Puff Pastry Pizza Christmas Trees
Flaky puff pastry filled with pesto, smoked gouda, and pepperoni is wrapped into the shape of Christmas trees for this festive and delicious holiday appetizer. Make a double batch for seconds and thirds!
Servings: 12 pastries
Calories: 241kcal
Equipment
- Pizza Cutter Wheel
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Skewers food-grade
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry dough (2 sheets)
- 3 tablespoons pesto like my spinach-basil pesto!
- ¼ cup pizza sauce
- 6 slices smoked gouda
- 12 slices thinly sliced pepperoni
- 1 count egg for an egg wash
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
- fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 400℉. If your puff pastry sheets come frozen, go ahead and set them on the counter to defrost.
- On a parchment-lined cutting board, roll out one sheet of puff pastry.
- Spread the pesto, then the pizza sauce onto the dough in thin layers.
- Add the smoked gouda slices and the sliced pepperoni, then top everything with the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Using a pizza cutter wheel, cut horizontally to create 12 slices that are about 1 inch wide. See the picture instructions above for guidance.
- Fold each slice on top of each other, creating a Christmas tree shape. You want to have the longest fold on the bottom, and make each fold smaller as you get to the top of the "tree".I have a video that shows this in more detail on my social media accounts - @coinedcuisine
- Take a wooden skewer and stick it in the middle, vertically, of the pastry shapes.
- Place these on a parchment-lined baking tray, leaving space between them to allow for expansion.
- Next, whisk one egg in a bowl to create an egg wash. Brush egg wash onto all of your pastries.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown and puffy.
- Combine the melted butter, fresh parsley, and garlic powder. Brush the garlic butter onto each warm pastry.
- Top with shredded parmesan and any extra chopped parsley for presentation. Serve with extra pizza sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Tips & Tricks:
Some brands of pesto can be extra oily. If that causes your bottom layer of puff pastry to get soggy, I recommend popping the cutting board into the fridge after Step 4 of the instructions to keep everything solid enough for cutting/assembly.
Use a thin layer of both pesto and pizza sauce - you don't want the pastries to be too wet. You can always serve extra sauce on the side for dipping.
Make Ahead Instructions:
Assemble the pastries, but do not brush with egg wash. Wrap the sheet pan with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 1 day. When you're ready to bake, brush them with egg wash and bake per recipe instructions.
Nutrition
Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg