Garlic Brie Toasts

Make these Garlic Brie Toasts in just minutes with French baguettes brushed with a garlic-infused olive oil and topped with a slice of Brie cheese and broiled.

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Cheese and carbs can be the ultimate comfort food. We’ve already established how well cheese and potatoes go together. Cheese and bread are, likewise, perfect partners.

Consider the humble grilled cheese sandwich, the classic Croque monsieur, and the panini. Cheese and bread do well together.

Specifically, Garlic, brie, and French baguette joining forces in Garlic Brie Toasts.

What are garlic brie toasts?

Similar to my Brie Baked in a Bread Bowl, but easier to make and quicker to get from counter to oven to table, Garlic Brie Toasts are just that. Small slices of toast topped with garlic and brie.

Serving suggestions

Garlic Brie Toasts make a lovely appetizer. Serve them alongside a veggie tray and a few fun dips for an upscale Snacky Dinner. They are great to feature with other cheese and bread combos at a wine tasting.

Less formally, these quick cheese toasties make a great side dish to dip into soup.

Ingredients

One of the beauties of this recipe is how simple it is to make with just four ingredients!

French baguette – Store-bought baguette can range widely in taste and texture. Choose one that is on the heartier size. You only need a flute-size loaf, so make good use of the rest if you buy a full size baguette. You can also use another hearty bread or a mini cocktail loaf.

Brie cheese – Surprisingly, Brie cheese is becoming more and more affordable these days, made available at low cost stores such as ALDI or Walmart. The small wheels tend to be very handy, but note that there is a larger proportion of rind in a small wheel as opposed to buying a larger wedge. If you don’t love the rind, you’ll need to trim it off, reducing the amount of usable cheese. A larger wedge may be a better deal for you than the small wheel.

If you prefer, you can use another type of cheese that melts easily, such as cheddar, mozzarella, or havarti.

olive oil – Olive oil is for brushing directly on the bread slices. Another oil can be used, but note that the flavors will be different. You can also use infused oil if you like.

garlic – Garlic is kinda key in a recipe called Garlic Brie Toast. You can use fresh cloves that you mince yourself or jarred minced or chopped garlic. I don’t recommend garlic powder, though it could work in a pinch. Love garlic? Be sure to try my Creamy Garlic Dressing recipe.

Instructions

This recipe is super simple to prepare.

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Slice the bread into 8 slices. Place them on a small baking tray.
3. Cut the Brie into 8 slices. If you prefer, you can trim off the rind.
4. In a small dish, combine the olive oil and minced garlic.
5. Brush the garlic oil on each of the bread slices.
6. Place a slice of cheese on each bread slice.
7. Place the tray under the broiler and cook until the cheese is melted. If the rind doesn’t deflate, you can press it down with an offset spatula.

Make-ahead instructions

This is not a freezer-friendly recipe, but you can prepare the elements up to 3 days in advance.

• Slice the bread and store at room temperature in an airtight container. Alternatively, store it in the freezer to preserve freshness.
• Prepare the brie slices and the garlic oil and store in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
• Remember that olive oil hardens when refrigerated. The garlic oil will need to come to room temperature before preparing the recipe.

Recipe costs

Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

• French baguette or flute – $1.99
• Brie cheese – $3.00
• olive oil – $0.60
• garlic – $0.05

Shopped at regular prices at a mid-range grocery store, this recipe costs $5.64 or $1.41/serving. While pricier than most meals, it’s a pretty upscale appetizer you can make on the cheap.

How to save even more:

There are several ways to get the price down for Garlic Brie Toasts, via the Good Cheap Eats System:

Shop your kitchen – Use what you have on hand to make this appetizer. See the ingredients section for possible substitutions.

Make a plan for leftovers – You wouldn’t want to buy the ingredients for this recipe if you weren’t going to use the rest of the package of cheese or oil. Avoiding waste means saving money. Leftover toasts are good extra toasted or warmed atop a French onion soup.

Visit the store with the best prices – ALDI and Walmart will have better prices than the ones quoted above, especially on Brie.

Check the sales and clearance – The day-old bread shelf is a great place to mine for this recipe. You’ll likely find marked down baguette or cocktail slices that you can store in the freezer until you’re ready to make this recipe.

Kitchen equipment

• plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
• Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
• sheet pans – I LOVE my set of steel sheet pans. They make such a difference in baking and meal prep.
• offset spatula – awesome for baking, but also for spreading cheese or butter.
• garlic press – This one has worked well for us going on four years.

This post was originally published on February 14, 2012. It has been updated for content and clarity.