Salted Caramel Chocolate-Covered Brie Recipe

Sweet and savory is one food trend that seems to have staying power, since we can't seem to get enough of dishes like chicken and waffles, donut burgers, and chocolate-covered pretzels. If you'd like to explore the territory even further, though, developer Kate Shungu has come up with a recipe that pairs the pungent flavors of brie cheese with super-sweet caramel and rich, melted chocolate. The recipe may take close to two hours from start to finish, but nearly all of this is inactive time while the caramel and chocolate set. The actual work involved is minimal, and the payoff is a unique dish that's not likely to be on too many other tables.

Salted caramel chocolate-covered brie, as you might guess, isn't the easiest dish to categorize, but that just makes it more versatile. "I love these brie bites for a fun appetizer, addition to a cheese board, or little nibble for dessert," says Shungu. While they stand on their own without the need for any dips, toppings, or other embellishments, she does say, "I recommend serving them at room temperature so that the brie is soft and the caramel oozes out."

This recipe couldn't be much simpler, as it involves just three ingredients. One of these is a wheel of brie, of course, while the other two are a caramel dessert topping and some chocolate chips.

Cut brie into ¾-inch cubes. If it's too soft to slice cleanly, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes first.

Spread a dollop of caramel dessert topping (about ½ teaspoon) on top of each cube.

Place the cubes on a small sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes.

Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, just until barely melted.

Drop one of the brie bites into the chocolate.

Use a fork to coat the brie bite.

Place the brie bite on a sheet pan, and repeat with the remaining brie bites.

Allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature, about 1 hour (you can also refrigerate the bites to speed this process). Serve at room temperature.

One piece of advice Shungu has regarding this recipe is to "use caramel dessert topping from a jar instead of a very liquid caramel sauce ... from the squeeze bottle." A thinner sauce, she feels, is more likely to slide off the brie and make a mess rather than staying put where it belongs. You could always go with a homemade caramel sauce, too, as long as it's nice and thick.

The kind of chocolate chips Shungu is using here are semi-sweet, although she does note that "bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate would be delicious, too." Milk and white chocolate would result in something much sweeter, but if you feel like experimenting with either of these, they melt and set up in exactly the same way. To add a little extra savory to balance the sweet, try sprinkling some flaky sea salt on top.

The salted caramel chocolate-covered brie bites in these photos sure look tasty, don't they? Luckily, this effect isn't at all hard to achieve since, as we've mentioned, this recipe just involves a handful of ingredients and minimal prep time. Still, there are a couple of precautions you can take in order to ensure success.

When you're dipping the caramel-topped bites in melted chocolate. Shungu advises that you need to do this quickly, but adds, "If the chocolate begins to harden or get lumpy, microwave it for 10 seconds to keep it smooth." If the caramel gets too soft and starts sliding off the brie, you can just keep the caramel-topped cheese cubes in the freezer and take them out one at a time when they're ready to dip. Shungu adds the reassurance, though, that while the caramel topping "can be a little messy," there's no need to worry, since "it'll just be covered with chocolate anyway."