Baked Brie with Hot Honey & Pickled Jalapeños
Hot honey on baked brie is on every grazing board that matters this year, and for once the trend has earned it: molten cheese, sweet heat, something sharp to cut through the richness. The better news is that you don’t buy hot honey. You make it in two minutes, from honey good enough to eat on its own.
Hunnie raw WA honey warmed gently with chilli flakes becomes a hot honey with actual character — floral first, then the slow burn. Keating & Co’s sweet pickled jalapeños land the vinegar-bright counterpunch the cheese is begging for. Fifteen minutes, one dish, zero survivors.
What you need
- 1 whole brie or camembert (about 200 g)
- 3 tbsp Hunnie raw WA honey
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp sweet pickled jalapeños, drained
- A few thyme leaves (optional)
- Crackers or a warm baguette, for the scooping
Method
- Heat the oven to 180 °C. Sit the brie in a small ovenproof dish and score the top in a shallow crosshatch.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the centre gives completely when pressed.
- Meanwhile, warm the honey and chilli flakes in a small saucepan over low heat for 2 minutes, then take it off the heat and let the chilli infuse.
- Top the hot brie with the jalapeños, pour the hot honey over the lot, and scatter with thyme.
- Serve immediately with crackers. Baked brie gives you about ten good minutes before it starts firming up — gather the crowd first, then bake.
Board-building notes: the brie is the centrepiece, so give it a heat-proof landing spot in the middle and build outwards — something crisp, something fresh, something salty. Green apple slices and cold grapes earn their place against the warm cheese. Any leftover hot honey (a theoretical situation, admittedly) keeps for weeks in a jar and is outstanding over fried chicken and sharp cheddar. And if camembert is what the fridge offers, it bakes exactly the same way — a minute or two less, and watch the centre.
Feeding a bigger table? The 450 g jar keeps the hot-honey habit sustainable, and a bowl of wizard pickles alongside gives the board its crunch.
