Matcha Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

Matcha Puff Pastry Christmas Tree is an easy dessert to make for any Christmas party or gathering.  Puff pastry is delicious combined with the sweetness and nuttiness of the matcha powder mixture will be the perfect addition to your holiday get-together menu. EASY to make and the hardest part is waiting for the puff pastry to defrost. Let’s check out this easy recipe.

Why make this?

Eye pleasing appetizer. The Christmas tree shape looks great and is a perfect dessert to bring to a Christmas party or if you are the host. It’s beautiful and will be great with your Christmas menu.

Taste great. The matcha spread tastes sweet and light. It has a mellow grassy note and is naturally sweet.

Easy to make. Did you get invited to a party last minute? You can make this on the same day and the defrosting time is what takes time and patience. It’s easier to make than you think!

What is matcha?

Matcha is powdered green tea leaves. The leaves are dried and ground into a very fine powder. It possesses many health benefits such as helps reducing type 2 diabetes, fight cancer etc.

The green tea plant is grown in the shade for roughly 3-4 weeks and harvested. 

Matcha is most commonly used in East Asia and in particular Japan. Traditionally, ceremonial grade matcha is used at Japanese tea ceremonies.

Matcha has become a popular ingredient to be used in desserts and various types of hot and cold drinks such as teas, bubble tea and coffee.

What does matcha taste like?

Matcha taste varies depending on the grade of matcha. Ceremonial-grade matcha is light but has a complex flavour profile. It has mellow grassy notes and is naturally sweet nuttiness. It ends with a slight bitterness but also has hints of savoriness at the end. Commonly and very popular in Asian cuisine is umami flavor which adds a hint of depth and irresistible to the matcha. Always makes you want to go back for more. If you have more matcha check out my Matcha Rice Krispie Treat recipe to make more matcha recipes

What type of puff pastry to use?

Puff pastry can be found in the frozen section. They will come in 2 sheets and will vary in size/dimension. The ones that are sold in my local supermarket come in 10-inch X 10-Inch sheets. I use the same puff pastry in my Pate Chaud (Banh Pate So) recipe.

Ingredients and substitutions

Puff Pastry: I use store-bought puff pastry. It is easy to use and will guarantee a perfect puff pastry every time. I have not tried making my own puff pastry before.

Matcha powder: For this recipe, I used ceremonial-grade matcha powder to get a bright and vibrant green color. However, using culinary grade will work fine as well. Since this puff pastry doesn’t’ require bright green color like in my Matcha White Chocolate Cookie recipe to bring out a brilliant green color. I would suggest saving some money using culinary grade for this recipe.

Condensed milk: Add sweetness and help spread the matcha mixture evenly on the puff pastry. I use condensed milk. If you don’t have condensed milk you can also use honey to mix the matcha. This will change the color of the matcha mixture though.

Hot milk: Hot milk is used to help dissolve the matcha powder and blend well with the condensed milk. I use regular 2% milk but you can use milk alternatives like almond or oat milk.

Egg yolk: This is to add some color to the puff pastry. It is optional.

Icing Sugar: This is optional to dust on top after it’s done baking. 

How to make this recipe

Defrost puff pastry. Take out of the freezer 2 hours before you plan to start making the Christmas tree puff. Let it defrost on the counter.

Mix the matcha spread. Prepare the matcha mixture by combining hot milk with sifted matcha powder. Stir until it’s mixed well. Add the condensed milk to the matcha and stir until well combined. Set aside until the puff pastry is ready to use.

Prepare the puff pastry. Take the puff pastry and unroll. Use a rolling pin to roll out creases. The puff pastry sheets I get in stores come in squares (10-inch X 10-inch). It will very dependent on where you’re located. I have seen puff pastry sheets come in a rectangular shape. 

Cut puff pastry into a tree shape. There are two methods for cutting out the tree shape. I would suggest placing both sheets on top and cutting them. You can also cut them separately.

Option 1 – Wing it. 

• Step 1 Cut the slits for the tree trunk at the bottom. In the middle cut ½ inch slits on left and right. The trunk will be 1 inch in height.

• Step 2 To create the tree top place three marks. The first mark on the top of the puff pastry. The second and third will be on the left and right sides of the puff pastry 1 inch from the bottom.

• Step 3 Cut the diagonal lines from the top to the left and right. Cut the bottoms horizontally ensuring to keep the tree truck intact.

Option 2 – Use a template

• Step 1 Use parchment paper and cut out the exact same size as the puff pastry.

• Step 2 On the parchment paper cut the slits for the tree trunk at the bottom. In the middle cut ½ inch slits on the left and right. The trunk will be 1 inch in height.

• Step 3 To create the tree top place three marks. The first mark on the top of the puff pastry. The second and third will be on the left and right sides of the puff pastry 1 inch from the bottom.

• Step 4 Cut the diagonal lines from the top to the left and right. Cut the bottoms horizontally ensuring to keep the truck intact.

• Step 5 Place the parchment paper on top of the puff pastry and cut the puff pastry ensuring to cut along the outside of the parchment paper.

Spread the matcha spread. Place one sheet of the Christmas tree on your baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the matcha mixture. Place the second cut sheet of puff pastry on top.

Cut and twist the branches. On both sides cut horizontally from both sides but leave one inch in the centre uncut to keep the Christmas tree intact. DO NOT CUT all the way through. I cut the horizontal lines approximately 1 inch apart. Then start twisting. Press the edges of the twisted branches down at the ends.

Egg wash. Using a brush to cover the top of the puff pastry with egg wash to give it a nice golden color.

Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Bake for 15 minutes or until the entire Christmas tree puff is puffed up

Cool and top if icing sugar. Take the puff pastry out of the oven and let it cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and with the extra matcha mixture, I brush it lightly over the puff pastry and dust with some icing sugar.

How to store

Once baked this can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

How to serve

These go great with a cup of hot coffee Pumpkin Spiced Latte with Vietnamese Coffee or if  you prefer a caffeine-free drink try this with Pandan Milk.

Recipe FAQ

What if the puff pastry is too soft?

If the puff pastry is to soft chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. When it is too soft it is more difficult to work with. Especially since you will have the matcha mixture and make twist to create the branches of the tree. 

PRO Tips

Sift the matcha. Matcha powder clumps easily and sifting it prior to mixing it with the hot milk will ensure you get an even green color. 

Defrost the puff pastry. Make sure to defrost the puff pastry for 2 hours on the counter before using. This will ensure there are no cracks when working with the puff pastry. 

Assemble the Christmas Tree on the baking tray. It’s easier to do the cutting and twisting on the baking tray. I found it difficult to transfer to the banking tray as it softens up and all the matcha mixture gets messy during the transfer process.

If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

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