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Look no further, the perfect Christmas appetizer is here! Crafted in the shape of a Christmas tree, these delicious pizza bites filled with tomato sauce and melting mozzarella, then brushed with a Parmesan and garlic butter mixture, are as fun to make as they are delicious to eat!
💙 Why you'll love it
- An easy appetizer the whole family will love - a perfectly well seasoned tomato sauce, melting mozzarella and a delicious mixture made of butter, garlic, freshly grated Parmesan cheese...trust me, EVERYONE will love it!
- For those on a tight budget, this recipe is just perfect as it calls for inexpensive, simple ingredients!
- Christmas Eve or regular pizza night? Even though it's perfect for the festive season, you can make it just as easily for a regular pizza night - instead of making a Christmas tree, make a round, a rectangle or any different shapes you like!
🎄Other festive recipes
🧀Ingredients
You can find a full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below. Here are a few ingredient notes to make this easy recipe.
- Pizza dough - I use a pre-rolled refrigerated pizza dough as it's easier and saves a lot of time but you can use a homemade pizza dough if you prefer.
- Parmesan cheese - I really recommend buying a block of cheese and grating it yourself at the last minute, it's so much better!!
- Egg - ideally pasture-raised organic. You can refer to the Eco Tips I've written on eggs to help you choose the right ones.
- Garlic - if you want to choose your garlic carefully so you do not encourage the slavery of Chinese prisoners, read my Eco Tips on the subject.
🌶Variations
Feel free to change this recipe to go with your tastes. I suggest several options:
- Replace tomato sauce with marinara sauce or Pesto.
- Gluten-free - use a gluten-free pizza dough.
- Vegan - use (or make?) a vegan pizza dough and replace mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese with plant-based cheeses.
- More veggies - thinly minced and grilled red bell peppers inside the pizza dough balls could be great!
- More proteins - add mini pepperoni.
- Spice it up - add red pepper flakes to the tomato sauce!
This recipe has not been tested using any other substitutions. If you do try substituting ingredients, it may not turn out as it's meant to. Please leave a comment below letting me know if it worked out!
🍴Utensil
Buy Now → If you're not sure which utensils or robots to buy for cooking, check out my guide to kitchen tools and utensils.
✨How to make this pull-apart Christmas tree?
Recipe details and quantities are in the recipe card below.
I shot this recipe during my Christmas Advent Calendar, that's why there are all those Christmas decorations in the process shots below.
- Preheat your oven to 430°F/220°C in natural convection/static heat mode top and bottom. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pre-rolled pizza dough on the parchment paper and cut into 29 equal rectangles.
- In a small bowl, mix the tomato sauce with tomato paste, Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence.
- On each rectangle, add one teaspoon of tomato sauce and one tablespoon of shredded mozzarella.
- Form balls with your hands and seal it properly.
- Place each ball on the parchment paper to form a Christmas tree. I've put 4 balls on the bottom line to form the trunk of the tree, then 6 balls on the line above, then 5, then 4, then 3, etc... - think of it as pyramid shape. Balls should be touching and you'll need 29 to form this beautiful Christmas tree shape.
- In a bowl, beat the egg yolk with a fork and brush it on each ball.
- In another small bowl, mix the melted butter, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, pressed garlic clove and oregano.
- Brush each ball with the mixture.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Chef's tips
- Add your favorite pizza toppings - such as shredded mozzarella cheese (if you add this, I recommend adding 4-5 additional minutes of baking), fresh basil, sliced olives or even red onion for a bit of crisp.
- Divide your pizza dough into (more or less) equal parts to make a pretty, even Christmas tree.
💡Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make them in advance?
I don't recommend making them in advance, as the tomato sauce can make the pizza dough soggy.
❄️ Storage and freezing
- Store - if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheat - place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven (175°C/350°F) for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are warmed through and the cheese is melted inside.
- Freezing - place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag, previously labelled with the date and the name of the recipe. If you need to store multiple layers of pizza bites, place a layer of parchment paper between them to prevent sticking.
- Defrosting - follow the recipe instructions baking. You may need an additional 10-12 minutes - the balls should be lightly browned at the end of baking.
📖 Recette
Pizza Christmas tree (pull-apart bites)
Look no further, the perfect Christmas appetizer is here! Crafted in the shape of a Christmas tree, these delicious pizza bites filled with tomato sauce and melting mozzarella, then brushed with a Parmesan and garlic butter mixture, are as fun to make as they are delicious to eat!
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ cups pre-rolled refrigerated pizza dough approx. 27.5 oz
- ⅞ cups tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 ⅞ cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon herbes de provence
- 1 egg
- fresh parsley
Garlic herb butter
- ⅓ cup semi-salted butter melted
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 1 tablespoon oregano
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 430°F/220°C in natural convection/static heat mode top and bottom. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pre-rolled pizza dough on the parchment paper and cut into 29 equal rectangles.
- In a small bowl, mix the tomato sauce with tomato paste, Italian seasoning and herbes de Provence.
- On each rectangle, add one teaspoon of tomato sauce and one tablespoon of mozzarella. Form balls with your hands and seal it properly.
- Place each ball on the parchment paper to form a Christmas tree. I've put 4 balls on the bottom line to form the trunk of the tree, then 6 balls on the line above, then 5, then 4, then 3, etc... - think of it as pyramid shape. Balls should be touching and you'll need 29 to form this beautiful Christmas tree shape.
- In a bowl, beat the egg yolk with a fork and brush it on each ball.
- In another small bowl, mix the melted butter, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, pressed garlic clove and oregano. Brush each ball with the mixture and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Store - if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
-
- Reheat - place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven (175°C/350°F) for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are warmed through and the cheese is melted inside.
-
- Freezing - place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag, previously labelled with the date and the name of the recipe. If you need to store multiple layers of pizza bites, place a layer of parchment paper between them to prevent sticking.
-
- Defrosting - follow the recipe instructions for baking. You may need an additional 10-12 minutes - the balls should be lightly browned at the end of baking.
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