How to Oven Roast Whole Garlic Cloves

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). This is the perfect temperature to get the cloves roasted without burning them.

Prepare the garlic for roasting by peeling most of the outer layers of the garlic bulb. But remember from my experience, leave the skin of the individual cloves intact, it locks in the juicy flavors making the garlic tender and creamy.

Take a sharp knife and cut about 1/4 inch from the top of the cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. This allows for easy removal after roasting.

Place the garlic heads in a baking pan, or a muffin tin works too – a hack I discovered during numerous trials. It holds the garlic in place and allows for easy handling.

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to spread the oil over all the cut, exposed garlic cloves. Always add salt and pepper to taste - it enhances the natural flavor of garlic cloves.

Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Don't skip covering, because it is this enclosed environment that helps to steam and soften the garlic.

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. Always keep an eye on them because ovens vary and you don't want to burn your garlic cloves.

After making sure they've fully cooled, the cloves can easily be removed from their skin and used in your favorite recipes.