Looking to take your snack, lunch, or game night food up a notch without putting in extra work? This baked brie with berry jam is the answer!

I'm not going to lie. I love a good charcuterie board, a good cheese plate, a good appetizer. Our family has been known to many times make a beautiful charcuterie or cheese board for our family game nights. I have a post here for you in case you want some ideas on what to serve for a very informal cheese board that will go along with any game night.

I also like to make these kinds of boards, plates, or meals...whatever you want to call them...for lunch, too. Just yesterday, my 16-year-old daughter was craving a cheese board and I'll just say, the pickings were slim with what I had on hand to make it work. But she pulled a rabbit out of hat and presented a lovely little array of food for all the kids to enjoy during our read aloud time in school. Her creativity and determination blesses me!

I've made this baked brie with berry jam a few times for lunch, too, and it is a hit every time! And I guess one of the reasons I'm sharing some of these ways we like to enjoy meals like this is to showcase that it doesn't have to be made in advance for some fancy meal at home. It sure could, if you wanted. You could make this in advance while you're cooking up steak, or fish, or even a chicken dish. But my favorite way to enjoy something like this is casually because it is fairly simple to prepare, feeds a lot of hungry people at once, and it can be surprisingly filling and therefore take the spot of another meal entirely.

You could bake this in a pie plate like I've done or if you have a brie cheese warmer, that would work, too...but the lid might get messy due to the jam and almonds resting on top. I've tried it both ways and I personally prefer the pie plate method because you can add the crackers and fruit to surround the brie that's all warm and gooey in the middle.

Make sure you buy an 8 oz round of brie cheese and not a wedge. Trust me, as cute as a wedge is, if you're serving more than two people, it won't go very far. I think a lot of people believe a specialty cheese like this to be expensive, but honestly, it's not. You can find brie in virtually any American grocery store, certainly at Trader Joe's or Costco. You can buy higher quality or lower quality, though honestly imported French brie just isn't that expensive, amazingly (generally speaking). Just get the most affordable - it will be fine. An 8 oz round of brie will probably run you anywhere from $6.99 and up.

To make this dish even more delightful, flavorful, and filling, we're adding nuts - specifically sliced almonds. It just gives that perfect crunch factor without being an overwhelming bite in your mouth. Just don't forget the berries! Not only do the vibrant colors just look beautiful, but fruit and cheese go together like PB&J! I don't think you should have one without the other.

If you are indeed looking for a fun and exciting appetizer for whatever soiree you're throwing, this is perfect. It virtually makes itself. But if you want an easy and whimsy lunch for the kids to enjoy instead of oh let's say, PB&J - this is it! They will love it and think it is such a fun change from the ordinary. Enjoy!