Christmas Tree Appetizer

5 from 4 votes

This Christmas Tree Appetizer is a festivepull-apart bread filled with gooey cheese and pepperoni—easy to make, fun toeat, and perfect for holiday parties.

Prep Time5

Cook Time7

Total Time12

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 348kcal

Author: Lisa Killian

Ingredients

6 mozzarella sticks each cut into 5 pieces
30 pepperoni slices
flour for dusting
13.8 oz refrigerated pizza crust 1 can
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1.5 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
¼ cup Parmesan finely grated
½ tablespoon parsley finely chopped
½ tablespoon basil finely chopped
¼ teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
Yellow Bell Pepper Cut into a star
Small Cherry Tomatoes*
1 cup Marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the mozzarella sticks into 5 pieces each, for a total of 30.
6 mozzarella sticks
Lightly flour a clean surface. Roll pizza dough into a large rectangle approximately 10x12 inches. Cut into 30 2-inch x 2-inch squares.
13.8 oz refrigerated pizza crust, flour
Wrap each square around a piece of mozzarella and a slice of pepperoni to form a ball.
30 pepperoni slices, 6 mozzarella sticks
Arrange the balls, seam side down and touching, to form a Christmas tree. Form a triangle with 7 balls at the bottom, followed 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 at the top. Place two balls at the base as the trunk.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the top of the dough balls with the egg wash. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and minced garlic.
1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Bake for 7-10 minutes. Trees is done when golden brown.
Once it’s done baking, melt butter in a small bowl and whisk with chopped parsley, chopped basil, and red pepper flakes. Brush butter mixture over the tree. Sprinkle with parmesan and decorate with cherry tomatoes. Serve with marinara sauce.
1.5 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ cup Parmesan, ½ tablespoon parsley, ½ tablespoon basil, ¼ teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes, Yellow Bell Pepper Cut into a star, Small Cherry Tomatoes*, 1 cup Marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping

Notes

Tips and Tricks

Cheese: You can also add Parmesan before baking if you want it to melt and crisp.
Baking: Depending on your oven, you may need to bake this longer. Check that the dough is cooked through and golden.
Tomatoes: I used a variety of tomatoes called teaspoon cherry tomatoes, which grow like crazy in my garden (yes, even into December!). Regular cherry tomatoes will be slightly larger, so I recommend cutting them into smaller pieces to decorate.

Nutrition