by Lorena
The holiday season is officially here! That means it’s time to get out this festive recipe. This Puff pastry Christmas Tree recipe is delicious, crispy, flaky and buttery. It has a spiced sugary centre that’s perfect for Christmas parties. Also, it’s undeniably beautiful and will be the star of your holiday table.
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What’s a Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
The name Puff Christmas Tree is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s two layers of puff pastry sheets with a filling between them. That’s then shaped into a triangle to resemble a Christmas Tree. The sides also get cut into the branches and get twisted for a cool effect. The end result is really pretty and ideal for the festive season. The variety of fillings you can use is endless and it can be a savory or sweet recipe. In this case, it’s filled with a mix of Christmas spices and topped with cinnamon sugar.
Ingredients
This Puff Pastry Christmas Tree is very easy to do and you only need a handful of ingredients. In my case, I like to make homemade puff pastry and I actually made arough puff pastryfor this one. It’s great because the flavour is a lot better than store-bought and it’s also fun to make. You will need the following simple ingredients:
- Sheets of puff pastry: Whether you buy your puff pastry or make it, you definitely need some and you really want to have a good quality one. The puff pastry is 80% of the dish so you will for sure taste it.
- Unsalted butter at room temperature: The butter is going to be the glue that binds together both pieces of puff pastry. To the butter, we will add the sugar and spices.
- Spices: For this recipe, I’m using a delicious spice mix that has cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and cardamom. It smells amazing and it’s very Christmasy. You will definitely be able to smell it as it bakes.
- Brown sugar: This will sweeten the filling and the Puff Pastry Christmas Tree. Remember that the dough doesn’t have any sugar so it relies on the filling and topping.
- Granulated sugar: We will use the sugar along with ground cinnamon to make a quick cinnamon sugar that we can sprinkle on top of the tree.
Shaping the Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
Now that you have assembled all your ingredients, it’s time to get to shaping. Here are the step-by-step instructions you will need to follow for the perfect Puff Pastry Christmas Tree:
- Cut thehomemade rough puff pastryin half. Use a rolling pin to roll out both puff pastry pieces on a lightly floured surface until they’re 3mm thin. Try to have them as square as possible and of the same size. Alternatively, you can use store-bought puff pastry sheets.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, spices and brown sugar.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit thebaking sheet. Place the paper on your work surface. Place one sheet of pastry on top of the parchment paper and spread the filling on top of the first sheet of puff pastry.
- Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top and press gently to stick them together.
- Use a ruler and a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut a large triangle. I like to begin by making the base of the tree even and then measuring to get as large of a Christmas tree outline as I can. I opt to not have a base of the trunk sticking out but you can have one if you like.
- Once you have a triangle, mark without cutting the thickness that the trunk is going to have at the centre of the triangle so that you don’t cut the branches all the way through. Make the branches by cutting 2cm or 3/4in thick strips. For all of this, I like to use a ruler so that it’s even. You can use a sharp knife, a bench scraper or even a pizza cutter. After this, lift the tree using the parchment paper underneath and place it over the baking tray.
- Twist all the branches going in the same direction for the final Puff Pastry Christmas Tree shape.
- For the top of the Christmas tree, use a small star cookie cutter to cut the star. You can also cut more stars from the excess puff pastry next to the tree. When you’re done, transfer the parchment paper onto the baking sheet.
- Mix the egg-wash ingredients and paint them all over the tree.
- Stick the star on the top of the tree and also egg wash it. To prevent the corners of the star from falling down during baking I placed small balls of leftover dough underneath them.
Baking and finishing
Now that you have the perfect shape of a Christmas tree, it’s ready to bake. It needs 30-40 minutes or until it’s deeply golden brown. As soon as it comes out of the oven you will brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar. That’s how you get an adorable tree that looks like it’s glistening. There’s no doubt that this is a great recipe to take to a dinner party or to welcome loved ones at home. It’s a good idea for making and eating with kids since eating it requires the person to break off the branches to eat.
Alternative fillings
You can get really creative and consider other sweet fillings or even go through some savory filling options.
- Chocolate hazelnut spread: If you love chocolate hazelnut spreads, this recipe is the ideal use for it. I rather not go for the classic Nutella but rather go for a nicer quality spread. In that case, you don’t need sugar or spices although you can play around with them.
- Chocolate sauce: Just like when we did thechocolate cinnamon rolls, you can make your own chocolate spread and use that to bind the layers of puff pastry. You can use the same recipe we used for the chocolate rolls in this Puff Pastry Christmas Tree.
- Peanut butter: Peanut butter along with the sugar and spices would be really lovely! I think I would also keep half of the butter and replace just half of it with peanut butter.
- Pesto sauce: Pesto is a lovely way to make a savory Christmas appetizer and it sounds so delicious too! You can go for a classic basil pesto or go for a dried tomato one.
