Crescent roll dough is the shortcut to this cheesy, garlicky shareable bread

You could make a big roast for a holiday feast, or you could nibble on seven different fishes. You might opt for a shellfish stew, cozy chowder, big lasagna, sweet-and-sour fesenjan or gently spiced korma. As an accompaniment, I humbly offer these Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls.

When I was a kid growing up in the 1990s, getting to buy a tube of Pillsbury crescent roll dough at the grocery store was a treat. I’d look forward to peeling off the outer wrapper to expose the seam that would burst, letting the puffy dough sheets escape onto the counter. When I wanted to eat them with salted butter and honey, I’d carefully roll each one into a crescent shape. But sometimes I stuffed them with something before they went into the oven: a dab of jam, a small knob of almond paste, a few chocolate chips.

As I got older, I grew a little snobby about store-bought dough. I had graduated from pastry school, after all. I knew how to make actual croissant dough from scratch, so I did — for a while, at least.

Fast-forward some 15 years. With a quickly growing toddler to chase around, I’m back on crescent roll dough. Yes, it might technically be cheating, but it’s also a taste of my childhood. It’s a flavor I still love, and one I suspect my son will come to associate with his youth, too.

These days, I still like baking them plain. I also like turning them into a savory treat. That’s how this recipe for rolls stuffed with butter, garlic and cheese came to be. With a side salad, they make a simple-but-special lighter meal. They could star in an appetizer spread with bowls of spiced nuts, dried fruit and olives. And, if you’re hosting a big feast, serve them alongside as a special bread-based accompaniment.

To make them, you’ll cook up a rich garlic-parsley butter in an oven-safe skillet. Then, unravel two tubes of crescent dough onto your counter. Spread the garlic butter on, and sprinkle a generous amount of shredded mozzarella on top. Roll the dough sheets back up without separating them into triangles. Use a sharp knife to cut them into individual, short, cylindrical rolls, then tuck them back into the same skillet you used to make the garlic butter. Bake until they’re puffed and melty and smell like the most wonderful garlic bread you’ve ever smelled. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, serve them.

They’re warm and warming — an easy, and easy to love, treat for this time of year.

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Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls

4 tablespoons (½ stick/57 grams) unsalted butter, divided

10 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving

½ teaspoon fine salt

Two (8-ounce/227-gram) tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough or crescent roll sheets*

1 pound (454 grams) shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese (regular or part-skim)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F.

In a medium (10-inch) oven-safe skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and use a wooden spoon to stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the parsley and salt, until the butter melts and everything is well combined. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl. Keep the skillet near your work area.

On a clean work surface, open the tubes of crescent dough, keeping the sheets as intact as possible. Gently unroll them toward you, side by side, with the shorter sides facing you.

Using a spoon or small offset spatula, spread the butter mixture over the surface of the rolls, working gently to keep the sheets from tearing. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the butter mixture. Reroll the dough sheets away from you into cylinders and loosely pinch them closed. Using a sharp knife, cut each roll into 6 equal pieces, for a total of 12. Arrange 3 pieces in the middle of the skillet and place the remaining 9 pieces in a circle around them. They will fit snugly against one another.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are well browned. Garnish with more parsley, if desired, and serve hot, family-style.

12 servings

Make ahead: The rolls can be assembled and refrigerated for up to 1 day before baking. Storage note: The rolls are best the day they are made.

* Notes: For the best results, keep the crescent roll dough in the refrigerator until you’re ready to work with it. This recipe was tested using Pillsbury brand crescent roll dough.

Substitutions: In addition to the other ingredients, you could add chopped sun-dried tomatoes or chopped fresh rosemary. For garlic cloves, use store-bought minced garlic. For mozzarella cheese, use another melting cheese.

Nutritional information per serving (Per roll, using part-skim mozzarella) | 265 Calories: 19g Carbohydrates, 34mg Cholesterol, 16g Fat, 0g Fiber, 12g Protein, 9g Saturated Fat, 619mg Sodium, 4g Sugar

— G. Daniela Galarza