for each member to try to be as healthy as possible.

Sometimes, this is about mental wellness and we try to take some time each day to reflect upon the moment and be mindful of what’s really important.

Sometimes, it’s squeaking in some form of physical activity to strengthen our bodies and release tension.

Sometimes, it’s just trying a new vegetable or fruit so we can eat as best as we can.

Sometimes, it means doing nothing more than spending time with your family, snuggled on the couch with a roaring fire nearby and watching a favorite movie.

So as the holidays approach, I’m on a mission to keep things as stress-free and zen as possible. After reading De-stressing the holidays in the recent issue of Sam’s Club Healthy Living Made Simple Magazine I know that for me, this means planning ahead and making lots and lots of lists. As a typical Type A human being, I love lists. Lists are my friends — especially when I get to cross things off of my lists. Come the holidays, I pretty much have lists for everything, but that’s okay, because they keep me happy.

One of my favorite lists to make is a grocery list. They keep me focused and help me avoid any unnecessary purchases, especially when I head over to Sam’s Club. I could buy everything in the store, but that would be very bad for my wallet, so a list is a must-have item before I step foot in the door!

Anyways, I needed to replenish our fruit and vegetable supplies and Sam’s Club has a really great produce section. Everything is always fresh and ripe, and the prices can’t be beat. Since I was trying to plan ahead, I added brie, puffed pastry, apples and cranberries to my list so I could make our family’s favorite Holiday appetizer: Baked Puff Pastry Brie with Holiday Jam.

When it comes to parties, I really like to keep the appetizers simple so that people can grab a quick bite and keep on going. I try to avoid serving things that are messy or require lots of napkins because no one wants sauce on their face when they’re at a party! Needless to say, bite-sized portions of cheese and fruit are always my favorite answer.

I love this warm, tasty brie, especially during the colder months. (Ahhh, who are we kidding. I love brie any time of year. I’ve even been known to barbecue brie during the summer!) I think I like brie so much because it’s a creamy, mild cheese that pairs really well with so many of our homemade jams. It’s become such a family favorite that kids and adults have been know to park it next to the brie platter until it’s all gone.

You don’t need to make your own jam like I do for this appetizer to be a success, but you definitely do need to use a high-quality jam. If you use a thin, runny one – you’re brie will be a wet mess. Yuck, I didn’t even like writing that, but it’s true. Marmalade or chutney would also work well – just remember that brie is naturally creamy and sweet, so it’s nice to use something with some bite in it for contrasting flavors. This is the main reason that I use our Holiday Jam with this recipe – the cranberries add just a smack of tartness to the apples and brie, and it’s pure deliciousness in your mouth!

But if our Puff Pastry Brie appetizer isn’t your thing, we have loads of other fabulous appetizer and side ideas for you to choose from. Any of these recipes can be served on sStress less this holiday season with our family’s favorite Puff Pastry Brie Appetizer with my homemade Holiday Jam. Just wrap, bake and serve! Yummy!all plates, with dipping sauces or toothpicks, to make it easy to grab and go:

What are your favorite easy-to-make-and-eat holiday appetizers?

BAKED PUFF PASTRY BRIE APPETIZER WITH HOLIDAY JAM

Ingredients:

1 Puff Pastry sheet, thawed according to package directions (they are usually sold in a 17.3 ounce package of two)
1, 8 ounce Brie round
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water
2-3 tablespoons of jam (I love my Holiday Jam in this recipe)

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Carefully unfold the pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface so the pastry does not stick to the counter top.

Step 2: Using a sharp paring knife, carefully slice off the white top of the the brie round. Leave the sides and bottom.

Step 3: Place the brie round in the center of the pastry sheet. Using a fluted pastry cutter, trim the pastry so that you have just enough pastry to fold it up over the cheese to cover it. You’ll want to make a neat little package.

Step 4: Roll out the excess pastry and using a holiday cookie cutter, cut out a decorative shape for the top of the pastry package. Gently place the pastry cut-out onto the top of the brie round.

Step 5: Beat your egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the pastry seams with the egg mixture and pinch shut. Place the brie onto a baking sheet. Brush with egg mixture.

Step 6: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

#SimplyHealthy #CollectiveBias

Enjoy the holidays,

Denine

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