Baked Brie - simple and fast appetizer

Our family had the pleasure of attending a surprise party for a wonderful neighbor the other evening.  Nothing was required to bring but I enjoy taking food - and a bottle of champagne!  I have my old stand by appetizer recipes but wanted to try something new.  Having found this before Christmas (you should see my "to try" list - wow!), I decide to make Baked Brie.  Such an easy appetizer, and so delicious!  Flaky crescent rolls encased the creamy brie that had been topped this time with apple butter.  And even easier to make - unroll a tube of crescent rolls, place brie in the middle, top with apple butter (or other preserves, whole cranberry sauce, or even hot pepper jelly).  Wrap breading around the cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve with crackers and apple slices!  How beautiful, tasty and oh so simple!

Baked Brie (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients:
-1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or t tube crescent rolls
-1 round of Brie cheese - just take off paper or plastic wrap but not the rind.  Leave whole
-Jam or preserves of your choice - let your imagination go wild - apple butter, whole cranberry sauce, fig preserves, raspberry jam, etc.  Have even seen hot pepper jelly as a suggestion.
-Optional brown sugar to sprinkle over top of breading
-Optional maple syrup to drizzle over as well

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Unroll crescent rolls in one large sheet.  Press seams of rolls together to make a whole sheet of dough. 
Place cheese in the middle of dough.

Top with jam, preserves, apple butter of your choice.  I used apple butter that my Sister in Law had brought from the mountains of Virginia (yummy!).  Top with 2 tablespoons.

Bring bread up around cheese to cover.  I did a partial twist of the dough on top.

With all that excess dough on top, it would take forever for the top to bake so I just grabbed my kitchen scissors (if you don't own a pair, go buy some, they are a lifesaver!) and sniped a bit.  Like giving a haircut!  Here's the excess that I cut off.

After the "haircut"

Pop into the oven at 350 degrees for 30 min.  Looks so yummy!  Let sit for about 10 minutes but serve while it is still warm.

I could take a picture of it cut - we were taking it to a neighbors.  But the apple butter complimented the brie so nicely!
Enjoy!