Notella Christmas Tree
The perfect Christmas dessert (or indulgent breakfast?), this looks beautiful and is so much fun to make. Store leftover chocolate hazelnut spread in sterilized jars. Or double-batch the spread as it will keep in the fridge for up to a month. Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves for extra festive flavor.
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From Bish Bash Bosh! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. Copyright © 2019 by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Ingredients
- 1 (10 oz) sheets ready-rolled plant-based puff pastry
- 1 1/2 tbsp dairy-free butter
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
For the chocolate hazelnut spread
- 7 oz blanched hazelnuts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 7 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk, plus a little more for brushing
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread the hazelnuts out on the sheet pan. Put the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a heatproof surface and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Put the cooled hazelnuts and salt in the blender and blend to a smooth, thick nut butter, scraping down the sides occasionally to make sure it’s all incorporated.
4. Melt the chocolate: Pour hot water into the saucepan until it’s about 1 1/4 inches deep and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Put the heatproof bowl on top of the pan, ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bottom. Break the dark chocolate into the bowl and leave it to melt. Remove and leave to cool a little. Alternatively, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15-second bursts.
5. Pour the melted chocolate, maple syrup, and milk into the blender with the hazelnut butter. Blend until you have a really smooth chocolate spread.
6. Roll out 1 sheet of the pastry on its paper over a baking sheet so that the short side is nearest you. Use a ruler to find the center of the top edge of the pastry, about 4 3/4 inches in from the corners. Cut the pastry into a tall, narrow triangle, slicing from the top diagonally to the bottom corners so that you’re left with the rough shape of a Christmas tree. Peel the excess pastry from the sheet and set it to one side. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry to make 2 tree triangles. Use the scraps of excess pastry to cut out some small festive shapes.
7. Spread a generous layer of the chocolate hazelnut spread over one of the triangles, leaving a 1/3-inch border all the way around. You will only need about half the chocolate mixture; store the rest in the fridge for spreading on toast. Brush all around the edge of the tree with milk. Pick up the second triangle of pastry and neatly lay it on top of the first tree. With your fingers, press together the edges of the pastry triangles to seal.
8. Now make the branches of your tree. Leaving a 3/4-inch margin in the middle of your tree, cut 8-10 horizontal slits along each side of the tree. Carefully lift one pastry branch and gently twist it to make a spiral. Repeat to twist all the branches.
9. Put the dairy-free butter in a dish in the microwave and blast for a few seconds to melt ( melt in a small pan over medium heat). Brush the melted butter all over the three and any festive shapes. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown (smaller shapes make take less time so keep an eye on them). Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the tree cool to room temperature before moving it.
10. Carefully transfer the tree to serving board, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 slice