Mini Puff Pastry Christmas Trees (Air Fryer or Oven)
These mini puff pastry Christmas trees are the perfect appetizer or snack for the holiday season. Bake them in the air fryer or oven for a sweet or savory treat!
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F, and roll out your puff pastry dough on a flat surface
13 Ounce puff pastry sheet
Spread your chosen filling(s) evenly over the dough, getting it all the way to the edges
3 Tbsp prepared basil pesto, 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, ¼ Cup brown sugar, 1 Tsp cinnamon
Use a pizza cutter (or similar) to cut the dough lengthwise into approximately 1” wide strips (I got 8 per sheet)
Grab a strip and fold it back and forth in an accordion pattern, getting progressively narrower as you go (to make it look like a tree). I usually do about 3” for the base layer, and then reduce by an inch for each subsequent layer. You want about 4 layers total to give it that tree shape
Poke a skewer through each dough accordion, starting at the bottom and going up through the top (it should stick out at least 1” at the top to allow for expansion)
Place the trees into the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer, allowing space between them for expansion (feel free to line the baskets with parchment for easier cleanup)
Cook on the air fry setting at 350°F for 10 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown
Add toppings or decorations as desired, and serve warm
Alternate Oven Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C)
Place the trees onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at least 1” apart
Bake for 15 minutes, or until dough is golden brown
Remove to a wire rack to cool
Notes
Alternative sweet fillings include: about ½ cup of Nutella or fruit preserves. You may also add some chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts (about ¼ cup) if you’d like
For savory fillings, you could use tomato pesto instead of basil, spinach and ricotta, caramelized onions and gruyere, or even sliced pepperoni and mozzarella!
Or, cover both sweet and savory with something like fig jam and goat cheese!
Optional toppings could include powdered sugar or icing on the sweet variety, or a cheese star cutout or olive topper on the savory versions
If you’d like to stand your trees upright for serving, use candies such as Rolo to serve as the base, or a block of cheese for savory options
I highly recommend leaving the skewers in after cooking. While they will be structurally set, it tends to make them look less like trees if you remove them
You can also double the puff pastry and sandwich the filling in between two layers if preferred. It’s less messy this way as everything is sealed in, but I personally find the dough to filling ratio is “off” in this scenario. This method is nice, though, if you plan to use shredded cheese, to keep it in place
Store cooled pastry trees in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week
They are delicious at room temperature, but if you’d like to reheat them (especially if you refrigerated them), just air fry at 325°F for 2-3 minutes, until warmed and re-crisped
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, chosen filling (I used savory here), any sauces or toppings added, and actual quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only