Puff Pastry Trees
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 18 cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 18 servings
- Calories
- 143
- Total Fat
- 7
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Carbohydrates
- 20
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 13
- Protein
- 1
- Cholesterol
- 4
- Sodium
- 41
- Total: 1 hr
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon apple pie, pumpkin pie or gingerbread spice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 9-inch square sheet frozen puff pastry (half a 17-ounce box), thawed
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coarse sugar and/or nonpareils, for decorating
Directions
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Microwave the butter and spice mix in a small bowl until the butter melts. Let cool to room temperature.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup granulated sugar on a cutting board. Unfold the puff pastry on top of the sugar and roll out into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. (Lightly dust the rolling pin with flour if the dough starts to stick.) Brush the spiced butter evenly on the puff pastry, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar on top. Starting from a long side, roll the dough into a tight log. Slice the log into 18 rounds.
- Place each round cut-side down. Make a slit in each round from the center of the coil to the end of the dough strip. Open up the round into a semicircle; you should have 4 stacked strips of dough in graduated sizes (the pieces will puff up and form a tree when baked). Arrange 9 semicircles about 4 inches apart on each baking sheet.
- Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and golden, 18 to 22 minutes. While still warm, carefully reshape the trees with a skewer if necessary. Let cool completely on the pans.
- Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and the vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Gradually stir in up to 1 more tablespoon milk until the icing is thick but pourable. Spoon the glaze into a small resealable plastic bag and snip off a corner. Pipe on the cookies. Decorate with coarse sugar and/or nonpareils.