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This Nutella Christmas Tree is the perfect treat for a festive breakfast or brunch. A gluten free puff pastry Christmas tree, stuffed with Nutella and SO easy to make. This is a fab recipe to make with kids, or to just throw together as an easy Christmas treat! Plus it’s gluten free, only needs 4 ingredients and is easy to make vegan!
Every Christmas, this easy Nutella Christmas Tree Recipe takes off on social media. So it was about time I published it on my website.
This super easy, 4-ingredient gluten free recipe is simple chocolate hazelnut spread sandwiched between two sheets of gluten free puff pastry.
You then cut it into a beautiful tree, add some festive flare and decoration, and bake into a gorgeous, golden Puff Pastry Christmas Tree everyone can enjoy.
Of course, you can use my homemade gluten free puff pastry recipe. But I have to be honest, I cheat and use the JusRol gluten free puff pastry for ease.
That way, if you want to use a vegan chocolate hazelnut spread, the whole recipe is not only gluten free, but dairy free and egg free too!
And if you want more gluten free Christmas recipes, check out some of my other treats like my Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies or easy Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies.
Ingredients
There’s a printable recipe card for this Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree. But for the shopping list you will need…
- Gluten Free Puff Pastry: I always use the JusRol gluten free puff pastry. You can find it in the chilled free from aisle of most UK supermarkets. This JusRol pastry is also vegan so perfect if you need a dairy or egg free tree too. You can also make two batches of my gluten free puff pastry recipe if you prefer homemade. If you don’t need gluten free, just use normal store-bought puff pastry sheets instead.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: Nutella is the classic choice, and yes, Nutella is gluten free. I also tried this with the Bonne Maman Chocolate Hazelnut Spread which was delicious! For a vegan gluten free puff pastry Christmas tree, ensure you use a vegan chocolate hazelnut spread from the free from aisle.
- Egg: This is for brushing the pastry to ensure it goes golden brown. For a vegan recipe use a dairy free milk for brushing the tree instead.
- Icing Sugar: Or confectioner’s sugar in the US, for dusting the finished tree.
How to make a Nutella Christmas Tree
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free puff pastry Christmas tree is to make:
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper then unroll one of the sheets of gluten free puff pastry onto the tray.
For best results, the JusRol puff pastry should be removed from the fridge 10 mins before unrolling, or it can crack.
Microwave the chocolate hazelnut spread in a bowl for 10-15 seconds until it’s runny enough to spread easily.
Pour onto the puff pastry sheet and spread out evenly right up to the edges, using a small spatula or back of a spoon.
Place the second pastry sheet squarely on top and gently press down. Not too hard – you don’t want chocolate to go everywhere!
Cut out your Christmas tree shape out, remembering to leave a small trunk at the bottom.
Then cut 1-inch wide ‘branches’ down each side leaving a centre line. Gently twist each branch a couple of times.
Brush the whole thing with beaten egg. Cut some stars from the offcuts, place them on the tree and then brush with egg too.
You can reserve any offcuts and bake them on a separate tray. After all, gluten free puff pastry is too expensive to waste and it’ll taste just as good!
Place your baking tray in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, and while doing so preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve warm.
I like to place my tree onto a clean bit of baking paper before serving as sometimes some of the chocolate spread can leak out, and this looks cleaner!
Storing and Freezing
This Nutella Christmas tree is great for making ahead of time, simply because the more chilled it can be before baking, the better.
If you want to make this ahead of time, for Christmas breakfast say, then simply construct the tree the day before then place in the fridge.
Then once your oven is all heated up to bake, brush the tree with eggwash and bake it for a delicious breakfast treat!
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a day or two, but I would recommend heating them in the oven before eating.
You can also freeze this Nutella tree both before and after baking. To freeze before, just bake from frozen for a little extra time.
To freeze after baking, defrost at room temperature and refresh in the oven before eating.
Variations
Want to try something different with the concept of the Nutella Christmas Tree recipe? Here are some ideas for other Puff Pastry Christmas Tree recipes:
- White Chocolate Spread: Swap the Nutella for a white chocolate spread for a different take on this Puff Pastry Christmas Tree.
- Savoury Tree: For a savoury puff pastry Christmas tree recipe, try using pesto instead of chocolate spread. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese before adding the second puff pastry sheet, and top with finely grated parmesan instead of icing sugar.
- Extra Nuts: Add a handful of chopped hazelnuts to the chocolate spread layer before adding the second sheet of puff pastry for a tasty crunch.
- Mincemeat Christmas Tree: To get extra festive, use a jar of mincemeat between the pastry sheets instead of chocolate spread. Like a giant Christmas tree mince pie!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this easy Nutella Christmas pastry tree recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
The JusRol gluten free puff pastry in the UK is actually already vegan, which makes this a super easy recipe to make dairy and egg free. Simply look for a dairy free / vegan chocolate hazelnut spread in the free from aisle for a vegan tree.
Yes you can! I buy the JusRol gluten free puff pastry sheets which are also dairy free and vegan. You can find them in the chilled free from aisle of most UK supermarkets including Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. I also have a gluten free puff pastry recipe if you want to make your own from scratch.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Nutella Christmas Tree
Ingredients
- 2 sheets gluten free puff pastry, (I use JusRol)
- 100 g chocolate hazelnut spread
- 1 egg, (beaten)
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Line a large baking tray with baking paper then unroll one of the sheets of gluten free puff pastry onto the tray. (For best results, the JusRol puff pastry should be removed from the fridge 10 mins before unrolling, or it can crack)
- Microwave the chocolate hazelnut spread in a bowl for 10-15 seconds until it’s runny enough to spread easily. Pour onto the puff pastry sheet and spread out evenly right up to the edges, using a small spatula or back of a spoon.
- Place the second pastry sheet squarely on top and gently press down. Cut out your Christmas tree shape out, remembering to leave a small trunk at the bottom, and then cut 1-inch wide ‘branches’ down each side leaving a centre line. There are some photos in the post above to illustrate this!
- Gently twist each branch a couple of times, then brush the whole thing with beaten egg. Cut some stars from the offcuts, place them on the tree centre then brush with egg too.
- Place your baking tray in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, and while doing so preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve warm.
Notes
- Keep the offcuts! Simply pop them on a separate baking sheet, brush with the beaten egg and bake for the same amount of time as the tree. You can eat them separately – they taste just as good and gluten free pastry is too expensive to waste!
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this gluten free Nutella Tree should look at each stage.
- Storing, Making Ahead and Freezing: Check out the post above this recipe card for more information on making ahead, storing and freezing this Nutella Christmas Tree.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Gluten Free Nutella Christmas Tree!
Nutrition
More gluten free Christmas bakes
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