Puff pastry Christmas tree with cheese (pull-apart)

Name: Puff pastry Christmas tree with cheese (pull-apart)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 1 large tree (6-8 children)
Ingredients: 2 sheets of ready-rolled puff pastry (about 320 g each), from the fridge; 100 g soft cream cheese or 3 tbsp tomato purée; 100 g grated Cheddar; 1 egg, beaten; 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional); tomato sauce or a yoghurt dip, for dipping

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 18 min · Makes: 1 large tree (6-8 children) · For: Ages 6–9 Ages 10–12 For grown-ups

This puff pastry Christmas tree is the easiest party showpiece you will ever make. Two sheets of ready-made pastry, a layer of cheese, a few cuts and twists, and twenty minutes later there is a golden tree on the table that everyone can pull apart.

More easy party food for children

Cheese straws: twist the offcuts into spirals and bake them alongside.
Sausage roll wreath: arrange mini sausage rolls in a ring with cherry tomatoes and herbs.
Star sandwiches: cut sandwiches with a star cutter.

Tips

Keep the pastry cold until you use it; it is easier to cut and puffs up better.
Use a sharp knife or pizza wheel for clean strips.

Little helpers

Children can spread the filling, sprinkle the cheese and twist the branches. A grown-up cuts the pastry.

Ingredients

2 sheets of ready-rolled puff pastry (about 320 g each), from the fridge
100 g soft cream cheese or 3 tbsp tomato purée
100 g grated Cheddar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
tomato sauce or a yoghurt dip, for dipping

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Unroll one sheet of pastry on the paper. Spread it with the cream cheese, leaving a thin border, and scatter over the grated cheese.
Lay the second sheet on top and press down gently. With a sharp knife, cut out a large triangle (the tree) and a small rectangle at the bottom for the trunk. Bake the offcuts as cheese straws.
Cut horizontal strips about 2 cm wide into both sides of the triangle, leaving a strip of about 2 cm in the middle uncut as the tree's trunk.
Twist each strip two or three times so they look like branches.
Brush the tree with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut a small star from the scraps for the top.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until puffed and deep golden. Let it cool for a few minutes, then let everyone pull off a branch to dip in sauce.