This easy baked brie appetizer recipe combines soft brie, blackberry jam, fresh sage, and crescent dough into easy-to-serve pinwheels.
I’m an equal opportunity cheese lover, but when it comes to entertaining, there’s just something about brie. I think it’s the fact that it’s so versatile — it’s delicious whether it’s spread on a cracker, baked and melty, or sliced right off of the wheel. I’ve always enjoyed brie with fruit because the flavors combine so well, whether it’s my brie and grape quesadillas, or a slice of brie cheese on a cracker, topped with fig jam.
This baked brie pinwheel appetizer is also very wine-friendly. It pairs perfectly with white wine at a summer-time picnic, and it would also pair nicely with a hearty glass of red at a holiday party. It’s a year-round party on a plate!
You only need four ingredients for this appetizer:
- store-bought crescent dough
- brie
- blackberry jam or preserves
- fresh sage
If you haven’t had sage and brie together before, you’re in for a treat. Just spread out the crescent dough, and top with the jam. Layer the slices of brie in vertical rows to make it easy to roll up. Starting with the short end, carefully roll up the dough.
Before you slice it, I recommend putting it in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow it to harden just a bit. This will make slicing a LOT easier. Also be sure to use a very sharp knife when you’re slicing.
Tip: The pinwheels may look a bit messy and flattened when you first slice them, but don’t worry. Once they bake, they will take shape and fill out into a more rounded pinwheel shape.
Brie Cheese, Blackberry Jam, and Sage Pinwheel Appetizer
An easy, but elegant brie cheese appetizer that pairs beautifully with wine.
Ingredients
- 8 oz soft brie
- 1 pkg fresh sage
- 8 oz crescent dough
- 5 tbsp blackberry jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Place the crescent dough on top of the foil and smooth with your hands. Spread the dough with a thin layer of blackberry jam, leaving a border on all sides.
- Cut brie into 1/4 inch slices and place in rows on top of the jam (you'll use about 2/3 of the wheel). Sprinkle sage on top of the brie.
- Starting at the short end, carefully roll up the crescent dough. Place the cookie sheet with the rolled up dough into the freezer for about 30-40 minutes to allow it to harden (this will make slicing easier).
- Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll into 1/2 inch slices. Place on cookie sheet, spreading apart to allow for expansion.
- Bake at 350 for approx 10 minutes or until the dough is cooked and just starting to turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a separate platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Once the pinwheels cool, they are easy to pack up for a picnic, a potluck, or any sort of party on the go. They look so elegant that nobody will believe how easy they were to make.
Jesalyn says
Love this recipe! I brought these to a picnic and they were enjoyed by all. I made this recipe two times. First time, they didn’t look so good but tasted great. Luckily that was just a trial run. Figured out where I went wrong so they were perfect the second time I prepared them for our event. I don’t recommend preparing this the night before. I’ve done that in the past with other pinwheel recipes but it doesn’t work well with the blackberry jam. It was oozing out and bottom of crescent was somewhat soggy and didn’t keep its shape while slicing, despite being properly chilled. First time, I could only find the perforated crescent rolls, made it work but it was a little trickier. Used the crescent roll dough (found it at Walmart) and was able to roll tighter so they formed better into pinwheel shape. Also, thinner slices of brie works best. Made them at home and weren’t eaten at the picnic until a couple hours later but they were just as delicious at room temperature. The combination of flavors is fabulous!
Christy says
Could you prep this night before and keep in fridge till morning to bake?
Alyssa says
Possibly? It’s hard to know for sure without trying it.
susan says
This was a absolute fail. I made them twice in the same night, both times I chilled the completed “roll” for 40 minutes. Baked at 350 on parchment, setting far enough apart of the baking sheet to spread. BOY , did they spread! In fact, they didn’t rise at all. Both times. A colossal mess of a big flat gobs of dough with shape whatsoever . So, what did I do wrong? Any ideas?
Alyssa says
I’m so sorry to hear that Susan! I’m happy to help get to the bottom of what went wrong. What type of dough and brie did you use?
Susan Mayer says
Hi again . I used the Pillsbury crescent dough. I layed it our on non-stick foil , I did NOT use a rolling pin or the like, but I did attempt to even put the rectangle by pressing lightly with my fingers to get a more symmetrical rectangle of dough .
For the Brie, used the Alouette brand from Costco . I cut the Brie a little thinner than instructed – I cut it about 1/8″ thick .
Alyssa says
Hmmm…sounds like you did everything right! I’m not sure what happened. They’re not meant to rise much, but they should turn out as pictured. Maybe it wasn’t rolled tight enough? Regardless, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you — I know how frustrating that can be. I want all of my recipes to be “wins,” so I’m going to make this again soon and see if there’s anything I need to be clearer about in the instructions. Sorry, Susan!
susan says
Alyssa, I think you may be right. I think probably the filled dough was probably not rolled tight enough. I did ccover the rolled “log” covered in the non-stick foil to keep it nice & tight while in the freezer, but in the end, if there is one thing I may have doubts about, it probably is the tightness of the rolled up dough. Perhaps I will give it another try.
Thanks again. I love your site!
Alyssa says
Thanks so much!! 🙂
TJ says
I used a serrated knife to cut it and that did the trick nicely.
Nancy says
Definitely needs more freezer time… mine are coming out of the oven now.. I, too, got 15 wheels. Smells great, taking them to a party in about an hour!
Alyssa says
Awesome! I am going to update the recipe to include more freezer time. Thanks for your feedback – I hope they’re a hit at the party!
Melissa says
Beautiful things happen when you put cheese and crescent dough together. I can’t wait to make this! I needed a new go-to dish to bring to parties!!
Alyssa says
Absolutely — I could live on cheese and bread. 🙂
Janie Noller says
The crescent roll dough I found did not look as large as the one in the picture. Did you stretch it out? How many pinwheels did you get from the recipe?
Alyssa says
Hi Janie – The roll I used wasn’t very large either. It was smaller than a sheet pan. I believe I got about 15 pinwheels.
Dotty says
Hi Janie,
Do you have a brand name for your one sheet crescent roll dough? I’m still only finding only the smaller 8 rolls per canister.
Thanks!
Laura says
Pillsbury makes a crescent dough without the pull-apart lines for each roll. Making these right now and they look great! I think I used too much jam, but otherwise looking good. I put in freezer for 20 min and probably could have used another 10 min.
Dotty says
I did use regular crescent dough and just squeezed together where the pull apart lines are. I did leave it in freezer for 30 minutes and would probably leave it in a little longer. I will also make sure I slice the Brie even thinner next time.
It came out great and was a hit! I look forward to making it again!
Alyssa says
Thanks, Dotty! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Dotty says
The only crescent dough I can find comes in 8 pieces. Do you patch them together? Or is there a brand that comes in one sheet?
Alyssa says
Hi Dotty! I was able to find crescent dough that came in one sheet (can’t remember the exact brand), but I think it would work perfectly fine to just patch together the individual triangles of crescent dough.
Dotty says
Great, Alyssa! I will look again and will definitely try this recipe. If anyone can think of the brand that is one sheet, let me know!
Linda says
Wonder if you could use puff pastry
Beverly says
I love the pinwheel recipe.