Prep Time: 45 min.

This delightful Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree is as delicious as it is impressive.

By using store-bought puff pastry and Nutella, it comes together pretty quickly, too.

And it doesn't require twisting strands like most puff pastry trees, which makes it less messy since more Nutella is left inside the pastry and not on your hands - win-win.

Serve this fun recipe as an easy dessert or snack. Dust with icing sugar and a quick piping of dark chocolate. You can even add chocolate button 'lights.' Yum!

Use Nutella or any chocolate hazelnut spread. You can also use jam, nut butter, or custard. And if you want a savory tree instead, try pesto and parmesan.

For other festive desserts, take a look at my cookies for Santa or my white chocolate pretzel snowflakes.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 392°F.

2. Roll out one puff pastry dough rectangle on a baking sheet.

3. Spread the Nutella on top, covering the entire piece.

4. Top with the second pastry sheet.

5. Pat the two sheets together.

6. Cut a symmetrical indent at the bottom to make the tree trunk (save these pieces for the presents).

7. Trim two 1 cm thick strips into the dough at the top, keeping the middle intact.

8. Cut a triangular shape underneath the middle of the top strips and the outer trunk indent.

9. Trim five sections along the edge of the tree to each side. Leave the section above the tree trunk intact.

10. Fold over the top corners of each section.

11. Shape the star out of the top strips.

12. Make the square presents using the trimmed-off pastry. You can cut thin pieces to make ribbons and bows (press these into the squares) or leave the presents plain.

13. Arrange the gifts underneath the tree.

14. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Top with pearl sugar.

15. Bake the tree in a 200°C / 392°F oven for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown.

16. Dust with powdered sugar, once cool.

17. Melt the dark chocolate and place it in a piping utensil or bag.

18. Pipe a swirled chocolate pattern on top of the tree.

19. Allow the chocolate to set.

20. Serve.