Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

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A photo of someone dipping a piece of Nutella dulce de leche puff pastry in melted Nutella.

This Nutella and Dulce de Leche Puff Pastry Christmas Tree looks impressive, but it’s actually one of the easiest Christmas desserts you’ll ever make! Layers of rich Nutella and creamy dulce de leche sandwiched between flaky puff pastry! It tastes like pure holiday heaven.

A few years ago, puff pastry Christmas tree recipes started popping up everywhere, but I hadn’t seen one featuring Nutella and dulce de leche, so of course, I had to create my own!

Every Christmas Eve, my mom made homemade donuts. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan; they’re not quite sweet enough, yet somehow too rich at the same time. Don’t worry, she doesn’t love them either. Go figure.

Last Christmas, I wanted something that captured the nostalgia of those donuts without actually being one because deep frying is messy, smelly, and a bit of a hassle. That is how this adorable puff pastry Christmas tree was born!

Ingredients for This Recipe

This festive puff pastry tree comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients, and the result is the yummiest pull-apart Christmas Tree dessert. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2 Sheets Puff Pastry, partially frozen: The base of the tree.
  • Nutella: For rich chocolate flavor.
  • Dulce de Leche: Adds creamy caramel sweetness.
  • Egg Yolk: Used as an egg wash to brush on the pastry for a glossy, golden finish.
  • Water: To mix with the egg yolk.
  • Unsalted Butter: Optional, brushed for extra richness.
  • Cinnamon Sugar: For sprinkling on top.

That’s it! Just a few ingredients for a dessert that looks impressive and tastes incredible. Now let’s get baking!

Other Fun Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Fillings To Try

This puff pastry tree is a versatile base for all kinds of delicious fillings! While we love the classic Nutella and Dulce de Leche version, you can easily swap in apricot jamstrawberry jamraspberry jamfig jam, or even chocolate sauce! Feeling savory? Try ham and cheesepesto with chicken, or chicken and Parmesan for a flavor-packed alternative.

How to Make This Puff Pastry Christmas Tree?

These Christmas Trees look fancy but are surprisingly easy to make! Flaky puff pastry layered with rich Nutella and creamy dulce de leche makes a festive, show-stopping dessert everyone will love.

  1. Prepare: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat. (Parchment paper also works, but be warned: melted dulce de leche tends to stick more to parchment than to Silpat.)
  2. Cut: Unfold the puff pastry sheets and stack them on top of each other. Using a sh

Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

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Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

This easy baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip is the perfect holiday appetizer this season. Only a few simple ingredients (cheese, cream cheese, leftover cranberry sauce, cranberries and spices) to this savory hot dip. Ever wondered what to make with leftover cranberry sauce? This is the answer!

This cheese dip is one of my favorite holiday dip recipes! I love that it looks as festive as it tastes and the kids love that it’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty!

The holiday season is here and that means a lot of parties, get-togethers and food. From the family Thanksgiving dinner to the “favorite things party” with girlfriends, our calendar is packed. When I need to bring a dish to share, quick and easy recipes are the way to go… like this Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip.

We Love Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip!

Our family has a list of recipes that are a tradition every year. It’s not the holidays without our best cheeseball, soft and chewy gingerbread men cookies, peanut butter balls, and the best Christmas cookies ever! So why do we love this savory cranberry dip?

  • Easy to make: There are only a few simple ingredients so no running to a million different stores to get what you need.
  • Sweet and Cheesy: The tangy flavor of the cranberries are balanced with the savory cheeses and then you get that hint of sweet from the cranberry sauce.
  • Everyone Asks For the Recipe: I love that this is the dip we often get asked for the recipe, guests just love it!
  • Uses Up Leftovers: I don’t know about you, but I’m often googling “what to make with leftover cranberry sauce” This festive recipe solves that problem!
  • Make Ahead: This dip is easy to make ahead of time, so you can spend more time with your guests. See more below.

Carrian’s Secret Sandwich!

Not only is this an amazing dip, it’s also to-die-for as a spread for sandwiches or grilled up into a grilled cheese sandwich with ham or turkey. Try it and share on instagram by tagging @ohsweetbasil and #ohsweetbasil.

Ingredients for our Holiday Dip Recipe

  • Extra-Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, grated
  • Mozzarella Cheese, grated
  • Cream cheese

My Absolute FAVORITE All Butter Pie Crust Recipe

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A prepared pie crust with fluted edges in a pie pan.

I’m a self-proclaimed pie fanatic and this easy, All Butter Pie Crust is my absolute favorite pie crust recipe! It’s super flaky, easy to make, and comes together quickly!

I’m here to teach you how to make a homemade pie crust that will be so easy, so delicious, and so flaky without any stress! Making a pie crust from scratch is one of the most intimidating recipes that a home baker will encounter. Yeast bread is almost equal, and I cannot only teach you how to make both, but I can make you an expert!

Your pie crust texture is 100% dependent on the fat that you choose to use. I’ve experimented with it all, and I’ve got a suggestion for you.

If you’re a beginner and you’ve already struggled with making a homemade pie crust recipe, let’s take a step back and make my mom’s fail-proof pie crust recipe. It is so easy and the addition of egg and vinegar along with using cold shortening makes for a really easy pie crust recipe.

However, if you’re really looking for the best pie crust recipe that’s not difficult and really brings flavor and texture, well that’s an all butter pie crust.

