This puff pastry Christmas tree recipe is too cute! They are so fun and festive for the holiday season. These can be made sweet or savory. Great as a dessert or appetizer. These puff pastry trees are doughy, buttery, soft and fluffy!

Puff pastry Christmas tree.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These puff pastry Christmas trees are so fun!
  • They are made with only 5 ingredients.
  • Use Rolo candies to make them stand up.
  • They are so soft and fluffy.
  • No dough twists required.
  • These taste like a soft pillowy cloud.
  • They can be made sweet or savory.
  • Dip them into pesto, spinach artichoke dip or buffalo chicken dip for savory.
  • For sweet, dunk them in Nutella, melted chocolate, jam or jelly.
  • This recipe can be made gluten free.
  • Check out this homemade Gluten Free Puff Pastry!

Ingredients & Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for puff pastry Christmas trees. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.

Use either regular puff pastry or gluten free. I suggest using store bought puff pastry instead of homemade. Store bought are already rolled into equal sizes and perfect squares.

Melted butter helps the pastries become golden. In addition, it adds the delicious buttery flavor.

Sugar and cinnamon help sweeten these Christmas tree desserts. For a savory version, replace with garlic powder, onion powder, or other savory seasonings.

Garnish with a dust of powdered sugar if desired.

To make the trees stand up, use Rolo candies. Trim the skewers and place in the Rolo.

Pastry dough and butter.

What is Puff Pastry?

Puff pastry is a flaky and buttery pastry dough. It is made from butter continuously folded into dough.

Once the dough is rolled out, the flakes of butter add layers.

These layers of dough bake up beautifully! It adds to the soft, fluffy, airy texture.

In the oven, water turns to steam and creates a fluffy texture.

Although homemade puff pastry is delicious, store bought is very convenient. In that sense, it is similar to pie dough. Store bought is just as good as homemade.

For gluten free, Schar makes a great product. Look in the grocery store frozen desserts aisle.

Taste & Texture

These puff pastry Christmas trees are sweet, buttery and sugary. They taste mostly like butter and sugar.

The texture is very soft, doughy and fluffy.

How to Make

Step 1

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

Unroll both sheets of puff pastry. Place one sheet down on parchment paper. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Rolled out dough on marble.

Step 3

Brush half of the melted butter on one side of the puff pastry dough.

Pastry on marble block.

Step 4

Then, sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar.

Cinnamon sugar dough.

Step 5

Gently place the second sheet of puff pastry on top.

Pieces of puff pastry.

Step 6

Use a pizza roller cuter to slice into long 1 inch wide strips.

Strips of sliced dough.

Step 7

Then, use your hands to roll up the dough accordion style.

Mini trees with skewers.

Step 8

Put a wooden skewer through each tree. Then place on the lined baking sheet.

Pastry trees.

Step 9

Brush the remaining melted butter on each tree.

Step 10

Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Step 11

Remove from freezer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffy and just barely golden brown.

Step 12

Finally, remove puff pastry Christmas trees from oven. Lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Step 13

If desired, place a Rolo candy at the base of each skewer so that the trees stand up.

Pastry tree on stick.

Expert Tips & Tricks

Follow photos above for step by step instructions.

Store bought puff pastry is much better for this recipe.

Allow the puff pastry to come to room temperature before making this recipe. Room temperature puff pastry is much easier to work with.

Gently fold into the accordion shape. Be careful when handling dough.

Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. This helps the Christmas tree shape to get set.

Do not over bake. They should be puffy looking and lightly golden.

Christmas tree baking.

Flavor Variations

These puff pastry Christmas trees can be sweet or savory.

For sweet, make this recipe as is. Feel free to use a dash of nutmeg or ginger in the filling.

Then, dip into Nutella or melted chocolate sauce. These are great with jelly or jam.

For savory, replace the filling with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika or taco seasoning.

Then, dip into pesto, spinach artichoke dip, pizza dip, cheese fondue or another savory sauce.

How to Serve & Store

Serve puff pastry Christmas tree once baked.

They are soft and a little doughy when fresh out of the oven.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce, dip or plain.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 48 hours. With that said, these are best eaten immediately or within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy puff pastry?

Puff pastry is sold in every grocery store. Look in the the freezer dessert aisle.

Can I buy gluten free puff pastry?

Yes! Schar is a great option.

Can I make them savory?

Yes. These can be made sweet or savory.

Do they freeze well?

No. Puff pastry is very delicate so I do not recommend freezing these.

Baked tree dessert.

You May Also Like

If you make this puff pastry Christmas tree recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!  For more ideas, check out these Dessert Recipes.

Sweet Addison's cookies
Puff pastry Christmas tree.

Get the Recipe: Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

This puff pastry Christmas tree recipe is so fun and festive! This dessert is much easier than it looks. Only a few ingredients needed. They come out soft, doughy, fluffy and buttery!
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 2 sheets puff pastry, regular or gluten free
  • ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • powdered sugar, to garnish
  • 8 skewers
  • 8 Rolo candies, optional

Instructions 

  • First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Unroll both sheets of puff pastry. Place one down on parchment paper. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
  • Brush half of the melted butter on one side of the puff pastry dough.
  • Then, sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar.
  • Gently place the second sheet of puff pastry on top.
  • Use a pizza roller cuter to slice into long 1 inch wide strips.
  • Then, use your hands to roll up the dough accordion style. See photos above for reference.
  • Put a wooden skewer through each tree. Then place on baking sheet.
  • Brush the remaining melted butter on each Christmas tree.
  • Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Remove pan from freezer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffy and just barely golden brown.
  • Finally, remove from oven. Lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.
  • Optional: place a Rolo candy at the base of each skewer so that the trees stand up.

Notes

  • For ease, use room temperature puff pastry.  It is much more pliable and easy to work with.  Cold puff pastry can easily rip or tear.
  • Follow the step by step photos in the blog post for reference.
  • Do not slice strips smaller than 1 inch wide.
  • Bake until puffy and lightly golden brown.
  • For the standing trees, use a Rolo candy at the base of each skewer.  You may want to trim the skewers so they are shorter.
  • These are best eaten within 24 hours of making.
Calories: 388kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 189mg, Potassium: 40mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 143IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 2mg

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