Puff Pastry Cheesy Garlic Bread

🧀🧄🍞 EASY, ready in 25 minutes, extra cheesy, buttery, and simply irresistible! Tender flaky puff pastry layers are the perfect base for a garlic butter mixture that's topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and baked to golden perfection!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed properly according to package directions and carefully unrolled to become flat)
• 1/4 cup butter (softened (I like salted butter here but unsalted is fine))
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic (finely minced (add to taste))
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste (if you're using unsalted butter, I suggest adding more))
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (finely grated)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Thaw: Thaw puff pastry according to package directions, best achieved overnight in the fridge but at room temp will work. Tips - I like the Pepperidge Farm brand or Trader Joe's carries one seasonally. Work carefully with the puff pasty to "unwrap" it so it lays flat. Don't handle it too much. Keep the dough chilled before baking it to ensure maximum puffing in the oven (cold butter in the dough meets hot oven air, resulting in air bubbles and puffiness).
2. 2Preheat: Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if desired.
3. 3Halve: Place the flattened puff pastry sheet on a cutting board and slice it in half so you now have two squares.
4. 4Scoring a Border: Using a paring knife, you're going to score a perimeter about 1/2-inch from the margin around each of the two squares. Go down about halfway to three-quarters of the way with your knife into the dough, but don't fully sever it. Tip - Scoring the dough with your knife will cause the exterior perimeter to puff up more, thereby creating a crust-like effect, which helps keep the garlic butter mixture and cheese in the interior. Otherwise it could slide right off onto the baking sheet since there's nothing to hold it in.
5. 5Filling Mixture: To a medium bowl, add the butter, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Then add both cheeses and stir to incorporate.
6. 6Divide the Mixture: Divide the mixture evenly between the two puff pastry rectangles, making sure to keep the mixture inside the perimeter of the scored edges.
7. 7Bake: Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until the puff pastry edges and cheese is as lightly golden browned as desired, noting to check early and often on the progress. Baking Tips - Depending on the brand of puff pastry you use, your baking sheet, how hot your oven runs, and preference for browning, it may take less (or more) time than indicated. Puff pastry is notorious for going from underdone to overdone in a matter of a minute or two so keep an eye on things. Serve immediately.