Brie Bonbons

I need you to NOT skim this post. I need you to read it. Word for word. Because, in case you missed the title, brie cheese was just doused in chocolate and topped with sea salt. Hold it together please, and keep reading because you need to know how to make these. Like now.

It’s the marriage of two of the finest foods in the my world. Creamy brie cheese coated in a sweet shell of chocolate. They are little bites of bliss. I was skeptical at first. Chocolate covered cheese? It seemed like an odd match. Dessert is normally chocolate or cheese. Not both. Not together. But I’m certain, and I hope you’ll agree, that this a culinary pairing to rival peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, bacon and eggs. It works…so unbelievably well.

The word “bonbon” is French. It originates from the word “bon,” meaning “good,” and normally refers to any chocolate covered confection. Brie bonbon. Let me translate – brie good good. That sounds about right.

Although I would have gone to great lengths to make these they are really quite simple, which adds to their appeal… as if they needed anymore of that. Just a handful of simple ingredients and you have yourself a sophisticated dessert, a Mother’s Day gift. You have yourself grown-up candy.  And that’s good good.

 

Brie Bonbons (Inspired by a ridiculously expensive package of these at Whole Foods that I refused to buy and wanted to make myself.)

Ingredients:

1 wedge of Brie cheese (8-12oz)
12 oz chocolate, chopped
3-6 teaspoons canola oil
Sea salt for topping

Directions:

1. Freeze the brie cheese for about 15 minutes to make it easier to slice.
2. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix the chocolate and oil. Please see note 1 below about amount of oil. Stir until melted completely. Be careful not to burn.
3. Slice the brie cheese into bite sized cubes and dip into melted chocolate.
4. Using a tooth pick or knife tip, move the cheese around to coat. Remove and set on a cookie sheet or baking rack to let cool. Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt while the chocolate is still wet. You can place them in the refrigerator for faster cooling.

Notes:

1. If using 12 ounces of the same chocolate (i.e., 1 bag of chocolate chips), melt it all in one pot with about 3 teaspoons of oil. The chocolate should be smooth, thin and drippy. If using different kinds of chocolate (I used three 4 ounce bars above) melt in separate pots with about 1-2 teaspoons of oil in each.
2. I used double cream brie cheese. I also removed the rind because unless it’s baked, it seems a bit leathery to me. This is a personal preference and you can leave the rind on if you’d like.
3. You’ll have left over chocolate. Perfect for dipping those 6 pints of strawberries.
4. I used semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate and milk chocolate. My favorite was the semi-sweet chocolate but probably because I’m a huge dark chocolate fan. If you don’t want to make all three, I’d suggest picking your favorite type of chocolate and using that.
5. Store these in the refrigerator, but serve them at room temperature. The flavor of the brie is much stronger at room temperature. Enjoy!