NUTELLA PUFF PASTRY CHRISTMAS TREE

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A festive treat to enjoy as you decorate and prepare for the holidays. Flakey and light puff pastry filled with creamy hazelnut Nutella and cut out in the shape of a Christmas tree. The best part of this pastry is it only takes 5 minutes to assemble, a perfect last-minute idea when you need a dessert quick or want to enjoy a treat without too much effort put in.

Ingredients you will need to make this pastry:

• puff pastry
• nutella
• egg
• sugar opt.

Instructions on how to assemble your Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Roll out both thawed puff pastry sheets with a rolling pin on a well-floured surface.
3. Spread nutella evenly onto the rolled-out puff pastry and top with a second layer making sure the edges match. If nutella is too stiff slightly heat it and it will spread easier.
4. Cut out a triangle shape and make sure to cut through both layers.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay a triangle (Christmas tree) on top.
6. Place extra pieces to the side and cut slits on a triangle to make a Christmas tree. Make sure not to make the strips too thin about 1 inch is perfect. The thicker the pieces are the better the twists will work out. Cut even pieces on both sides of the triangle making sure to leave an inch uncut middle.
7. Twist each sliced branch twice and lay the end flat onto a baking sheet.
8. Use a star cookie cutter to create a star for the top of the tree out of the extra scrap pieces and place it on top of the tree. With remaining scraps cut strips and create twists and lay them around the Christmas tree to bake as well.
9. Beat egg to create an egg wash and brush onto the Christmas tree with a pastry brush. Top with coarse sugar for a glistening sparkle effect.
10. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up.
Decorate with crushed candy canes, Christmas mini M&M's, or powdered sugar. Enjoy with a glass of milk.

Tips for working with puff pastry:

-To make sure your puff pastry rises evenly the oven needs to be fully preheated. The high temperature creates steam which makes the puff pastry puff up and create a crisp flakey effect.
- Make sure not to unfold frozen puff pastry sheets and let thaw out on the counter for about 30 minutes. Also, make sure not to leave out too long otherwise the butter in the pastry sheets will soften too much and ruin the dough.

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to also try the other puff pastry desserts on the blog:
MINI STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS
APPLE HAND PIES
If you make this recipe please rate it and share on social media tag @juliesapron. I love to see your creations!