Puff Pastry Pesto Christmas Trees

A cute delicious Christmas appetizer shaped as Christmas Tree. They're crunchy and flavorful, with Basil Pesto and Parmigiano cheese. These Pesto Puff Pastry Christmas Trees will be perfect as Aperitivo for the Holidays, accompanied by a glass of white wine or Prosecco.

I've always been in love with appetizers. Tiny bites full of flavor, made in all different shapes and with all kinds of ingredients. One of the reasons I love them is that having tiny portions allows me to try a bit of everything.

In every Holiday meal, appetizers are always my favorite part. So now that I can cook my own Christmas feast, I usually make a ton of different Christmas appetizers and only one main course with one side and one dessert.

If you'd like to try more Holiday appetizers, check out these Mushroom Puff pastry Pinwheels, and these Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Pizza bites, or this Christmas Tree Pizza with Spinach Crust!

You can find this recipe and 39 more (including exclusive recipes) in my Italian Christmas Recipes ebook. Plus two bonus sections with edible gifts, printable planners and more!

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Variations

Here are some variation ideas you can try:

• Different Pesto: Try a different pesto to get a different green yet delicious snack. Try this Cavolo Nero Kale Pesto or this Tarragon Pesto for a change.
• Red Pesto: Sure Christmas Trees aren't red but it's still a festive color and this Sundried Tomato Pesto is so good!
• Cheesy: If Parmesan is not enough for your cheese-lovers guests, add some grated mozzarella, provolone, or cheddar on top of the pesto for extra cheesiness.

Instructions with Photos

Step 1. Spread the Pesto and Parmesan cheese on the Puff Pastry sheet. Then cut it into stripes about 1 inch thick.

Step 2. Pierce the dough with a skewer and fold it back and forth to create the tree shape.

Make Ahead

To make these puff pastry pesto trees takes literally just a few minutes. So it's the ideal recipe to make last-minute, just 30 minutes before your guests arrive.

If instead, you want to make Homemade Basil Pesto from scratch, I suggest you make it the day before and then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until you need to use it.

I don't suggest making the puff pastry homemade as it takes a crazy amount of time and dedication. You can simply buy it in the supermarket either refrigerated or frozen. If you buy the frozen one, remember to thaw it overnight in the fridge as overwise it would be impossible to shape.

Storage and Reheating

You can freeze cooked puff pastry but the result will not be the best. When thawed, puff pastry will become very soft so they will lose all the crunchiness which is the best part of puff pastry.

One thing you can try to bring some of the crunch back, is to reheat the thawed snacks in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for a few minutes. But be careful not to burn them!

More Puff Pastry Appetizers

One of the easier ways to make many different appetizers is with puff pastry. It's the perfect crunchy and flaky base to host all kinds of ingredients and you can shaper the way you want. From vol-au-vent to tarts, to pinwheels or trees as in this recipe.

In Italy, we love making all kinds of puff pastry savory treats, which we call "Rustici" (translated "rustic"). They're always a hit at every birthday party, potluck, or dinner party with a buffet.

Here's a few ideas of appetizers that you can make with puff pastry:

• Puff Pastry mini Pizza
• Potato Rosemary Tarts
• Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart
• Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche
• Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Pizza Bites

If you tried this recipe, please take a moment to rate it and share your thoughts in the comments. Your feedback means a lot to me! ★★★★★

📖 RECIPE

Jessica Montanelli

Puff Pastry Pesto Christmas Trees

5 from 7 votes

Crunchy pesto-flavored snack shaped as Chrismas Tree. The perfect Christmas appetizer or aperitivo to welcome guests with Italian flavors.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

ServingsServings: 4 people

Ingredients Method Nutrition Video Notes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• ▢ 1 roll Puff Pastry
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoon Basil Pesto
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoon Cream Cheese, optional
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Shredded cheese

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
2. Roll out the puff pastry sheet over parchment paper.
3. Spread the cream cheese, then the basil pesto evenly on top of the puff pastry, using a spoon or a spatula.
4. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top as well.
5. With a knife or with a wheel cutter, cut the puff pastry into strips large about 1 inch / 2.5 cm.
6. Fold the strips to make the Christmas tree shape. You can leave the puff pastry as it is or add a skewer in the middle as I did.
7. Bake the snacks in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Nutrition

Calories: 291 kcalCarbohydrates: 29 gProtein: 6 gFat: 28 gSaturated Fat: 7 gCholesterol: 16 mgSodium: 298 mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

CourseCourse: Appetizer, Snack

CuisineCuisine: Italian

Video

Notes

Check out this recipe if you want to make Basil Pesto from scratch.

You can add a cut-out star made of cheese of top of the tree for further decoration.

Have you tried this recipe?

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