Sweet Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Recipe with Spices
The holiday season is officially here! That means it's time to get out this festive recipe. This Puff pastry Christmas Tree recipe is delicious, crispy, flaky and buttery. It has a spiced sugary centre that's perfect for Christmas parties. Also, it's undeniably beautiful and will be the star of your holiday table.
3 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cooking Basics, Pastry Basics
Cuisine: French
Keyword: christmas, christmas tree, flaky, flaky dough, puff pastry
Prep Time: 2 hours hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 people
Author: Lorena Salinas from Cravings Journal
Ingredients
For the rough puff pastry (replace for 1kg / 2.2lb store-bought)
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 400 g cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 150 ml water
For the filling
- 70 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
For the egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
For finishing
- 20 g unsalted butter melted
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Metric – US Cups
Instructions
For the rough puff pastry
In a large bowl place the flour, salt and butter. Mix.
Use your fingers to pinch the butter along with the flour to split the pieces up. We don’t want to completely lose the butter but rather leave a few medium, pieces in there. That’s very important to get that puffiness we’re looking for.
Add the water and incorporate the dough with your hands, kneading only enough to bring it together and then stop to prevent the butter chunks from mixing too much. The end result will be a shaggy dough.
Flatten out the dough a bit with your hands, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
If you’re refrigerating for more than an hour, let it come to room temperature before trying to roll it out. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a long triangle. It should be about 4-5mm thick. Use a dry pastry brush to brush off the excess flour and fold it in three.
Spin the dough a quarter turn and roll it out again in the opposite direction than before. Use a dry pastry brush to brush off the excess flour and fold it in three again. Roll it a bit to stick the layers together.
Your dough is ready to use! Refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before using it if it’s too soft.
Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for up to 6 months.
For the filling
Cut the homemade rough puff pastry in half. Use a rolling pin to roll out both puff pastry pieces on a lightly floured surface until they're 3mm thin. Try to have them as square as possible and of the same size. Alternatively, you can use store-bought puff pastry sheets.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, spices and brown sugar.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit thebaking sheet. Place the paper on your work surface. Place one sheet of pastry on top of the parchment paper and spread the filling on top of the first sheet of puff pastry.
Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top and press gently to stick them together.
Use a ruler and a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut a large triangle. I like to begin by making the base of the tree even and then measuring to get as large of a Christmas tree outline as I can. I opt to not have a base of the trunk sticking out but you can have one if you like.
Once you have a triangle, mark without cutting the thickness that the trunk is going to have at the centre of the triangle so that you don't cut the branches all the way through. My trunk was 5cm/2in thick. Make the branches by cutting 2cm or 3/4in thick strips. For all of this, I like to use a ruler so that it's even. You can use a sharp knife, a bench scraper or even a pizza cutter. After this, lift the tree using the parchment paper underneath and place it over the baking tray.
Twist all the branches going in the same direction for the final Puff Pastry Christmas Tree shape.
With the excess dough next to the tree, cut out the star for the top as well as other shapes to use it up.
Mix the egg-wash ingredients and paint them all over the tree.
Stick the star on the top of the tree and also egg wash it. To prevent the corners of the star from falling down during baking I placed small balls of leftover dough underneath them.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180℃/350℉ for 30-40 minutes or until it's very golden brown.
For finishing
As soon as it comes out of the oven, paint it all over with the melted butter and immediately sprinkle it with the mix of sugar and cinnamon.
To remove it from the baking sheet, carefully lift the baking paper (you might want help from someone else, too) and then slide it off onto a serving dish.
Tried this recipe?Mention @CravingsJournal or tag #RecipeCJ!
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Bonjour Brooklyn BakeryDecember 11, 2023 - 11:32 am
The simplicity of the ingredients – fluffy pastry, aromatic cinnamon, and sweet sugar – combined to create a snack that’s both comforting and indulgent. What amazed me was how something so simple could be bursting with such incredible flavor.
The process of making these puffs was surprisingly easy, and the aroma that filled the kitchen while they baked was mouthwatering. When they emerged from the oven, golden brown and fragrant, I couldn’t resist diving in. The crispy, flaky exterior perfectly complemented the warmth of cinnamon and sugar coating each bite. These cinnamon sugar puffs are a delightful treat for any occasion. They’re perfect for a cozy breakfast, a sweet snack, or even as a dessert paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Reply
AnonymousDecember 23, 2023 - 12:45 am
It looks like a great recipe but
The measurements aren’t all in basic cooking measurements i.e. using gram measurements for flour and butter instead of a cup measurement. As a result I can’t make this.
Reply
LorenaDecember 23, 2023 - 10:08 pm
Hi, you can switch from cups to grams at the base of the measurements. Hence, you can make it 🙂
Reply
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