This easy and delicious 10-minute baked brie recipe is the perfect appetizer to serve at a dinner party if you want to impress and please your guests.

Baked brie - it has got to be one of the easiest, most simple dishes to serve as an appetizer and one of the biggest crowd pleasers. How can you contend with warm soft cheesy goodness? Oh yeah, by slathering it in honey and almonds, and serving it alongside some perfectly toasted, ever-so-crusty bread.

***Some baked brie recipes include wrapping the brie round in pasty or filo dough. I think that this is a mistake because: 1) it takes away from the delicious and carefully balanced flavor that brie has to offer, and 2) you miss out on the best part - the crustiness of the bread mixed with the warm gooey goodness of the baked brie!***

Step 1: Ingredients

Brie (hopefully something mildly French - the one pictured below is made in the USA, but has a French title, works for me!)
Fresh crusty bread (Italian loaf or French baguette)
Honey (optional but tasty)
Almonds (optional but tasty)
Jam (optional but tasty)

Updated tip from Pikapikachick:

Also make sure you use a younger, firmer (cheaper -- yay!) brie, not an expensive and super runny aged brie. The longer brie ages the more ammonia-y the rind gets, and no amount of honey is going to make that taste good. And scraping rind off of melty brie just isn't any fun at all.

Also: try this with cranberry sauce! Yum!

Step 2: Set Oven to 350

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Why is it that the dial on just about every oven in the places where I've lived have the numbers rubbed off?

Step 3: Place the Brie on a Cookie Sheet

Place the brie round, rind and all, on something oven and broiler safe. A cookie sheet or pie tin will work well.

Step 4: Bake for 10-12 Minutes

Once the oven has reached temperature, place the brie in the oven on the top rack. Slice some nice fresh bread and throw it in there along with the brie to get crusty.

Crusty bread with warm buttery brie = delicious.
Limp soggy bread with warm buttery brie = hard to swallow.

Step 5: When It Looks Like This, It's Done

After 10 minutes it should be oozing a bit of cheese out of its bottom.

If it looks like it does in the photo below, it's ready to come out. Don't be afraid of a molten or almost liquid center - it will harden as the brie cools down.

If it doesn't have any of the nice brown bits on the top, you can throw it under the broiler for 30 seconds. Keep a close watch on it though - you don't want it to burn.

Step 6: Plate, Cover With Toppings and Enjoy

Making sure to support the bottom of the brie, carefully move it to a plate. Arrange the hot crusty bread from the oven around the brie.

Top the brie with honey, almonds, jam, or your own favorite toppings and serve quickly. Think sweet & savory flavors.

It will be so good that your guests won't be able to help themselves from digging in while it's piping hot!