Christmas is fast approaching, and no matter how you’ll be spending the day – whether it’s a busy one or more relaxed – a delicious breakfast is a must.
And what screams Christmas more than stuffing your face with chocolate first thing in the morning?
That’s why I decided to test out a viral TikTok recipe that I had been planning to whip up on the big day.
The dish, which involves puff pastry filled with chocolate spread and twisted into a Christmas tree shape, seemed complicated at first glance – but it turned out to be incredibly straightforward to make.
This recipe has been circulating on social media every Christmas for years, but it was @darinaa.ol’s video that inspired me to hit the shops and gather all the necessary ingredients. As someone who doesn’t have a particularly sweet tooth, the festive season seems to be my one exception, so I was more than happy to give this simple yet scrumptious recipe a try.
It was such a success that I’ll definitely be making it again for my family on Christmas morning – and perhaps a few times for myself before then too.
All you need is two rolls of puff pastry, a sweet filling of your choice – I chose hazelnut chocolate spread – and one egg to brush over the top of the pastry. I also picked up some optional icing sugar for dusting over the top, all of which I got from Tesco, and the total – minus the egg which I already had – came to £6.75.
Then it was time to get cooking. After preheating the oven to 180C, I rolled out one sheet of the pastry on to a baking sheet, and smothered it in chocolate spread.
However much you think you need, add more – trust me on this.
Then, place the other roll of pastry on top and carefully transport the pastry sandwich onto a large chopping board.
This was the part I was dreading – cutting it into a Christmas tree shape. Desperately looking for inspiration on TikTok and discovering to my horror that some people had been using rulers and compasses, I decided I’d have to wing it.
But it was actually simple enough slicing the pastry into a triangle shape, with a short trunk at the bottom. Then, I cut up each side of the tree into strips and twisted them to make them look like branches.
Getting cocky, I then tried to cut some decorative stars out of the cut-offs I hadn’t used. As I didn’t have a cutter, these turned out quite misshapen, but I stuck them on anyway and gave the whole pastry a once-over with some egg wash to give it a golden sheen.
I placed the Christmas tree in the oven for around 20-25 minutes, checking it frequently to make sure it wasn’t burning.
I was pleasantly surprised when I took it out to find it had retained its shape, and actually looked delicious. After giving it a quick dust with some icing sugar, it was time for the taste test.
Each branch of the tree resembles a mini chocolate twist that you can just tear off, making this the ideal breakfast or treat for family gatherings. I did have to cut mine quite small to fit my baking tray, but I’d say this would feed around three people.
But it was very tasty and looked as impressive as it tasted, and is sure to delight your loved ones this Christmas.