Roasted garlic baked brie en croute is a unique sweet and savory appetizer you can serve at holiday parties and cheese nights with friends.
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With the holiday season right around the corner, all we can think about is the delicious food we’ll be eating between Thanksgiving and the new year. From appetizer spreads of charcuterie and cheesy dips to savory holiday casseroles and decadent sweets, there’s no better way to celebrate with friends and family than over good food! In honor of this special time of year, we’re sharing yet another go-to holiday appetizer recipe: roasted garlic baked brie en croute.
What is baked brie en croute? En croute means food baked in a pastry crust, typically with puff pastry or pie crust. So, baked brie en croute is simply brie cheese baked inside pastry dough. If you’ve never had it before but you love baked brie, you’re in for a treat. It’s basically like replacing the rind of the brie with flaky, buttery pastry – with the added bonus of infusing delicious flavors into the cheese, like we do with roasted garlic in this recipe!
We use crescent roll dough instead of puff pastry for an easy baked brie en croute that’s extra buttery and melts in your mouth. It’s the perfect shortcut ingredient for this unique appetizer since it’s so easy to work with. Whether you’re serving baked brie en croute for the holidays or treating your friends to an extra-special cheese night, your guests are sure to love this sweet and savory baked brie encased in crescent roll dough.
Baked Brie En Croute Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make roasted garlic baked brie en croute:
- A head of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pillsbury crescent roll dough
- Brie cheese
- Butter
- Dried parsley
Typically, baked brie en croute is made with puff pastry, but we prefer to make it in crescent roll dough for two reasons: it’s much easier to work with, and it provides extra buttery sweetness that melts in your mouth. The flavor of the crescent roll dough also helps balance out the powerful combination of savory roasted garlic and creamy baked brie cheese in this recipe.
You’ll need olive oil and salt for roasting the garlic, and butter and dried parsley for topping the baked brie. A little brush of melted butter and a sprinkle of parsley goes a long way in adding extra savory flavor to this baked brie, while also improving the final presentation. The result is a crispy, golden pastry you can plate on a serving tray or cheese board with a knife and a couple of forks for your guests to dig in with!
How To Roast Garlic In The Oven
To make roasted garlic baked brie en croute, you’ll need to make the roasted garlic first. It’s very easy to roast garlic in the oven – we learned how to do it after watching this Instagram reel. Here’s a full explanation on how to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the top off a head of garlic, about three-quarters of an inch or so, to reveal some of the cloves inside. Then place it in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle the garlic lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Then wrap it up tightly in the foil.
- Roast the garlic in the oven for 30 minutes.
When the garlic comes out of the oven, let the foil cool down to the touch before carefully unwrapping it (this should only take a few minutes). Then let the garlic cool until you can safely handle it, at least 10 minutes or so. You’ll want it to still be warm when it comes time to prepare the baked brie – this will make it easier to mash and spread on the crescent roll dough.
How To Make Savory Baked Brie En Croute
Baked brie en croute is really just a wheel of brie wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven. The pastry puffs up and crisps, encasing the cheese as it melts for a sweet and savory self-contained appetizer. To make a savory roasted garlic baked brie en croute, all you have to do is spread roasted garlic on the pastry before wrapping up the cheese.
Here’s a full breakdown on how to make roasted garlic baked brie in crescent roll dough:
- Roast the garlic and squeeze the cloves into a small bowl. You might have to peel some of the skin away if the garlic doesn’t easily squeeze out. Then, mash the roasted garlic with a fork until it turns to a spreadable paste.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay a half sheet of Pillsbury crescent roll dough flat on the parchment. Gently squeeze the perforated lines together to form a square sheet of dough, then gently press across the whole thing with your fingertips to flatten slightly.
- Spread the roasted garlic evenly across the dough.
- Next, cut the rind off of the brie and place it in the center of the dough.
- Carefully wrap the dough around the brie. Start by folding in the four sides, one at a time. Then, take opposite corners and carefully arrange them across the top of the brie until the whole thing is covered. Gently press down on the top to flatten the dough into a somewhat even layer. Then, gently shape around the edges with your hands to form it into a round.
