Christmas Tree Appetizer
I love it when a dish is fun to make, delicious to eat, and stunning to look at, and this pull-apart Christmas Tree appetizer is always a show-stopping dish! Everyone loves these tasty bites, and when I serve them on a board, it is festive and perfect for just about any holiday event or party. Ready to wow everyone? Serve this pizza appetizer and watch everyone devour it!
Who doesn’t love pizza? When you want flavors that you know will satisfy but want to serve a fun, festive dish, this Christmas Tree Appetizer is the way to go! I serve it on my 12×24-inch board which is the perfect size for this party food. Any long, narrow board will do, but these custom-made food-safe boards have a lip on them to keep all the food from sliding off.
Christmas Tree Charcuterie
I use refrigerated crescent roll dough to make this recipe extra easy. You know, the blue cans that pop open when you peel back the wrapping? Yes, those are perfect. The dough is flaky, buttery, and easy to work with. It’s a little different than our Pull Apart Bread Charcuterie recipe (made in a bundt pan and flipped over), but still with an Italian flair.
Just assemble all your ingredients, make the bites and form them into a Christmas tree shape, bake and serve. It’s that easy, and I’ve got all the steps to walk you through it.
This recipe makes about 36 bites, so for an appetizer, if everyone has 3–it serves 12!
Why I love this recipe
- It’s delicious, fun to make, and everyone always loves it!
- This edible Christmas tree is the perfect holiday dish! I’ve served it at potlucks, cocktail parties, and even kids’ parties.
- Get the kids to help you fold the bites – it’s a safe and easy job for them to help stuff and fold the rolls.
- Add in your favorite dip (Ranch dressing?) if you’re not a fan of pizza sauce!
Gather these ingredients
- Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls – You’ll need 3 tubes.
- Mozzarella cheese – Shredded; about 1 pound.
- Pepperoni – Use the small slices; you’ll need about 48 slices.
- Butter – Melted.
- Parsley – Fresh parsley; chopped.
- Pizza sauce – In a small bowl.
How to make a stunning Christmas appetizer tree
- Preheat your oven to 350-F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set this aside.
- Working with 1 can at a time, roll out the dough and separate it into 24 triangles. There are 8 triangles in each can. Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut each triangle in half lengthwise.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of mozzarella cheese on the shortest side of each triangle. Place a small slice of pepperoni on top of the cheese, then roll it up, starting with the shortest side of the triangle and rolling it to the opposite point.
- Place the rolls next to each other in a tree-shaped pattern on the prepared baking sheet, starting with the trunk and working your way to the top.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes or until deep golden brown. Brush them with the melted butter and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
- Transfer your pull-apart appetizer to the board by lifting up the sides of the parchment paper and sliding it to your board or platter. Run a large, flat spatula under then gently pull the parchment paper out from under the Christmas tree.
- Serve hot with a bowl of warm pizza sauce at the top of the tree, and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- Measure how big your board or platter is when making your tree. Leave some room for the crescent rolls to rise and puff a bit.
- Don’t worry if some cheese oozes out. That’ll help stick the rolls to each other for the perfect pull-apart pizza appetizer.
- You can prepare the rolls a few hours ahead and shape them on the baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. If they go from the fridge to the oven, you may need an extra minute or two of cooking time because they’ll be super cold.
- If you can’t find small pepperoni circles, cut larger ones in half and fold them over.
Serving suggestions
You don’t need much more than pizza sauce with this appetizer. It’s a great stand-alone dish, but I love serving it with other fun holiday finger foods like a holiday cheese board or sweets. This is a fun dish to serve at dinner parties, too, and is a great ice-breaker appetizer that’s sure to get people talking! Serve it before a feast of holiday ham for the perfect meal!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Check out these awesome Christmas recipes while you’re here
- Easy Christmas Morning Punch
- Christmas Sandwiches
- Christmas Charcuterie
- Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack
Get the Recipe:
Christmas Tree Appetizer
Ingredients
- 3 8 oz cans refrigerated Pillsbury™ Original Crescent Rolls
- 15 ounces Mozzarella cheese
- 48 pieces small slices of pepperoni
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Small bowl of pizza sauce, for top of the tree, warmed
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Separate dough into 24 triangles. Use kitchen scissors or knife to cut each triangle in half lengthwise.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cheese on the shortest side of each triangle. Place a small slice of pepperoni on top. Roll up each, starting at the shortest side of the triangle and rolling to the opposite point. Place rolled pieces next to each other in a tree-shaped pattern on a cookie sheet, starting with the trunk and working up to top. TIP: Leave room at the top of the board for a bowl of pizza sauce.
- Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until deep golden brown. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with parsley.
- To transfer Christmas tree pull-apart bread to a board, lift it up while still attached to the parchment paper, and place it on your platter. Run a large, flat spatula underneath the tree on all sides, then lift parchment paper on one side and SLIDE the pull-apart Christmas tree onto the board
- Serve hot with a bowl of warm pizza sauce (in a bowl placed at the top of the tree).
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
