Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

This impressive sweet treat is easy to make with commercially made puff pastry and a jar of Nutella. It was a fun addition to a Christmas dessert tray I made for a family gathering. 

The tree is part of a cookie/dessert tray we used for a family gathering. 

 

Nutella Puff Pastry  Christmas Tree 

2 sheets of puff pastry from one package

¼ cup Nutella

1 large egg beaten

A light dusting of powdered sugar

Optional: hazelnuts (chopped ) to sprinkle over tree for added crunch & flavor

Preheatoven to 400°F. (A hot oven is essential to achieve the puff during baking.)

Lightly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour and roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a rectangle shape

1. On another lightly floured surface, roll out another sheet. Lightly lay it over the top of the 1^st sheet that is on the parchment paper.
   
   
   
2. Lightly cut the 2 rectangles into a triangle for the tree, cutting out a section at the bottom for the trunk.  Carefully remove the top tree and set aside.
   
   
   
3. Spoon and then spread Nutella i evenly over the triangle and trunk, leaving a little space along the edges so it doesn’t ooze out while baking.
4. Place the remaining tree shape on top of the first. And gently press along the edges to seal everything together. 
5. Beat an egg with a splash of milk or water and brush it all over the top for a beautiful, golden finish.
6. To form the branches, cut strips down each side of the triangle (about ¾”apart) starting a few inches from the top, leaving the center intact.
   
   
   
7. Twist each strip carefully but don’t worry if the twists are not all the same as they puff up differently creating unique branches as they bake.
   
8. Brush the twisted branches with the egg wash. 
9. If desired, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.
10. If desired, cut a star(s) from the remaining puff pastry, brush with egg wash and place on the parchment. (I actually made another small tree out of the extra dough.)
11. Carefully transfer the parchment paper to the baking sheet.
12. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden, risen, and flaky.
    
    
    
13.  Cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar for a snowy appearance. Place a star at the top of the tree if you made one out of the extra dough. 
    
    
    

Recipe without photos . . . Nutella Puff Pastry  Christmas Tree 

2 sheets of puff pastry from one package

¼ cup Nutella

1 large egg beaten

A light dusting of powdered sugar

Optional: hazelnuts (chopped ) to sprinkle over tree for added crunch & flavor

Preheatoven to 400°F. (A hot oven is essential to achieve the puff during baking.)

Lightly dust a piece of parchment paper with flour and roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a rectangle shape

1. On another lightly floured surface, roll out another sheet. Lightly lay it over the top of the 1^st sheet that is on the parchment paper.
2. Lightly cut the 2 rectangles into a triangle for the tree, cutting out a section at the bottom for the trunk.  Carefully remove the top tree and set aside.
3. Spoon and then spread Nutella i evenly over the triangle and trunk, leaving a little space along the edges so it doesn’t ooze out while baking.
4. Place the remaining tree shape on top of the first. And gently press along the edges to seal everything together. 
5. Beat an egg with a splash of milk or water and brush it all over the top for a beautiful, golden finish.
6. To form the branches, cut strips down each side of the triangle (about ¾”apart) starting a few inches from the top, leaving the center intact.
7. Twist each strip carefully but don’t worry if the twists are not all the same as they puff up differently creating unique branches as they bake. 
8. Brush the twisted branches with the egg wash. 
9. If desired, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.
10. If desired, cut a star(s) from the remaining puff pastry, brush with egg wash and place on the parchment. (I actually made another small tree out of the extra dough.)
11. Carefully transfer the parchment paper to the baking sheet.
12. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden, risen, and flaky.
13.  Cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar for a snowy appearance. Place a star at the top of the tree if you made one out of the extra dough. 

Apple Roses . . . so impressive but so easy and fun!

So impressive! Yet, so easy! I had this recipe saved on Pinterest and then when Jill McKee Rose posted her version of Apple Rose I was inspired to actually give them a try. Besides, we had a young friend visiting and this seemed like a fun kitchen project. 

The original recipe, complete with video, can be located at To Simply Inspire blog. Following Jill's lead, we served ours with caramel sauce and added whipped cream.  

Apple Roses     12 servings

2 sheets of puffed pastry, thawed

3 apples

6 tablespoons of apricot preserves

4 tablespoons of water

 Juice of 1/2 a lemon or 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Ground cinnamon

Granulated sugar

For serving as desired: powdered sugar, caramel sauce, whipped cream or ice cream

 

1.   Remove puffed pastry from freezer and thaw according to package directions 

2.   Slice the apples in half from top to bottom.

3.   Remove the core ends and then scoop out the core in the center

4.   Slice the apples into very thin slices

5.   Fill a medium sized bowl half full of water. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water. Place the sliced apples in the water and microwave for 5 minutes until slightly tender. Drain the apples into a colander. Cool before proceeding to step #7.

6.   Microwave the  apricot preserves and water for about a minute, stir; Cool before proceeding to step #7.

7.   When pastry sheets are thawed, place them flat on a floured surface. Roll the pastries out with a rolling pin to flatten just a little more. 

Cut each pastry sheet into 6 equal slices.

