I started making these because I had half a slab of focaccia going stale on my counter and absolutely did not want to waste it. Turns out, roasting focaccia in the toaster oven at high heat is one of the better things you can do to it. The outside gets genuinely crispy — almost like a crouton, but bigger and more interesting — while the inside stays soft. And the brown butter garlic situation that happens in those 20 minutes is kind of unreasonable.
You’ll need a toaster oven baking sheet that actually fits your machine, which sounds obvious but I’ve made the mistake of cramming a too-big pan in there and it doesn’t work. Leave a little room around the edges so hot air can circulate. A reliable toaster oven with a proper bake setting (not just toast) is really what makes the difference for recipes like this — you want even heat, not just top-down browning.
The brown butter step happens on the stovetop and takes maybe 4 minutes, but it’s not optional. Regular melted butter makes these fine. Brown butter makes them the thing guests ask about. The garlic goes into the hot butter off the heat, which takes away some of its raw sharpness without burning it — learned that the hard way after some very acrid garlic chips.
Olives might seem like a weird addition if you haven’t tried them roasted, but they shrink, concentrate, and get almost jammy. Kalamata are my default, but use whatever you have. Serve these as an appetizer, a side with soup, or just eat them standing at the counter — that’s usually what happens at my house.
Toaster Oven Crispy Brown Butter Roasted Garlic and Olive Focaccia Bites with Flaky Sea Salt
Pillowy focaccia squares roasted in a toaster oven until golden and crisp on the edges, loaded with brown butter, roasted garlic, and briny olives. Finished with a heavy pinch of flaky salt, they're the kind of thing you make once and then immediately want to make again.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat your toaster oven to 400°F on the bake setting. If yours runs hot (mine does), try 390°F.
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Melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat on your stovetop. Keep going past melted — you want it to foam, then turn golden and smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and add the sliced garlic. It'll sizzle in the residual heat, which is exactly what you want. Let it sit for 1 minute.
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Toss the focaccia squares on a toaster oven baking sheet with the olive oil first, just to coat them lightly. Then pour the brown butter and garlic mixture over everything and toss again. Get it into all the crevices.
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Scatter the torn olives over the top. Add the thyme and red pepper flakes if using.
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Roast for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are deeply golden and crisp. Check at 15 minutes — toaster ovens vary and you don't want to burn the garlic.
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Pull them out, hit everything with the flaky sea salt right away, and scatter the parsley over the top. Eat warm. They're not great cold, honestly — focaccia gets sad when it sits.
Notes
Store-bought focaccia from a bakery counter works better than the packaged stuff, which can be dry. If yours is on the thicker side, add 3-4 minutes to the cook time. You can swap Kalamata olives for any briny olive you like — Castelvetrano olives are milder and a little buttery, which also works really well here. Don't skip the flaky salt at the end; it makes a real difference. These are best served immediately, ideally with something to dip them in — a little extra olive oil, or even a smear of ricotta on the side if you want to be extra about it.
Nutrition
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Written by
Emma is a home cook who loves coaxing big flavor out of a toaster oven — from crispy roasted vegetables to easy weeknight dinners and sweet treats. She develops and tests Toastera's recipes for small-appliance kitchens.
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