Cranberry Brie Braid

Looking for a super simple but incredibly appealing holiday appetizer? This recipe has only 4 ingredients and can be thrown together within a half hour before service. It looks more complicated than it actually is, but your guest won't know the difference! You can also substitute puff pastry for the crescent roll dough. I could have eaten this entire loaf by myself because who doesn't love melted cheese, but this braid was gone before I could even go back for seconds!

---

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 30 min

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz brie, thinly sliced

• 3/4 cup cranberry sauce (or half a can)

• Pillsbury crescent roll dough

• 2 Tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread the crescent roll dough out on a silicon baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper and place that on a baking sheet.

3. Place the brie evenly down the middle third of the dough (longways).

4. Spread the cranberry sauce over the brie evenly. If you so desire, you can add a handful of dried cranberries for some added texture to the cranberry sauce.

5. Now for the tricky part. To make the braid, use a sharp knife to cut inch-wide strips in diagonals that stop about 1/4 inch from the filling (here's a really good Youtube video to show you how to do this). Fold the strips over the filling in an alternating pattern to form the braid.

6. Pinch the ends of the braid to keep the filling inside while it bakes.

7. Bake for about 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

8. Once you remove the braid from the oven, spread the melted butter over the top of it and let stand for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.