Easy and Beautiful Christmas Tree Pastry
This “pas-tree” is so easy and festive and has many substitution options to create the perfect dish!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Scale
- One package of puff pastry, or two individual pastry sheets
- Nutella (to your preference – I used about half a cup to make a thin layer)
- One egg
- Approximately 1/3 cup of powdered sugar
- Candy canes for garnish (chopped into small pieces)
- Star cookie cutter (if you don’t have one, you could print out or draw a star, cut it out, then place over the pastry to trace and cut out with a knife)
- Optional: parchment paper, cooking spray, or oil so the pastry doesn’t stick to the pan
Substitutions:
- Instead of Nutella, you could use jam, peanut butter, melted chocolate, or fruit filling
- If you like a crunch, add in almonds, a different type of nut, or Rice Krispies!
- If candy canes aren’t your thing, swap them out for fresh berries like raspberries, finely chopped strawberries, or pomegranates as garnishes
- If you prefer savory over sweet, substitute the Nutella for your favorite pasta sauce and add in mozzarella. Then, use parmesan cheese instead of powdered sugar and small tomatoes instead of the candy cane garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees celcius)
- Unroll both puff pastries onto the parchment paper directly on top of each other. They will be a rectangular shape.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a Christmas tree triangular shape out of both pastries. This will ensure their shape is identical.
- Carefully lift off the top pastry and set it aside for the top layer. (Tip: Hold onto the scraps – you’ll need those for the star topper! You can also make small ornament cut outs with scraps if you’d like.)
- Make start topper out of scraps and set aside.
- Spread pastry with Nutella or other filling of your choice. Place second pastry back on top.
- Cut perpendicular lines into both sides of the triangle for the tree branches. Do not go all the way to the middle; leave about two inches in the middle uncut for the tree trunk. The branches will be longer on the bottom and shorter as you make your way up the triangle. Leave the very top part of the triangle uncut so it’s a flat surface for the star.
- Once all of the branches are cut (except for the very top), twist each one into a small role. Tip: this can get messy with the Nutella getting on your hands, so I keep a paper towel nearby to clean my hands so I don’t get chocolatey fingerprints all over the tree!
- Place the star and/or ornament cut-outs on top of the tree. You can also layer several for a puffier effect.
- Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and lightly brush the tree with the yolk.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully transfer to serving platter
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar. I love this shaker tool so too much doesn’t come out too fast!
- Top with chopped peppermints or berry garnishes.
Notes
Recipe courtesy of eatwell101.com