Pesto Puff Pastry Christmas Trees
These pesto puff pastry Christmas trees are not only incredibly fun and festive for the holiday season, they are buttery, flaky and epically delicious!
Servings: 14 trees
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Unfold your sheet of puff pastry onto a clean counter dusted with flour. Dust your rolling pin and roll out the puff pastry into an approximately 15" by 10" rectangle.
- Spread pesto onto the sheet of puff pastry in a thin but even layer. Be sure to cover the entirety of the puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the pesto into an even layer. Press the cheese into the pesto so it adheres. Roll the second sheet of puff pastry to the same size as the first. Carefully top the first sheet of puff pastry with the second.
- Shape the sheets of puff pastry with your hands so the edges align. Gently press the edges of the puff pastry together to seal everything in. Use a pizza cutter to cut 10" long by 1" wide strips (so you will be cutting parallel to the 10" side).
- Fold one strip onto of itself accordion style, ensuring the bottom is the widest and gets more narrow as you fold. Pierce the skewer through the bottom of the tree and through the top, positioning the Christmas tree in the center of the skewer. Pull the layers of the Christmas tree apart so there is space for it to rise in the oven.
- Place the Christmas tree on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with all but one strip of puff pastry. Cut stars out of the last strip of puff pastry and place on the baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Combine the egg and one teaspoon of water together in a small bowl and whisk until frothy. Brush Christmas trees and stars with egg wash.
- Bake the stars for 15-20 minutes and bake Christmas trees for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow Christmas trees and stars to cool for at least five minutes, then place the stars on top of the Christmas trees.
Notes
Notes:
- The puff pastry should be defrosted but still cold. Otherwise it will be too soft to handle easily.
- Be sure not to add too much pesto or mozzarella, or it will become very messy as you form your Christmas trees.
- Use a ruler to ensure you are cutting 1" wide strips.
- Position the puff pastry on the skewer with at least one inch on the top (for the star) and one inch on the bottom (to pick them up).
- Pulling apart the layers of the Christmas tree ensures the puff pastry has room to puff up in the oven, which will make the trees look better.
- Ensure you are brushing the tops, sides and bottoms of the Christmas trees with the egg wash to ensure they turn golden all over while baking.