Brie and Cranberry Crostini

Making crostini (“little toasts” in Italian) is a simple way to get creative with a kid-friendly holiday appetizer. Our cranberry and brie version combines sweet-tart flavors with rich and creamy brie cheese, plus a tangy marmalade. Other tasty combinations include smoked salmon and cream cheese, blue cheese and pear, and pesto and tomato. What other toppings can you think of that would tasty fabulous together?

Makes:

4 to 6 servings

Hands-on time:

10 minutes

Start-to-eat time:

20 minutes

Ingredients

1 baguette
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
salt
8 to 12 teaspoons marmalade
8 to 12 slices of brie, ½-inch thick
8 to 12 teaspoons of cranberry sauce or dried cranberries
8 to 12 teaspoons of crumbled feta
optional: fresh herbs

Kids kitchen skills:

Measuring
Using a pastry brush
Creative presentation

Tools:

bread knife & cutting board
baking sheet
measuring spoons
small bowl
pastry brush
tongs

Step-by-step

Grown-up steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grown-ups can help carefully slice the baguette. Each slice should be about ¼-inch thick.
Place the bread on a baking sheet. Measure the olive oil into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Use a pastry brush to paint the oil on both sides of the bread.
Bake for about 8 minutes to lightly toast. Use tongs to turn the bread over once during baking. Let the toasts cool.
Add a teaspoon of marmalade to the top of each toast. Then top with brie and a teaspoon each of cranberry sauce and crumbled feta. Top with fresh herbs if using.
Place the baking sheet back into the oven for 1 to 2 minutes until the brie starts to melt. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.