A really simple appetizer to serve on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day are these Christmas Tree Cheese Puffs.

I had all of the ingredients I needed already in the fridge, except for pepperonis, which I quickly snagged. This was a fun recipe for my kids to join in on the fun with… Adam loved helping with this one.

You can use any kind of dough you might have, pastry puff and crescent rolls included. If you don’t want to go the mozzarella and pepperoni route, you could always fill the dough with Nutella and Cinnamon and Sugar for a sweeter faire.

I made these last Sunday and they were quickly gobbled up in a matter of minutes. Serve with a side of marinara and watch them disappear just as fast as you make them.

I’ll have a couple more Christmas recipes coming your way later today! We are in the final countdown!

Christmas Tree Cheese Puffs

Serving Size:
12
Time:
20 minutes
Difficulty:
Easy

Ingredients

  • Canned pizza dough, crescent rolls or pastry puffs
  • 6-7 mozzarella cheese sticks or a giant cheese ball cut into bite sized chunks
  • 20-30 pepperoni slices
  • 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted
  • Minced Garlic
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • fresh rosemary for decoration
  • marinara for dipping

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  2. Cut the dough into equal squares then cut the mozzarella cheese into bite size pieces.
  3. Add a piece of mozzarella to each square of dough and a pepperoni then form a ball, rolling with your hands to seal the edges.
  4. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas Tree.
  5. Whisk egg and water and brush each ball with the egg wash.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Add grated Parmesan after baking and fresh rosemary for decoration
  8. Dip in marinara and enjoy!