Crunchy and Flaky Puff Pastry Trees Appetizers

These Puff Pastry Mini Christmas Trees are essentially savory cookies filled with olives and cheese. They make a delicious snack alongside a cocktail or wine over the Christmas holidays. The salty combination of green olives and Parmesan cheese makes these puff pastry trees an addictive addition to any holiday table.

To make them, flour, cayenne, salt, Parmesan, cheddar, butter, and olives are combined into a buttery dough before being chilled for 30 minutes. Then, it gets rolled out and cut into tree shapes before being brushed with egg and sprinkled with more Parmesan cheese. Once baked, they will be golden and flaky, and perfect for serving alongside a charcuterie board and other appetizers.

What are Puff Pastry Trees?

They include both cheddar and Parmesan cheese, as well as chopped green olives for color and taste. The combination is a savory blend that everyone will love.

Pro Tips

• For the best flavor, use real Parmesan cheese in your puff pastry trees rather than canned Parmesan cheese.
• For flaky pastry, you should start with cold butter.
• If you prefer not to use green olives, you could substitute them with black olives instead. Alternatively, you can use a mix for varying color.
• Don’t over bake the puff pastry trees or else they may have a tough texture. You will know they are properly cooked through when they are golden around the edges.
• Feel free to replace the cheddar with other shreddable hard cheeses like Swiss, mozzarella, or gouda.
• These would also be delicious with additional seasonings such as black pepper, finely chopped sundried tomatoes, garlic, dried basil, or dried oregano.

What to Serve with Puff Pastry Trees?

These puff pastry trees are wonderful served as part of a charcuterie platter with various meats, cheeses, olives, dried fruit, and nuts. However, they can also be enjoyed on their own with glasses of fortified wine or your other favorite beverages.

Do I Have to Make These into Trees?

No, if you aren’t making these for Christmas, you could use other cookie cutter shapes instead. They will be no less delicious whether they are hearts, stars, or other shapes for other holidays.

Do I Have to Use Cayenne in this Recipe?

No, if you don’t like spicy food, you can feel free to omit the cayenne. Black pepper is a good replacement if you like some pepperiness in your food but prefer it not to be too spicy.

What Happens if My Puff Pastry Trees Spread Out?

If the puff pastry trees spread out too much, it could be that your dough didn’t chill long enough or that it softened too much when you rolled it out. In this case, you could place the sheets of trees in the fridge to set before you bake them.

Should I Line the Baking Sheet?

While it isn’t essential to line the baking sheet with parchment paper, it is a nice idea as it keeps the baking sheet cleaner and makes the puff pastry trees easy to remove.

How to Store Puff Pastry Trees

These puff pastry trees can be stored in an airtight container where they will keep for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can place them in sealed bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Make Puff Pastry Trees

Step 1

Step 1

Step 1: In a bowl, knead the flour with the cayenne pepper, salt, Parmesan, cheddar, and butter until it forms a crumbly dough. Stir in the green olives. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Step 1: In a bowl, knead the flour with the cayenne pepper, salt, Parmesan, cheddar, and butter until it forms a crumbly dough. Stir in the green olives. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Step 2

Step 2: Roll the dough out, cut it into trees, and place them on a baking sheet. Brush the puff pastry trees with egg and sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese.

Step 2: Roll the dough out, cut it into trees, and place them on a baking sheet. Brush the puff pastry trees with egg and sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese.

Step 3

Step 3

Step 3: Brush the puff pastry trees with egg and sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese.

Step 3: Brush the puff pastry trees with egg and sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese.