FOOD + DRINK
AHEAD OF THYME CONT .
Cinnamon Sugar Pastry Christmas Tree Recipe by : Dualit www . dualit . com
Impress your guests this Christmas with a puff pastry Christmas tree , perfect as a tea time treat , mid-afternoon snack or an extra pudding after Christmas dinner !
Serves : 8-10 Ingredients :
• 1 pack ready to roll puff pastry
• 50g brown sugar
• 60g butter ( softened )
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 egg ( beaten )
Method : 1 . Preheat your oven to 190 º C , or gas mark 5 .
2 . Begin by making your cinnamon sugar filling - place the softened butter , brown sugar and cinnamon into a mixing bowl .
3 . Using the Dualit Hand Mixer , gently beat the filling ingredients together until well combined .
4 . Lightly dust a work surface and a rolling pin with plain flour . This will prevent your pastry dough from sticking and make it easier to roll out .
5 . Place one sheet of your pre-made puff pastry onto the floured surface and roll out a 0.5 - 1cm thick rectangle . Once rolled , place the pastry onto a lined baking tray .
6 . Take your cinnamon sugar filling and spread evenly across the pastry .
7 . Taking a second sheet of pastry , roll out another rectangle on a lightly floured surface and place the second rectangle on top of your cinnamon sugar filling .
8 . Carefully cut the shape of a large triangle into the pastry with a knife to give you the signature Christmas tree shape . Don ' t forget to add a trunk at the bottom . Pull away the excess pastry and put to one side . Keep this excess pastry for other recipes - scraps are ideal for making into small appetisers or starters !
9 . To form the trunk of your tree , lightly score two lines down the middle of the triangle . Follow the shape of the triangle as a guide , making the top of your trunk narrower than the base .
10 . Now start to create the branches of your tree . From the outer edges of your tree trunk , make horizontal cuts . Leave approximately 1 inch between each cut .
11 . Holding the end of each branch , twist it away from you , taking care not to rip or tear the pastry . Aim for two twists in the longer , bottom branch and one for smaller branches further up the tree . Repeat this for each branch .
12 . Using a piece of the excess pastry and a small star cookie cutter , make a small star to go on top of your Christmas tree .
13 . Lightly beat an egg in a small bowl with a fork to make an egg wash . This will help your pastry to turn golden brown and develop a beautiful shine .
14 . Bake your cinnamon sugar Christmas tree in the oven until the pastry has risen and turned golden brown .
15 . Onced baked , place your Christmas tree on a serving board . Dust lightly with icing sugar to look like snow , or decorate with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles .
16 . Enjoy !
TOP TIPS :
• Try adding chopped and toasted nuts such as walnuts , hazelnuts or pistachios to the filling for extra crunch . Or switch the filling for sweet mincemeat for a mince pie twist .
• Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the tree after cooking .
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