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.
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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
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet over parchment paper.
- Spread the cream cheese, then the basil pesto evenly on top of the puff pastry, using a spoon or a spatula.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top as well.
- With a knife or with a wheel cutter, cut the puff pastry into strips large about 1 inch / 2.5 cm.
- 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.
- Bake the snacks in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Video
Notes
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Kelli says
I took these to a Christmas party, and they were a hit! I made one batch with pesto, per the recipe, and another batch with roasted garlic butter. Both flavors went over very well. I’ll be making these again (and again!) I advise to let the dogs cool on the skewer for a bit (if using the skewer presentation). After baking, I picked one up and the bread slid right down, and I thought I had a failed attempt, but after the dough cooled, the bread clung to the skewer perfectly.
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Kelli, Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Jen says
Can I make this an advance? When is the best time to cook it?
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Jen, Yes, you can prepare them in advance and store in the fridge. You can bake them even a few hours before serving, as they're good at room temperature!
Linda says
Thank you for this recipe. I have made these Pesto tree breadsticks twice and they are delicious even when they’re cold!
Now here’s the bad part, lol. Yours trees are adorable, but when I made this recipe, my breadsticks barely resembled trees. They were misshapen blobs! Do you happen to have a video anywhere of your process? I’m doing something wrong, but I’m not quite sure what it is.
I love trying cute or pretty food recipes, and I don’t usually have this much trouble (here’s me trying different things on Instagram https://instagram.com/theenchantedbath?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr). But I’m terrible at this recipe, and I really want to be able to re-create it because it’s so charming and delicious.
How long do you let your puff pastry sit at room temperature before making these? This is the one of the first times I’ve worked with puff pastry, so I don’t know what I’m doing at all. Does adding extra cheese affect the ability for the dough to retain its shape on the cookie sheet? How much do you roll out the puff pastry sheet? Do you roll it out to a certain size or thickness? I barely rolled mine, just enough to flatten out the creased lines a little bit. Maybe I’m cutting my strips too thick also.
I don’t want to give up on this adorable Christmas tree appetizer. Help!
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Linda! I'm so sorry you're having issues with this. I don't have a video yet but you can see the step-by-step photos in the post to see how they looked like before baking. I think the issue is probably the puff pastry. The one I used didn't puff too much (I don't even need to roll it out) but if yours does, then you can try to use a different brand or roll it out thinner. Don't keep it too long at room temperature otherwise it will soften and lose the shape. Extra cheese should not affect the result. 🙂 If you need more support you can also contact me via email or on Instagram @jess.cookingmydreams 🙂
Linda says
Thank you for responding. After reading your tips, I think my dough sat at room temp too long. I also think my dough was wound too loose on the skewer which gave the strips too much room to expand. So I'm going to try these again with that in mind. 🙂
Linda says
Thank you for this recipe. I have made these Pesto tree breadsticks twice and they are delicious even when they’re cold!
Now here’s the bad part, lol. Yours trees are adorable, but when I made this recipe, my breadsticks barely resembled trees. They were misshapen blobs! Do you happen to have a video anywhere of your process? I’m doing something wrong, but I’m not quite sure what it is.
I love trying cute or pretty food recipes, and I don’t usually have this much trouble (here’s me on Instagram https://instagram.com/theenchantedbath?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr). But I’m terrible at this recipe, and I really want to be able to re-create it because it’s so charming and delicious.
How long do you let your puff pastry sit at room temperature before making these? This is the one of the first times I’ve worked with puff pastry, so I really don’t know what I’m doing. Does adding extra cheese affect the ability for the dough to retain its shape on the cookie sheet? How much do you roll out the puff pastry sheet? Do you roll it out to a certain size or thickness? I barely rolled mine, just enough to flatten out the creased lines a little bit. Or maybe my strips weren’t cut to the proper thickness, I don’t know.
I don’t want to give up on this adorable Christmas tree appetizer. Help!
Sophie A says
Do you put an egg wash on?
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Sophie, No I don't put an egg wash on them but you can if you prefer a shiny look. 🙂
Linda says
Oh, a shiny egg wash sounds interesting, Sophie. Did you try that? If so, how did it come out?
Jen says
I made these last night for an event that was supposed to be tonight. Will they still be good in two days if kept refrigerated?
Jessica Montanelli says
Unfortunately cooked puff pastry does not keep well in the refrigerator as it will become soft. You can try to make them crunchy again with a few minutes in the oven before serving but it might not work very well.
Laura says
Can I make these ahead leave in fridge and bake them off when I arrive at my destination to serve hot?
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Laura, sure! As long as you keep them in the fridge they'll keep their shape until you're ready to bake them.
Linda Domroes says
Hi Jessica!
These look beautiful!
Never worked with puff pastry.
When cutting into one inch strips, do you use the whole strip per tree?
Thank you!
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Linda, yes I use the whole strip per tree. But you can use more or less depending how big you want your trees. 🙂
Lisa M Tiani says
I've seen these before but I've never made them yet a lovely star idea. I will be making them this weekend for my family party. I also will make some sweet with honey and rosewater. Then Brown sugar, cinnamon! I'm excited to share.
Carol says
Hi! These are super cute! Did you use a special kind of skewer or soak them before using?
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Carol, they're normal skewers. There's no need to soak them since they don't stay in the oven too long or at very high temperatures so they won't burn.
Janet says
How did you make the stars on top?
Jessica Montanelli says
Hi Janet, I cut a thick slice of semi-hard cheese (like Gouda or Swiss cheese) with a knife. You can also use fondant cutters made for cake decorations, like these: https://amzn.to/3UZ8XZM
Cathi B says
These were a huge hit at work!
So easy but looked very impressive and came out delicious.