baked brie with apples and salted caramel sauce

prep: 5 MINUTES | bake: 10 TO 12 MINUTES | total: 20 MINUTES | serves 8 TO 10

As its name suggests, this is the kind of ooey, gooey, savory-sweet goodness you want on a holiday spread. All it takes is sautéing apples in brown butter and brown sugar, pouring it over a warmed wheel of Brie, and drizzling the whole mess with a homemade salted caramel sauce—which you can make in advance, though you could absolutely buy the sauce and your guests would be none the wiser! The only downside is that people will demand you make it the next year… and the next. But they never have to know that it took only 20 minutes to put together.

1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large apple, cored and chopped (we like Honeycrisp, but Gala or Fuji would also work)

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

⅓ cup Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows) or store-bought

Crostini, pita chips, or crackers, for serving

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2 Place the wheel of Brie on the prepared baking sheet and bake until it’s warm, soft, and starting to ooze, 10 to 12 minutes.

3 While the Brie is baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped apples and brown sugar and cook until the apples are soft, about 5 minutes.

4 Carefully transfer the Brie to a serving platter. Spoon the sautéed apples over the Brie and drizzle with the salted caramel sauce. Serve while warm with crostini, pita chips, or crackers.

Salted Caramel Sauce

prep: 5 MINUTES

cook: 15 MINUTES

total: 20 MINUTES, plus cooling

makes 2 CUPS

Use this easy sauce in Peanut Butter Caramelitas (here), spooned over warm Deep-Dish Brownie Cookies (here), drizzled over ice cream, or as a dip for apple slices.

2 cups granulated sugar

¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, sliced into tablespoons

1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

1 tablespoon fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes

1 Be sure to have all of the ingredients ready, because once you start the sauce, you’re going to want to pay close attention or it will burn.

2 In the bottom of a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat. When it starts to melt, begin whisking. It will clump up, but keep whisking until the sugar is completely melted, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on your stove. Did I mention you have to watch it?

3 Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches a deep amber color, 8 to 12 minutes. Make sure you watch the pan very closely—this is where it’s easy to burn the caramel! As soon as the sugar caramelizes, carefully add the butter and use a wooden spoon to stir until the butter is melted.

4 Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream. Whisk until the cream is incorporated and the caramel is smooth. Whisk in the fleur de sel. Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before using. Or, if not serving the sauce right away, transfer to a large glass jar and cool completely before storing in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.