Crescent Roll Christmas Tree
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This crescent roll Christmas tree is the perfect Christmas appetizer for holiday parties. Four simple ingredients combine to create this savory pull-apart cheese bread in the shape of a Christmas tree!
For more Christmas appetizer ideas consider a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board or Spinach Dip Bites.
Cheese bread is a classic appetizer for a reason. The combination of creamy cheese and buttery, flakey bread is a match made in heaven. This easy Christmas tree crescent roll recipe takes this flavor combination to the next level by turning it into a festive, Christmas-tree-shaped pull-apart bread.
The best part is, the cute Christmas party appetizer is easy to make with only 4 ingredients in just 35 minutes. I like to keep the ingredients on hand so that I can make Christmas tree pull-apart bread as a last-minute appetizer throughout the holiday season.
Trust me, this fan-favorite Christmas tree appetizer is sure to be a showstopper at your next holiday party.
Ingredients
This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Crescent Rolls — Two 8-count cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls.
- Boursin Garlic & Herb — An herby, creamy cheese perfect for spreading on your crescent dough.
- Butter — Used to give the surface of your pull-apart Christmas tree a golden glisten. Salted or unsalted will work fine for this recipe.
- Parsley — Adds a pop of color to your finished crescent roll tree.
How to Make a Pull-Apart Crescent Christmas Tree
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Open the can of crescent rolls and roll out the dough on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice it into 16 small triangles.
Step 2: Spread a bit of Boursin cheese onto the wide half of each dough triangle.
Step 3: Starting at the shortest side of each triangle, roll each dough triangle into a crescent shape. Place crescents onto a lined baking sheet in a tree-shaped pattern (see image below for layout). Repeat with the second can of crescent dough to finish the tree shape.
Step 4: Bake as directed in the recipe card below.
Step 5: While your rolls are cooling, brush them with some melted butter and garnish with a sprinkling of parsley.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Storage
Stove leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Warm up in the microwave for a quick snack.
Recipe Variations
Love this easy holiday recipe so much you want to try some other spins on it? There are all sorts of other delicious fillings that you can stuff inside your Christmas tree crescent roll. Below are a few of my favorite recipe variations.
- Create a pizza crescent Christmas tree by stuffing your dough with chopped pepperoni, mozzarella, and marinara sauce. Glaze the finished tree with a mixture of butter, garlic, oregano, parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes.
- The Buffalo chicken crescent Christmas tree is a smoky and spicy version of this appetizer! Whip up a filling by mixing together some shredded chicken, your favorite buffalo sauce, and some white cheddar cheese. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.
- Fill the crescents with spinach dip for a Christmas version of spinach artichoke crescent rolls.
- Take this dish from appetizer to dessert (or Christmas morning breakfast) by making a maple pecan crescent Christmas tree. Fill the crescent dough with some candied pecans and sweetened cream cheese and drizzle the top with maple syrup!
- For those of you who enjoy classic Christmas flavors, try making a peppermint chocolate crescent tree treat. Stuff your crescent rolls with mini chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. Don’t forget to garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- When making this Christmas tree appetizer, I recommend only opening and working with one can of crescent dough at a time. The dough will get sticky and hard to work with if it sits out and gets warm.
- Be careful not to overfill your crescent rolls. One round of Boursin should be enough to fill 16 triangles of dough. If you add too much of the cheese, it will ooze out in the oven while baking.
- To transfer the pull-apart tree, first move the sheet of parchment paper with the tree on it onto your serving platter. Then, run a flat spatula underneath the tree to “unstick” it from the paper. Once the paper has been removed all the way around you can carefully slide the tree off the paper onto the platter.
FAQ: Pull-Apart Cresent Christmas Tree
Absolutely! Any kind of canned or premade dough will be easiest to work with, but you can also use your favorite homemade dough if you’d like. Biscuit dough, pizza dough, puff pastry, and dinner roll dough are all great options to experiment with.
The recipe can be easily halved to make a smaller tree. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that there are at least two pull-apart croissants for each person at your gathering.
You can use softened garlic and chive cream cheese or try making your own spreadable cheese by combining cream cheese with a bit of garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Go ahead and add some dried basil and or dill weed if you have any as well. If not, no worries.
More Christmas Party Appetizer Ideas
- Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls
- Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Crockpot Little Smokies
- Cheddar Cheese Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
- Easy Holiday Triscuit Appetizer
Crescent Roll Christmas Tree
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce cans of crescent rolls
- 2 5.5 ounce packages of Boursin garlic and herbs spreadable cheese
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside.
- Open one can of crescent rolls and roll them out onto a cutting board. Separate into 8 triangles, and then use a pizza cutter to cut each triangle in half lengthwise to create 2 thin triangles.
- Divide 1 package of the Boursin cheese evenly between the 16 crescent halves, spreading it out just a bit on the wider end of the crescent roll. Roll up the crescent rolls, starting from the wide end.
- Place the crescent rolls onto the parchment paper in the shape of a tree. You’ll use 4 crescents for the tree truck: 2 rows with 2 crescents each placed in the bottom center of the baking sheet. Then, start building the tree. The bottom row will have 7 crescents, the next row up has 6, then 5, etc… Just try and keep the rows centered as you work your way up to the top of the tree.
- Repeat this process with the 2nd can of crescent rolls and the 2nd package of Boursin, adding the crescents to form the rest of the Christmas tree shape.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crescents are golden brown.
- Melt butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Brush the tops of the crescents with melted butter, and sprinkle parsley over top.
- Serve immediately, these are best enjoyed warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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If unable to find Boursin, you could use flavored cream cheese, softened.
Thank you for the tip!