CHRISTMAS TREE SWEET ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS
The recipes prepared during the Holidays often evoke in their shapes the typical symbols of Christmas such as Garlands, Stars, or Trees to be not only delicious but also scenic and to amaze our guests.
But it is not necessary to be a great Chef or Pastry Master to create something original, nor have extraordinary ingredients available.
That’s why today I will explain how to prepare in a few minutes and with only 3 ingredients that you probably already have at home a dessert beautiful to see and good to eat in its simplicity: PUFF PASTRY TREES WITH APPLES, perfect to conclude a lunch or dinner during the holiday season on a high note.
A tasty recipe prepared quickly and baked in the oven in less than 20 minutes that you can also prepare in advance and use to decorate the table at the end of the meal.
This sweet Christmas tree-shaped dessert is made with a base of ready-made puff pastry, the kind we find in the supermarket fridge section, cut into many circles that are then baked ‘blind’ (without filling) in the oven. Once the bases are baked, simply cut the apples into slices, use cookie cutters in the shape of flowers (or circles) in three different sizes, stack them on the baked puff pastry bases, decorate with rosemary sprigs, and sprinkle with powdered sugar to simulate snow.
In just a few minutes, you will have created festive apple and puff pastry tarts in the shape of Christmas trees, sweetened with honey, almost too cute to eat.
At the end of the recipe, you’ll find several variations on how to turn this dessert into the perfect savory version to serve as an appetizer.
Other recipes that might inspire you for the holiday menu:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
- Energy 96.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 11.35 (g) of which sugars 4.40 (g)
- Proteins 1.27 (g)
- Fat 5.15 (g) of which saturated 0.81 (g)of which unsaturated 4.05 (g)
- Fibers 0.97 (g)
- Sodium 35.31 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk (for brushing)
- dried beans (or other dried legumes or rice for blind baking the puff pastry)
- 4 Golden Delicious apples
- as needed honey
- A few sprigs rosemary (for decoration)
- powdered sugar (for dusting)
Tools
- Cookie cutter
- Cutter
- Parchment paper
- Muffin tray
Steps
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Unroll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter (2 inches in diameter), cut out 12 circles from the puff pastry. Place each circle into the prepared holes of the muffin tray lined with parchment paper. Press them lightly to adhere and create a slight raised edge. Proceed to blind baking (placing dried beans inside each one so that the center does not puff up during baking). Bake the puff pastry bases in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.
Peel the apples but do not cut them into wedges. Instead, make circular slices from the base of the apple to the top. You need to make slices about 1/12 inch thick. At this point, using flower-shaped molds with the same design but in 3 different sizes, cut out 24 large apple flowers, 24 medium flowers, and 12 small flowers. Using a toothpick placed upright in the center of 12 large flowers, start stacking the apple slices to form 12 apple Christmas trees. In the end, each of your trees will consist of 2 large flowers + 2 medium flowers + 1 small flower. Make sure to leave a bit of toothpick sticking out from each tree, which will help you later to caramelize the apples.
Place the puff pastry bases, which in the meantime will have cooled, on a serving plate. Then take the Apple Trees one by one and, holding them by the tip of the toothpick, quickly but fully dip them into the jar of honey (in my 500 g honey jar, they fit without difficulty). Drain the excess honey and then immediately place the tree in the center of a puff pastry base. You will see that some honey will continue to drip but will be collected at the base of the tartlet. Proceed in the same way until you finish all 12 apple and puff pastry Christmas trees.
Take some rosemary sprigs and wash them well under water, then dry them gently. Trim the tops with scissors. Place rosemary on top of each apple and puff pastry tree (you will see it pierces the apple easily) and press gently. Dust everything with powdered sugar at the last minute to give a snow effect. Do not do it earlier, otherwise, the powdered sugar in contact with the honey will dissolve immediately. Serve on the table and Happy Holidays!
TIPS
PUFF PASTRY: For this recipe, I used ready-made puff pastry found in the supermarket fridge section. If you want, you can replace it with shortcrust pastry or choose gluten-free puff pastry for a gluten-free version.
APPLES: I chose Golden Delicious for their sweetness and because they remain firm after baking. Other types of apples like Renette or those with a mealy texture might soften too much and cause your Christmas tree-shaped desserts to collapse.
HONEY: Any type of honey is fine, as long as it is almost liquid in consistency; otherwise, it would be impossible to dip the apple trees into it.
SUGGESTION: In theory, each apple slice should be dipped in honey, then drained, and finally stacked to create our sweet Christmas trees, but I suggest a shortcut that is easier and certainly faster. After cutting out the apple flowers in 3 different sizes, start from the bottom with the largest size flower. Pierce the center with a toothpick and then build the apple tower using the toothpick as a pivot to skewer the slices. In the end, you should create an Apple tree with 2 large apple flowers, followed by 2 medium apple flowers, and finish with 1 small apple flower. Make sure a bit of toothpick sticks out from the last layer of apple. At this point, use the latter to hold the tree and dip it directly into the jar of honey. Let the excess honey drain and then place the apple tree on the already baked puff pastry base. Remember to remove the toothpicks from the apples before bringing the puff pastry trees to the table!
SAVORY VERSION: CHRISTMAS TREE TARTS with Apples and Cheese
To turn this recipe into a savory appetizer, I propose this version with puff pastry and cheese. You will need the same ingredients as the main recipe but in addition, 250 g of Brie cheese or another creamy cheese such as Gorgonzola. For the procedure, once the puff pastry bases are placed on the muffin tray, add a piece of cheese in the center and then stack the apple slices on top, trying to recreate a Christmas tree. Brush the fruit with honey while the puff pastry with beaten egg. Bake in a static oven at 375°F for about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let the tartlets cool slightly before garnishing with fresh rosemary and dusting with powdered sugar for a snowy effect. Your apple and cheese Christmas tree appetizer is ready! Serve still warm so the Brie is still creamy.
STORAGE
Once ready, the sweet Apple Christmas Trees should be consumed immediately. Like all puff pastry-based preparations, once cooked and filled, they tend to lose their crispness. However, you can prepare the bases in advance, even 1 day before, and store them at room temperature in an airtight container in a cool and dry place, filling them at the last minute.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is blind or blind baking of puff pastry?
Blind baking, also called blind baking of puff pastry, is a type of baking used for preparing puff pastry bases (but also shortcrust pastry or brisè) used when they need to be filled later. This technique is perfect for creating sweet or savory preparations in which the filling is not expected to be cooked. To blind bake, you need to use a weight to ensure that the dough does not puff up and lose its shape during baking. Ceramic balls are usually used as weights, but dried legumes or rice can also be used.
