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    Home » Holiday Treats and Recipes » Christmas

    Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Tree Appetizers

    Modified: Oct 24, '23 · Published: Dec 17, '12 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Add a touch of whimsy to your holiday meal by serving Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees instead of dinner rolls. They are fun and easy to make.

    Add a touch of whimsy to your holiday meal by serving Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees instead of dinner rolls. They are fun and easy to make.

    Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees 

    My most popular project here on Hungry Happenings is my Crescent Roll Carrots and I've been thinking a lot about variations of this idea and am finally sharing one today. There are a lot of you who have purchased the cream horn forms to make those carrots, and I thought you'd like another recipe that will put them to use.

    I tried to come up with a way of creating a green Christmas tree out of Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheets and didn't want to just use food coloring. I wanted to create a tree that would taste great all on it's own, but could be filled too. There were a few failed attempts, but I finally landed on something I think tastes great and looks festive and fun for a Christmas party.

    Each of the trees pictured above is coated with green pesto and sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese to make them look snow covered. I think the Christmas Tree Appetizers look good just as they are, but it would also be fun to decorate them, if you want to take that kind of time.

    For the tree pictured at left, I cut some roasted red peppers into small circles and attached them to one of my trees. I also added a small star to the top, which fell off once baked. This tree was covered in dill, which I thought looked great, but ultimately tasted like you were eating grass on a crescent roll, so I don't suggest it, but I do love the addition of the red Christmas ornaments.

    Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees (makes 12-15)

    You'll need:

    flour to dust cutting board
    |Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheets or puff pastry
    about a cup of pesto (store bought or homemade - see recipe below)
    2-3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

    Supplies:

    cutting board
    pizza wheel or knife
    metal cream horn forms
    baking sheet lined with parchment paper or non-stick tin foil
    tongs

    Instructions:

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Wrap crescent dough around cream horn forms to make Crescent Roll Christmas Trees.

    Dust cutting board liberally with flour. Unroll Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet onto cutting board. Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut the dough into ⅜ inch wide strips. Wrap one strip around each of your cream horn forms in a spiral.

    Brush crescent roll dough with green pesto to make Christmas Tree Rolls.

    Set your crescent dough covered cream horn forms on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Liberally brush green pesto all over your crescent roll trees.

    Brush crescent roll dough with green pesto to make Christmas Tree Rolls.

    Place in a preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes until the trees get golden brown.

    Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of the Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees

    Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 30 seconds, just to make sure the cheese melts enough to stick to the trees.

    Bake Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees on cream horn forms.

    While your crescent roll Christmas trees are still hot, remove them from the cream horn forms. Hold the open end of the cream horn mold with tongs. Gently tug on the widest end of the crescent roll tree and slowly pull it off the cream horn mold.

    Bake Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees on cream horn forms.

    Serve your Green Pesto Christmas Tree Appetizers warm or cold. You can bake them ahead of your party and re-heat them before serving. They taste great all on their own, but if you prefer, you can fill them with something savory, like I did with the crescent roll carrots. I used ham and egg salad for the carrots, but chicken salad or a cheese spread would taste great in these pesto trees.

    Add a touch of whimsy to your holiday meal by serving Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees instead of dinner rolls. They are fun and easy to make.

    If you'd like your trees to stand up, you will need to trim the bottoms to level them out. Just cut off any bumps using kitchen shears (scissors.) If any of the trees come apart when you pull them off the cream horn forms, just serve the now spiral tree alongside the whole trees, like I did!

    Green Basil Pesto Recipe:

    ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts (see how to toast nuts here)
    4-5 cloves roasted garlic (see directions here) or use 2-3 raw garlic cloves for a sharper flavor
    2 ¼ cups packed basil leaves
    7 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese or good quality Parmesan

    Place the pine nuts, roasted garlic, and basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until the leaves and nuts are chopped. With the food processor running, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Then add the cheese and pulse just to combine.

    NOTE: For really bright green pesto - before you begin the pesto recipe, bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the basil leaves. Stir for 20-30 seconds. Then immediately remove the basil and place in an ice water bath to cool. Spin dry in a salad spinner then proceed with the recipe above.

    Add a touch of whimsy to your holiday meal by serving Green Pesto Crescent Roll Christmas Trees instead of dinner rolls. They are fun and easy to make.

    Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!

    Find over 100 wonderful Christmas Recipes to make cute desserts, festive party food, and homemade gifts at HungryHappenings.com. See step-by-step and video tutorials so you can easily recreate all the fun food crafts, sweet treats, and savory appetizers at home.

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
    Latest posts by Beth Klosterboer (see all)
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    1. Amy says

      December 18, 2012 at 6:29 am

      Liked Hungry Happenings on Facebook

      amy [at] utry [dot] it

      Reply
    2. Amy says

      December 18, 2012 at 6:29 am

      What a creative treat! I have those cream horn molds. I'm gonna give this a try. 🙂 Love this Olive Oil giveaway.

      amy [at] utry [dot] it

      Reply
    3. Tia says

      December 18, 2012 at 4:30 am

      I just have to try this olive oil. It sounds delicious!

      Reply
    4. Lou says

      December 18, 2012 at 1:31 am

      The olive oil sounds great!

      Reply
    5. Meryl says

      December 18, 2012 at 1:29 am

      Thanks for the giveaway!

      Reply
    6. mlaiuppa says

      December 17, 2012 at 11:49 pm

      I'm up for anything pesto and those are darling. But I'll skip the Pillsbury crescent rolls and go directly to the puff pastry. I've been wanting an excuse to buy cream horn molds. I already have cannoli tubes.

      Reply
    7. KCorb says

      December 17, 2012 at 11:24 pm

      The Olive Oil sounds delicous. The box sounds brilliant!
      I will look to see if they sell it at Dorothy Lane Market.

      Reply
    8. Chrissy says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:54 pm

      I follow on Pinterest.

      Reply
    9. Chrissy says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:53 pm

      I follow on Twitter (@kawaiidragon88).

      Reply
    10. Chrissy says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:53 pm

      I like you on Facebook (Christina Chang).

      Reply
    11. Chrissy says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:52 pm

      Wow, I've never seen boxed olive oil before. Thanks for the giveaway!

      Reply
    12. Anonymous says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:40 pm

      I follow you on Facebook.
      garynonnemacher@comcast.net

      Reply
    13. Anonymous says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:39 pm

      I'd love to win!
      garynonnemacher@cocmast.net

      Reply
    14. Catie says

      December 17, 2012 at 7:27 pm

      I follow you on Twitter (@something_else)

      Reply
    15. Catie says

      December 17, 2012 at 7:27 pm

      I like you on Facebook.

      Reply
    16. Catie says

      December 17, 2012 at 7:27 pm

      I've never made my own pesto before - you have inspired me!

      Reply
    17. Victoria W says

      December 17, 2012 at 6:31 pm

      I'm following on Pinterest.
      elkcrvic@windstream.net

      Reply
    18. Victoria W says

      December 17, 2012 at 6:31 pm

      I'm following on Twitter..
      elkcrvic@windstream.net

      Reply
    19. Victoria W says

      December 17, 2012 at 6:30 pm

      Going to give these a try. They are so cute!
      elkcrvic@windstream.net

      Reply
    20. sandy says

      December 17, 2012 at 6:11 pm

      i also follow on pinterest

      Reply
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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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