It’s soup season and I have a wonderful new recipe to share with you, a creamy maple brie and cheddar apple soup with walnut granola! This soup was inspired by a sweet and savoury version of apple pie where there is cheddar cheese in the apple pie and I was thinking that it would make for a fabulous soup! (Yes, apple pie with cheddar cheese is an actual thing!) I started out with apples of course and I built up the soup with broth and apple cider along with the cheddar cheese. Apple pie is amazing when served with vanilla ice cream so I wanted to add that
creamy aspect to the soup which I could have done simply by adding cream but I really enjoy using brie cheese to add creaminess to soups so I use that along with a bit of vanilla. Next up I added some maple syrup to enhance the sweetness of the apples and add the maple flavour and aroma. I started out thinking about apple pie for this soup but when it came to the idea of incorporating the crust I switched tracks and moved over to the idea of an apple crumble and I went with a simple walnut and granola crumble for a garnish which adds a nice crunchy texture! The resulting soup is a spectacular blend of sweet and savoury that is decadently creamy; a bowl of pure delight! This soup is good served warm or chilled and it makes the perfect side for any holiday dinner or a larger bowl makes for a nice light meal!
Creamy Maple Brie and Cheddar Apple Soup with Walnut-Oat Granola
A wonderfully creamy, sweet and savoury apple and brie soup with maple and cheddar topped with a crunchy walnut and oat crumble!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth or ham broth
- 2 cups apple cider ***
- 6 large apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 1 cup aged/sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces brie, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
For the soup:
For the granola:
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, cider and apples, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, maple syrup, cheddar and brie and cook until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
- Puree the soup in a blender and optionally strain any bits of brie rind that may remain before seasoning with salt and pepper before enjoying!
- Pulse the butter, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a food processor until grainy.
- Mix in the rolled oats and nuts with your hands until they clump up before spreading in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven until lightly golden brown, about 10-20 minutes, mixing every 5-10 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes.
For the soup:
For the granola:
Option: Replace the broth with more cider, or beer, or hard cider, etc.
Option: Add a pinch of cayenne for a bit of heat.
Option: Add a hint of dijon mustard.
Note: Skip granola for gluten-free.
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Heather Christo says
The flavor combo is amazing!
Julie | Table for Two says
Loving the brie and cheddar combo!
Maria Lichty says
I love the rolled oat and nut topping!
Nurse-Gail says
Dinner tonight! Along with turkey paninis…can't wait!!
kevin says
Nurse-Gail: A turkey panini would be great with this!
Duşakabin says
A super winter soup.
Susanebere says
Made this today. Really enjoyed! A little labor intensive.
kevin says
Susanebere: I'm glad you like it! It does take a bit of work but it's well worth it! 🙂
Nancy Burke says
Flavor profile was spot on, but super grainy.
Anonymous says
Mine turned out somewhat grainy, but if I had a better blender, that may not have been the case. Delicious soup, but SWEET. It makes me think of dessert. Thanks for the recipe.
Gillyann says
I hate peeling apples. Loss of a lot of good vitamins too. Do you think this would still be good if I left them on and blended it all?
kevin says
You can leave the apple peels on! After pureeing if you do not like the texture then you can strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve and remove any bits of apple peel left. Enjoy!
Martin says
2 cups of apple cider vinegar….. seriously, there must be an error… it ruined the soup 🤢
kevin says
It is 2 cups of apple cider, not apple cider vinegar.
Jane says
Made the same mistake, BIG mistake, ended up with a massive bowl of puke
kevin says
It should be apple cider rather than apple cider vinegar!
Kathleen says
Can you say amazing?! What a fabulous soup – beautiful combination of flavours. Thanks for sharing!
Mary Abramczyk says
Good recipe – thank you!
Helen Kennedy says
I’m in the UK and cider here is “hard” cider with an alcohol content, usually 5-8% and varying between sweet and dry Could I use that? I’m unclear as to what non hard cider actually is.
Amanda says
In the Midwest we have apple orchards that make cider. It’s apples and spices blended together into a juice. Similar to apple juice but with mulled spices and a tad thicker. No alcohol but it’s great with some bourban!
kevin says
Soft or non-alcohol apple cider is basically apple juice that has not been processed as much. It’s generally unfiltered, unsweetened, unpasteurized and often still contains some pulp or sediment and is more opaque than apple juice. Apple cider can also be mulled with spices! You could easily replace the apple ‘cider’ with apple juice or maybe a combination of hard apple cider (1/2 cup) with apple juice (1 1/2 cups). Enjoy!
Amanda says
Delicious! Just made it and it turned out great! I personally use a hand blender and I find it blends smoother than most countertop blenders to those that posted about graininess. It was perfect!!! Can’t wait to share this with the fam!
Patty says
I don’t see what type of apples are recommended. What is used in this recipe?
kevin says
Use your favourite eating apple; I like Fuji or honey crisp and granny smith also works well. Enjoy!
Nett says
I used an immersion blender and it came out nice and creamy. Instead of granola I’m thinking bacon crumbles?