8.   One at a time, spoon or brush apricot preserve mixture onto a slice of pastry.

9.   Place 7 to 9 apple slices along one half of the pastry slice with the peel side facing out. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and granulated sugar.

10. Fold the pastry in half to cover the apples. Starting on one end, roll the pastry and apples to the other end of the pastry.

11. Place in a muffin tin that has been well sprayed with pan release. We added a strip of parchment to each tip (allowing for an overhang) for easy removal after baking.

12. Continue with the other pieces of pastry until you have 12 apple roses.

13. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of oven so the bottom of pastries do not burn.

14. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes. Watch closely and cover the tops with foil when they begin to brown Check bottom and sides for browning; if needed, remove roses from muffin tins and place on a baking sheet and bake for a few more minutes until brown. 

15. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, if desired. 

Recipe without photos . . .

Apple Roses     12 servings

2 sheets of puffed pastry, thawed

3 apples

6 tablespoons of apricot preserves

4 tablespoons of water

 Juice of 1/2 a lemon or 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Ground cinnamon

Granulated sugar

For serving as desired: powdered sugar, caramel sauce, whipped cream or ice cream

 

1.   Remove puffed pastry from freezer and thaw according to package directions 

2.   Slice the apples in half from top to bottom.

3.   Remove the core ends and then scoop out the core in the center

4.   Slice the apples into very thin slices

5.   Fill a medium sized bowl half full of water. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water. Place the sliced apples in the water and microwave for 5 minutes until slightly tender. Drain the apples into a colander. Cool before proceeding to step #7.

6.   Microwave the  apricot preserves and water for about a minute, stir; Cool before proceeding to step #7.

7.   When pastry sheets are thawed, place them flat on a floured surface. Roll the pastries out with a rolling pin to flatten just a little more. Cut each pastry sheet into 6 equal slices.

8.   One at a time, spoon or brush apricot preserve mixture onto a slice of pastry.

9.   Place 7 to 9 apple slices along one half of the pastry slice with the peel side facing out. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and granulated sugar.

10. Fold the pastry in half to cover the apples. Starting on one end, roll the pastry and apples to the other end of the pastry.

11. Place in a muffin tin that has been well sprayed with pan release. We added a strip of parchment to each tip (allowing for an overhang) for easy removal after baking.

12. Continue with the other pieces of pastry until you have 12 apple roses.

13. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of oven so the bottom of pastries do not burn.

14. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes. Watch closely and cover the tops with foil when they begin to brown Check bottom and sides for browning; if needed, remove roses from muffin tins and place on a baking sheet and bake for a few more minutes until brown. 

15. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, if desired. 

Puff Paste Cookies, 1950s White House treats

Puff Paste Cookies are another tea time treat that I’ll be serving at Ladies Literary League in conjunction with my program about Francois Rysavy, White House Chef for the Eisenhowers from 1955 to 1957.  This recipe, which is included in Rysavy’s book, (White House Chef, Putnam, 1957) was a favorite of the President’s grandchildren. Francois started with homemade puff pastry—an essential French recipe he mastered early in his career; his “filmy as a cloud” won him jobs all over the world, including that as White House Chef. However, I began with the frozen stuff and was quite happy with the results. Here’s how I adapted Chef Rysavy’s recipe . . .

Puff Paste Cookies  1 sheet of puff pastry makes about 42 small cookies (there are 2 sheets per frozen pkg.)

Flaky, with a caramel flavor (they sugar becomes caramelized during baking) and delicious!

Frozen puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator according to package directions

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Dough should be about 1/4" thick; if not, use a rolling pin to flatten.
3. Cut dough into small squares. (I cut approximately 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" squares, yielding 42 cookies per sheet of dough.)
   
4. Place powdered sugar into a low, flat bowl. Press both sides of puff squares into sugar, covering them heavily.
   
5. Place squares on an ungreased cooking sheet.
   
6. Bake in 400° oven until they start to brown at the edges (about 7 to 8 minutes) and then turn them over with a spatula to that the underside will bake.
7. Continue baking until they are nice and brown but not overly brown—they brown very quickly -- about another 6 to 7 minutes.
   

Other White House confections that I’ll be serving include:

Almond Bars  

Coconut Drops

Presidential Whip 

Recipe without photos . . .

Puff Paste Cookies    1 sheet of puff pastry makes about 42 small cookies (there are 2 sheets per frozen pkg.)

Flaky, with a caramel flavor (they sugar becomes caramelized during baking) and delicious!

Frozen puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator according to package directions

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Dough should be about 1/4" thick; if not, use a rolling pin to flatten.
3. Cut dough into small squares. (I cut approximately 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" squares, yielding 42 cookies per sheet of dough.)
4. Place powdered sugar into a low, flat bowl. Press both sides of puff squares into sugar, covering them heavily.
5. Place squares on an ungreased cooking sheet.
6. Bake in 400° oven until they start to brown at the edges (about 7 to 8 minutes) and then turn them over with a spatula to that the underside will bake.
7. Continue baking until they are nice and brown but not overly brown—they brown very quickly -- about another 6 to 7 minutes.