The holiday season make these easy Festive Puff Pastry Delights. Indulge in the joy of creating delightful treats with two unique recipes that combine the versatility of puff pastry with well known shapes and flavours of Christmas.

Cinnamon Swirl Tree Tarts 

With just a few ingredients and a sprinkle of creativity, you can craft these delectable cinnamon swirl trees that are as visually appealing as they are tasty. Here’s what you’ll need for 6 trees. 

Ingredients:

• Half Pack Ready Made Puff Pastry
• 30g Softened Butter (salted or unsalted)
• 30g Light Brown Sugar Muscovado
• 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

Toppings: 

• 1 tbsp Icing Sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Water
• Edible Glitter
• Edible Silver Balls

1. To begin, create a paste by mixing butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Then, generously spread this paste onto one side of the chilled puff pastry.
2. Next, cut the pastry into 2cm strips lengthwise. Peel one strip then shape it into a tree. You want 3 folds with the non cinnamon side at the bottom. Make the folds smaller to create the triangle for the tree. Curl the last bit to make a tiny fold or to stand up. 
3. Carefully push a wooden skewer through the middle of the tree (bottom up). Space the folds slightly then push it down so there is enough space to push the star on the top. 
4. Add a final touch by cutting stars out of the leftover pastry to crown your trees.
5. Place the assembled trees onto a baking tray, allowing them to chill for at least 20 minutes before baking. Once baked to a golden brown at 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes, your trees are ready to dazzle.
6. Make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with water. Drizzle this over the cooled puff pastry trees then decorate with edible glitter and silver balls . 

Christmas Savoury Gingerbread

Embrace a savoury twist on the classic gingerbread with this delightful upside-down ham, brie, and cranberry tart. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• Chilled ready-made puff pastry
• Cranberry sauce
• Cut pieces of brie 
• Little rosemary sprigs 
• Thick-cut ham or preferred meat (or skip this all together) 
• Mustard
• Gravy

1. There are no set measurements for this one. Just go with how much you want on them. 
2. Cut the pastry into gingerbread shapes, followed by cutting the ham into matching shapes. The latter can be tricky if your cutter is not sharp enough. Carefully use a knife to help with this.
3. On a baking tray put a little bit of cranberry sauce (no cranberries), followed by your Brie, a little bit of rosemary then your cut ham.
4. Now spread a bit of mustard on your ham and add on your cut gingerbread pastry. 
5. Brush with egg wash or milk and bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked.
6. Bake these delectable creations at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown and fully cooked. Let them cool before serving alongside a warm, comforting gravy for that festive touch. The brie will ooze out a bit when cooking but that’s fine cause the gingerbread man will be intact and hold it all together. These also make perfect fun leftover treats.

The upside-down presentation adds a unique visual appeal, showcasing the gingerbread shapes atop this savoury delight.

Whether you opt for the sweet cinnamon swirl trees or the savoury gingerbread-inspired tart, these easy-to-make puff pastry delights promise to add a touch of magic and flavour to your holiday celebrations. So, gather your ingredients, get creative, and indulge in the joy of festive baking this season. A tip to remember is always work with chilled puff pastry and before baking chill your creations for at least 15 minutes so they stay in shape.

Want more snack ideas? Check these festive sausage rolls and crostini’s out.

Neha