Cranberry Brie Crescent Wreath

For the crescent wreath:
Begin by making the cranberry sauce. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve sugar apple cider. Stir in cranberries and rosemary and cook until cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl; discard the rosemary stem. Allow to thicken and cool at room temperature before assembling wreath.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Open packages of crescent rolls and roll them out on a cutting board. Press together the perforations of the rolls to create a solid sheet of dough.

Split the cranberry sauce between the sheets of dough and gently spread all over, leaving a square at the bottom for the cheese.

Using a pizza cutter, cut out 1-inch lengthwise strips of the crescent dough.

Remove brie from the package and trim off the top and bottom rind. Cut into 1-inch squares (they don’t have to be perfect). Place one square of brie on the exposed portion of the crescent dough and roll towards the other side, keeping it as tight as possible like you’re making a cinnamon roll. Repeat for all of the strips.

Place the rolls on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet in the shape of a wreath. You can either do one giant one (it may take a few minutes longer to bake) or two smaller ones (I chose to make two).

Bake in preheated oven for 12–15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

While the wreath is still warm, top each roll with a spiced pecan. Decorate with additional cranberries and rosemary for a festive centerpiece!

For the spiced pecans:
Line a clean counter or baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or foil.

Mix the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the nuts in a cast iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a large wooden spoon or spatula for 4–5 minutes or until pecans begin to brown and release their aroma.

Stir in spices until just fragrant (15–30 seconds) then add the butter pats and stir to melt. Follow that with sugar. When thoroughly mixed, add the water. Stir 2–3 minutes or until sugar has caramelized and nuts look glazed. Sprinkle over with the kosher salt and remove from heat.

Spread nuts evenly onto the parchment or foil so that they don’t dry in clumps. Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.