Description
These Puff Pastry Pesto Christmas Trees are a festive and delicious appetizer perfect for holiday gatherings. Featuring flaky puff pastry layered with creamy basil pesto, optional cream cheese, and shredded cheese, they bake to golden perfection and bring a delightful Italian flair to your celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Puff Pastry Layer
- 1 roll Puff Pastry
Spreads and Toppings
- 3-4 tbsp Basil Pesto
- 3-4 tbsp Cream Cheese (optional)
- 2 tbsp Shredded Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) to ensure it’s hot and ready for baking the puff pastry perfectly.
- Prepare Puff Pastry: Roll out the puff pastry sheet over a piece of parchment paper to your desired thickness, ensuring an even surface for the toppings.
- Spread Cream Cheese and Pesto: Using a spoon or spatula, evenly spread the cream cheese over the puff pastry, if using, then layer the basil pesto evenly on top for vibrant flavor.
- Add Shredded Cheese: Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the pesto to add a cheesy, melty topping.
- Cut Strips: Using a knife or pastry wheel cutter, cut the puff pastry into strips approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, aiming for uniformity so they bake evenly.
- Shape Christmas Trees: Fold and twist the strips into festive Christmas tree shapes. Optionally, add a skewer down the middle to hold the shape firmly as you bake.
- Bake: Place the shaped pastry snacks on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until they turn a beautiful golden brown and are crisp and flaky.
Notes
- These snacks are crunchy and filled with rich pesto flavor, perfect as a holiday appetizer or aperitivo.
- Using cream cheese is optional but adds creaminess and helps the pesto layer stick better.
- Feel free to experiment with different cheese varieties for varied flavor profiles.
- Adding a skewer to the middle helps maintain the tree shape while baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 291 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 298 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 16 mg
