Pull Apart Christmas Tree
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This Pull Apart Christmas Tree is a festive appetizer to serve for a holiday party! It’s easy to make using pizza dough, cheese and fresh herbs on top. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce!
One of our all-time favorite party appetizers during the holiday season is this pull-apart Christmas tree. It’s festive, colorful and full of melty cheesy goodness! Plus, it’s always fun to eat with guests pulling off a piece.
Ingredients
- Pizza dough: The fastest way is to use Pillsbury pizza dough (crescent roll dough will also work). Or use this homemade pizza dough to make it from scratch.
- Cheese: You’ll want a 1-pound brick of cheese such as mozzarella or cheddar. Use full-fat cheese for the best cheese pulls.
- Butter
- Herbs: I recommend fresh basil and rosemary, but you can also use dried.
- Cherry tomatoes: Add fresh tomatoes for a pop of color – grape tomatoes also work.
How to Make Pull Apart Christmas Tree
To make it, start by stretching out your pizza dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Then you can cut out 3-inch rounds using a knife tip. place one cube of cheese in the middle and wrap it in the dough until sealed tight. Repeat this process until you have about 30-32 balls.
Next, you’ll want to arrange the balls in a Christmas tree shape. An easy pattern is 7 balls in a straight line for a base, followed by adjacent lines of 6 balls, 5 balls etc. until you reach a single ball for the top.
When you’re satisfied with the shape, brush with butter and sprinkle the herbs on top. Bake for 15-17 minutes (following the package direction if using store-bought dough) until puffy and golden. Serve with pizza sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Recipe Video: Pull Apart Christmas Tree
This short tutorial shows you how to make a pull apart Christmas tree:
More holiday appetizers:
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Cheesy Pull Apart Christmas Tree
Ingredients
- 28 oz refrigerated pizza dough, 2 cans or homemade pizza dough
- 16 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes, or cheddar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh or dried
- 12 grape tomatoes, halved, or cherry tomatoes
- pizza sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Place the pizza dough on a work surface. Stretch it out to roughly a 1/4-inch thickness. Then cut into about 32 three-inch squares.
- Cut the cheese into 1-inch cubes. Place one cube on top of each dough square. Then pinch the edges of each square together tightly to form a ball.
- Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet in a Christmas tree formation: a straight line of 7 balls for the base followed by 6 balls, 5 balls etc. until you reach a single ball for the top. Use the remaining balls to make a stump and/or star.
- Brush the balls with melted butter and sprinkle herbs on top. Then add the cherry tomatoes in between the balls.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes following the package directions is using store-bought dough. If the tops start darkening, you can always cover with foil for the remaining time.
- Remove from the oven and use the parchment to transfer the Christmas tree to a cheese board or other platter. Serve with optional dipping sauce.
Notes
- Recipe yield: 16 servings (2 pieces per serving)
Please read our nutrition disclaimer.
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No but I’m thinking about to have a Christmas tree theme for a gettogather for Christmas. This would be a great recipe. Thank you so much.
Hi Deena, Thanks for your comment. This is one of my faves for Christmas. Enjoy the holidays!
Can I do this this normal puff pastry? I don’t have pizza pastry here!
Hi Raf, I haven’t done it with puff pastry – you can try but it risks expanding too much and losing shape. Hope that helps!