🎄 Ham & Cheese Holiday Puff Pastry Trees (Easy & Delicious!)

These adorable puff-pastry Christmas trees are crispy, cheesy, golden, and perfect for holidays, parties, or cozy winter treats. Made with simple ingredients but shaped in a festive way, they always impress guests!

Ingredients (Makes 6–8 Trees)

For the Trees

  • 2 sheets puff pastry (thawed in the fridge)
  • 150–200 g sliced ham (thin slices)
  • 150–200 g cheese (mozzarella, gouda, cheddar, gruyère—your choice)
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 1–2 tbsp milk (optional, to mix with egg wash)
  • Sesame seeds (optional, for topping)
  • Fresh parsley or thyme (optional, finely chopped)

Tools

  • Star cookie cutters (various sizes: large → small)
  • Baking tray + parchment paper
  • Wooden skewers
  • Pastry brush
  • Knife

How to Make the Puff Pastry Trees

1️⃣ Prepare Your Puff Pastry Layers

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F).
  2. Lay out the puff pastry sheet on a floured surface.
  3. Place ham slices across the pastry.
  4. Add cheese on top (keep it thin so layers don’t slide).
  5. Cover with the second puff pastry sheet to make a “sandwich.”

2️⃣ Cut the Star Shapes

  1. Using star cookie cutters of different sizes, cut pairs of each size:
    • Large stars for the base
    • Medium stars
    • Smaller stars as you go up
    • Tiny star for the top
  2. Try to get 5–7 stars per tree (from biggest to smallest).

📌 Tip: If you don’t have star cutters, cut squares and rotate each layer slightly to create a “tree” shape — it still looks amazing!


3️⃣ Assemble the Christmas Trees

  1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Insert a wooden skewer upright in the middle of the tray.
  3. Start stacking the pastry shapes:
    • Begin with the largest star
    • Add a little twist (turn each layer 20–30 degrees for a tree effect)
    • Continue stacking smaller stars until the smallest is on top
  4. Press gently so the pastry sticks to the skewer and stays straight.

4️⃣ Brush & Decorate

TO CONTINUE READING THE RECIPE PLEASE SEE PAGE 2

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