I love using puff pastry at home.It is a dough that can be bought already made with quite good results and is very versatile. ideal for both sweet and savory preparations and getting many times, as on this occasion, a fantastic presentation.
prepare this puff pastry and cocoa cream Christmas treeit is very easy, so much so that it seems ideal to make with the little ones in the house. The most entertaining thing is to cut down the tree and the result could not be richer thanks to the texture of the puff pastry and the powerful flavor of the cocoa cream.
If you like the savory recipes with puff pastry do not miss our delicious Savory puff pastry tart with artichokes, serrano ham and cheddar cheeseit’s fantastic ham and cheese empanada with puff pastry, very easy and tastythe tuna empanada with puff pastrythe savory puff pastry tart with asparagus and anchovies wave puff pastry braid stuffed with ham, cheese and leeks.
And for the most special occasions, this Fillet Wellington which is baked wrapped in puff pastry and which is an authentic delicacy or this other very similar recipe, the puff pastry stuffed with salmon, feta cheese and spinachand if it is about preparing canapés, these will be great crispy puff pastry toasts with walnuts or you are puff pastry toasts with salmon sashimi and coleslaw and apple salad.
If you like cocoa cream, go ahead and prepare this fantastic cocoa and hazelnut spread or homemade Nutella. And if puff pastry is your thing, don’t stop preparing desserts as delicious as these with it puff pastry palms with chocolate.
In addition, puff pastry combines phenomenally with fruit and especially with apples, giving rise to delicious sweets such as Apple tarte tatin with puff pastrythe classic apple pie with puff pastry and pastry cream waves apple roses and puff pastry. It is also very rich puff pastry tart and pastry cream with kakis.
Ingredients to prepare a Christmas tree made of puff pastry and cocoa cream, very easy (dessert for 6 people):
- 2 square sheets of refrigerated puff pastry. Rectangular sheets can also be used, the tree will simply come out more elongated.
- 200 g of cocoa cream and hazelnuts. I have used Nutella.
- 1 egg.
Preparation, how to make the recipe for the puff pastry and cocoa cream Christmas tree, very easy:
- keep the puff pastry always in the fridge and take it out just when you are going to use it.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC with top and bottom heat and a fan.
- Now is the time to get the puff pastry. Extend it on baking paper (sometimes it has it incorporated).
- Put in a container the cocoa cream and heat it for 15 or 20 seconds in the microwave at maximum power so that its texture is a little lighter but without getting hot.
- distribute the cocoa cream by the surface of puff pastry.
- Extend it with the help of a kitchen tongue, covering it completely and leaving only a small space on the edge.
- Take out the other sheet of puff pastry from the fridge and place it on top. Be careful when doing this operation because as soon as the puff pastry comes into contact with the cocoa cream it sticks, so if it is rolled up, start gluing it on two corners and unroll it on top. Press a little or even roll with little pressure, just to make everything stick together.
- Now use a ruler, get your artistic side out and start cutting out the Christmas tree. Start with the trunk, well measured so that it is right in the middle of the sheets of puff pastry. Then cut towards the ends and simply trace towards the center above to get the sides of the Christmas tree. You can go cutting with a knife although with a pizza cutter it is even easier and faster.
- Remove the cuttings from the tree and with cookie cutters or cookie cutters cut out shapes. Of course, do not do as I did that I cut some very small ones and then they did not turn out well, it is better that they be large figures, although later the puff pastry in the oven does what it wants and sometimes it rises too much and falls apart a bit. Remember to at least cut out one star to place later on the top of the tree.
- Back to the tree, trim the branches so that they are one or one and a half fingers thick (depending on how your finger is).
- Twist each branch twice so that it looks like the photo. The ones above will cost you a bit and the last ones will surely not be able to fold them, nothing happens.
- Casca the eggbeat it in a bowl and with it paint the Christmas tree on top.
- pass the puff pastry christmas tree with the baking paper to a baking tray, place the cut out figurines around the tree and the star put it in the upper end pressing it a little and paint them also with egg smoothie.
- Put the tray in the oven at medium height and bake the puff pastry christmas tree about 15 or 20 minutes, until you see that it has been golden on top.
- Take it out of the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes and you have it ready.
Time: 50 minutes
difficulty: easy
Serve and taste:
This puff pastry Christmas tree is delicious freshly made and with crispy puff pastry but you can decide whether to eat it warm or warm or you prefer to wait a while for it to cool down. if you have too much… it would be strange, but hey, you can keep it in a closed container at room temperature for 3 or 4 days, although the puff pastry will not be as crispy as freshly made.
Enjoy the fantastic combination of crispy puff pastry and the delicious flavor of cocoa cream. It is such an easy dessert to prepare that it is ideal to prepare with children during Christmas and the result It remains authentic… scandal!
Variations of the puff pastry and cocoa cream Christmas tree recipe, very easy:
You can add on the tree, either only on the trunk or also on the branches, some chopped hazelnuts.
To present it you can sprinkle some icing sugar above, especially it looks very good at the ends. In my case I have simply sprinkled the sugar on the table where I have served it, it gives it a fantastic Christmas touch. To do it, it is as easy as putting icing sugar in a strainer and tapping it on the surface where you want it to fall.
If for whatever reason you don’t want to use eggs you can also paint it with milkit will be equally golden.
Tips:
So that the puff pastry rises well in the oven and it doesn’t stay raw inside, it’s important that it stays cold before baking it, so it’s best to take it out of the fridge just when you start using it.