Ingredients in an All Butter Pie Crust

Making a flaky pie crust is one of the most basic recipes with perfectly basic ingredients:

  • Flour: Forms the structure of the crust — it provides the gluten network that holds everything together while still allowing for a tender, flaky texture.
  • Salt: Enhances flavor and balances the richness of the butter.
  • Butter: The star of the crust! Cold butter creates steam pockets as it melts during baking, giving you that tender, flaky texture and rich buttery flavor.
  • Ice Water: Brings the dough together without activating too much gluten. The cold temperature keeps the butter from melting before baking, which helps maintain flakiness.
  • Sugar: I’ve found it does not sweeten the crust but does create a flakier, more golden crust.

**Keep reading to find out why I made this an all butter pie crust recipe! 

How to Pick the Best Source of Fat for Your Pie Crust

There are a few different fats that you can use for a pie crust. I’ve used lard a few times, but honestly I don’t find it to be worth it. Here’s a breakdown of each fat and why I’ve settled on butter.

Using Lard in Pie Crust

  • Pros: Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust. Its melting point is higher than butter, so it doesn’t soften as quickly while you handle it so you can really bust out a good crust.
  • Cons: I don’t like lard because it’s too darn hard to find a good quality lard. And your pie can 100% taste like whatever lard you use. No thanks.

Using Shortening in Pie Crust

I have absolutely nothing against shortening. It’s cheaper to

Peanut Butter Blossom Bars

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a baking pan of baked peanut butter blossom bars each topped with a melty hersheys kiss

My peanut butter blossoms are everyone’s classic holiday cookie in bar form! Our kids love that they’re both fun and easy to make! These chewy peanut butter cookie bars are studded with Hershey kisses which make everyone so happy.

My favorite part is that they are easier than cookies; no rolling needed, just slice into bars and serve! Bonus, this recipe includes a how-to video!

Our son was begging for us to make “those Hershey kiss cookies” but I had been running around all day and though it may sound silly, the thought of rolling out every single cookie sounded exhausting; so I made them all in a pan and they turned out adorably delicious!!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Bars

  • Peanut Butter: that classic nutty flavor and creamy richness we all love.
  • Unsalted Butter: keeps the bars soft and melt-in-your-mouth.
  • Sugar and Brown Sugar: sweetness plus a little caramel depth for chewiness.
  • Vanilla: ties all the flavors together.
  • Egg and Egg Yolk: hold everything together while adding tenderness.
  • Flour: gives the bars structure so they bake up just right.
  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder: the lift that keeps them light instead of dense.
  • Cornstarch: the secret to that soft, chewy bite.
  • Salt: just enough to balance the sweetness.
  • Hershey’s Kisses: the signature chocolate topper that makes them taste (and look!) like the classic blossom cookies we all grew up with.

How to Make Peanut Butter Blossom Bars

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven and grease a 9×13 baking dish then line with parchment paper and grease it again.
  2. Wet Ingredients: Beat together all the wet ingredients in a stand mixer.
  3. Dry Ingredients: Mix together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
  4. Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
  5. Bake: Press the dough into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20-22 minutes.
  6. Kisses: Unwrap the Hershey’s Kisses and as soon as the bars are done baking, pull them out and top with the kisses.
  7. Cool: Let the peanut butter bars cool completely and then cut into bars so that a Hershey Kiss is in the center of each bar.

Fun Variation

If you want to try another fun twist, use mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups instead of the Hershey’s Kisses. You double down on the peanut butter while still getting the chocolate! My family loves both!

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Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting

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a photo of a chocolate cupcake topped with a piped stack of whipped cream cream cheese frosting

Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting is a dreamy blend of rich, tangy cream cheese and light, fluffy whipped cream. Silky and smooth with just the right hint of sweetness, it’s the perfect topping for cakes, cupcakes, and fruit.

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting

You only need 5 ingredients to make this easy whip cream frosting with cream cheese. Here is what you’ll need:

  • Heavy Whipping Cream
  • Cream Cheese
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Salt
  • Vanilla Extract

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Whip Cream Cream Cheese Frosting

Want the creamiest, fluffiest frosting ever? Whip up whipped cream, beat cream cheese until smooth and add a little powdered sugar to sweeten things up. This Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting is the lightest, and most delicious frosting ever! Here are the steps in a little more details:

  1. Beat: Add the whipping cream to a mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
  2. Combine: In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla and mix until well combined and smooth.
  3. Fold: Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold in until well combined.

The recipe card at the end of the post contains all the information you need to make this recipe. The photos below show each step of the recipe.

Can This Frosting Be Colored?

Yes absolutely! We prefer to use food coloring gel for the best color. Adding food dye to the frosting makes it perfect for any festive occasion…holidays, baby showers, Superbowl parties, graduations, etc.

How to Use This Frosting

Whip cream and cream cheese frosting goes great on op of cupcakes and cakes of course. It also make a delicious dip for fruit. There’s no reason to stop there either! Use it on cheesecake or pie too! It’s so creamy with a slight tanginess, perfect for just about any dessert!

Storage Tips

Unused frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days. When you are ready to use it again, you’ll want to let it sit at room temperature for few minutes so it will become spreadable again.

This quick and easy recipe for whip cream and cream cheese frosting is the perfect addition to your favorite cakes and cupcakes. With just a

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