- Make sure to seal any spots that may have ripped or become thin by gently pinching the dough back together. This will prevent any brie from leaking out during baking.
- Finally, brush the top of the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until the dough is golden and lightly crisped, about 18 to 22 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving – the cheese inside will be very hot!
Baked Brie En Croute Variations
We use roasted garlic in this recipe for savory baked brie en croute, but there are many options when it comes to baked brie en croute pairings! Instead of spreading roasted garlic on the crescent roll dough, here are a few variations you could try:
- Opt for a sweet baked brie en croute by using fig jam or berry preserves
- Use a tart jam like cranberry or raspberry for a more unique flavor profile
- Drizzle balsamic glaze over the pastry dough for a balsamic-infused baked brie
- Or simply forgo the roasted garlic and enjoy the flavor of the brie on its own inside the pastry dough
As you can see, the options for flavored baked brie en croute are endless. Dream up whatever flavors you love with brie and chances are, you can spread it on the pastry dough before wrapping the whole thing up and it will taste delicious.
Baked Brie En Croute Serving Suggestions
If you’ve never had baked brie en croute before, you might be wondering, how do you eat it? The easy answer is, you can eat baked brie en croute with a fork! We recommend plating it with a cheese knife and a few forks for your guests. Simply slice wedges for individual servings and indulge in delicious forkfuls of garlic-infused buttery pastry and melty brie cheese.
You can also serve baked brie en croute with crackers and eat it much like you would eat a traditional baked brie. Slice out a wedge and scoop up the cheese from the inside with crackers for a crunchy and creamy bite, then eat the leftover pastry “shell” after the cheese is gone. It’s almost like having your appetizer and dessert all in one 🙂
This roasted garlic baked brie en croute is perfect for wine and cheese nights with friends or holiday appetizer spreads on Thanksgiving and Christmas. One 8-ounce wheel of brie is plenty for serving 4 to 6 people, especially if you pair it with charcuterie or other appetizers. Try the recipe below this holiday season and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share if you love it!
Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:
- The Perfect Charcuterie Board
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- Tomato Bruschetta with Crostini & Garlic Herb Cheese
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Roasted Garlic Baked Brie En Croute
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ sheet Pillsbury crescent roll dough 4 triangles
- 8 oz brie cheese
- ½ tbsp butter melted
- ¼ tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- First, prepare the roasted garlic. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the top off the head of garlic, about three-quarters of an inch down, to expose some of the cloves inside. Place in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap the garlic tightly in the foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the garlic from the oven. Once the foil has cooled to the touch (this should only take a few minutes), unwrap the garlic and let cool until you can safely handle it, at least 10 minutes or so.
- Next, squeeze the garlic cloves into a small bowl. You may have to carefully peel some of them if they don't all come out easily. Then mash the garlic with a fork until it becomes a spreadable paste.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lay the half sheet of crescent roll dough flat on the parchment, then gently squeeze along the perforations to close the gaps and form a solid sheet of pastry dough. Gently press across the whole sheet with your fingertips to flatten slightly.
- Spread the roasted garlic evenly across the crescent roll dough.
- Next, cut all of the rind off of the brie and place it in the center of the dough. Carefully wrap the dough around the brie, starting by folding all 4 sides in. Then take up opposite corners and arrange them across the top of the brie until it's fully covered. Gently press down on the top to flatten, then gently shape around the edges with your hands to form the pastry to the cheese. Make sure to seal any gaps or thin areas by gently pinching the dough together so no cheese can leak out.
- Brush the top with melted butter, then sprinkle with parsley.
- Bake until the dough is golden and lightly crisped, about 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Simple and delicious! Maybe next time I’ll try “dipping” the slices into sweet jam (Fig? Homemade cranberry sauce??) Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it! Dipping into jam sounds delicious – I bet it would go great with fig or cranberry sauce. You could also top the whole wheel with a spoonful of jam before serving.