Content

• Ingredients
• For puff pastry folded like a Christmas tree
• For a Christmas tree with twisted branches
• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Make a Christmas Tree Dessert
• Part 2 of 2: Make a puff pastry tree with curled edges

When looking for a quick yet gourmet dessert or snack, try making a puff pastry herringbone. You can defrost commercial dough and lay it out in the form of miniature trees. To make a quick dessert, cut out the star shapes with cookie cutters and decorate vanilla pudding or lemon curd with them. To prepare a snack for a large number of guests, you need to roll up the puff pastry in the form of a Christmas tree. Spread the pesto (for a savory snack) or Nutella (for a sweet snack) sauce between the layers, then cut the dough into a large Christmas tree and curl the edges to simulate branches.You will be surprised at how easy it is to prepare a festive dish from puff pastry.

Ingredients

For puff pastry folded like a Christmas tree

• 1 pack (500 grams) defrosted puff pastry
• 1/3 cup (80 grams) vanilla pudding or lemon curd
• 1/3 cup (110 grams) honey or warmed sugar
• 8 raspberries or cocktail cherry halves

For a Christmas tree with twisted branches

• 1 pack (500 grams) defrosted puff pastry
• 4-5 tablespoons pesto sauce (for a savory snack) or Nutella (for a sweet snack)
• 1 egg, beaten

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Make a Christmas Tree Dessert

1. 1 First you need to defrost the puff pastry and preheat the oven. Set the temperature to 204 ° C. Then defrost the 500g puff pastry package according to the manufacturer's instructions.
   • The dough should be soft enough to work, but not too hot. The dough will become sticky if the temperature is too high.
2. 2 Roll out the puff pastry and cut out the stars. Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface and spread out some of the puff pastry. Use a rolling pin to roll it out. Take three star cookie cutters in different sizes. Use these to cut out four stars. Then repeat the process on another sheet of dough.
   • As a result, you will get four large stars, four medium and four small ones, from which you will need to create trees in the future.
3. 3 Bake puff pastry stars. Spread the dough on two baking sheets. Bake them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. The stars will increase in size and their color will change to golden brown. Carefully remove the finished stars from the oven and place on a wire shelf to cool.
   • In total, there should be 24 stars in three different sizes. Eight full-fledged Christmas trees can be made from them.
4. 4 Collect Christmas trees with pudding and kurd. Place eight large stars on your work surface. Place 1 teaspoon of vanilla pudding or lemon curd on top of each. A medium star must be placed on top of a large one. Place another teaspoon of filling on top of the middle star and finish off the tree with a small star. Repeat the process for each additional tree.
   • All you need is 1/3 cup (75 grams) vanilla pudding or lemon curd.
   • Try twisting the edges of the stars as you stack them on top of each other. This will make them look like the branches of a tree.
5. 5 Decorate the puff pastry trees. Heat 1/3 cup (110 grams) honey in the microwave. Pour liquid honey on top of each tree, then sprinkle with green decorative sugar. The top of the product can be garnished with fresh raspberries or cocktail cherries.
   • The honey will help stick the sugar to the surface of the dough. Skip this step if you don't like the texture of the decorative sugar.

Part 2 of 2: Make a puff pastry tree with curled edges

1. 1 Defrost the puff pastry and preheat the oven. Set the temperature to 200 ° C. Defrost a 500 gram puff pastry package according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place a sheet of puff pastry on a baking sheet and set aside.
   • The dough should be soft enough to work, but not too hot. The dough will become sticky if the temperature is too high.
2. 2 Roll out the puff pastry. Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out one sheet of dough. You will need a 28x33 cm rectangle. Place the resulting layer of dough on a baking sheet and roll out the second one to the same size.
   • Remember to turn the dough while rolling. This will prevent it from sticking to the work surface.
3. 3 Spread the pesto or Nutella sauce over the surface of the dough. Pour 4-5 tablespoons of pesto or Nutella sauce on top of a baking sheet. Try to smudge it into a triangle, the shape of which matches the size of the tree.
   • Experiment with different fillings. Add grated cheese, lemon curd or nuts.
4. 4 Cover the filling with a second layer of dough and cut out the tree. The rectangles must match. Use a sharp knife to cut a triangular tree. You can throw away excess dough or make small puffs as a snack.
   • Remember to carve out the trunk in the lower segment of the tree.
5. 5 Cut and twist the branches. Use a knife to cut the branches on both sides of the tree. Leave about 2.5 centimeters in the center. Take each branch with your hands and twist gently towards you several times. Do a similar manipulation with all branches.
   • Try to twist all branches in the same direction so that the tree looks harmonious.
6. 6 Spread a raw egg on the wood and bake. Whisk one egg in a small bowl. Dip a baking brush into the egg and gently spread all over the puff pastry. Bake the wood in a preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes. The tree will increase in size and take on a golden brown hue.
   • Allow the tree to cool for a few minutes before serving.
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