This delicious ham and cheese Christmas tree appetizer is an easy to make, tasty appetizer that’s not only festive but also super flavorful! Make these for a Christmas lunch, a Christmas party, or along with some cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning breakfast!
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Ham and Cheese Christmas Trees
Over the years I’ve shared tons of Christmas treats. Everything from reindeer chow to cranberry orange bread. I haven’t shared nearly as many savory Christmas appetizers because well I have a sweet tooth!
But you can’t have a Christmas party without some good Christmas snacks, and these ham and cheese Christmas trees are just that! Make them for breakfast, lunch, or a Christmas appetizer – they’re festive and fun for any time of day or occasion!
And they only take minutes and a few ingredients to make, which is huge during the busy holiday season – making them the perfect option next time you need a Christmas snack! Serve them with Christmas punch for the ultimate holiday meal!
Why you’ll love These Ham and Cheese Trees
- Festive – make the holidays even more magical with these tree appetizers.
- Quick – these trees can be assembled in minutes!
- Versatile – great choice whether you are looking to bring an app for a holiday party or a holiday family dinner idea.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Puff pastry sheets – you can always make your own, but you will need two sheets. Don’t forget to unthaw them if you’re using frozen so they are easier to work with.
- Ham slices – any type of ham deli meat works – brown sugar, honey baked. etc.
- Cheese slices – choose your favorite cheese, anything that goes with ham works! If you’re making these for kids, I always recommend something mild like cheddar.
- Cheddar cheese block – I like cheddar for a yellow star but you can do any cheese you want as long as it’s yellow orange colored.
- Parsley – fresh works best, but 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley will work too if you are in a pinch. I also did it with dried oregano and it was just as tasty!
- Garlic salt – make sure you’re using garlic salt and not just garlic powder or garlic granules. You want the salt in this!
Additional Tools
You’ll also need some sort of skewers to put the trees on (and use to shape them). I used these wooden skewers and they were great.
And lastly, you’ll also want a mini star cookie cutter to cut the stars for the tops of the trees! Something like the one in this set.
How to make these christmas tree appetizers
As I said earlier, these are a breeze to make. Read the instructions to ensure you know what you’re doing. Once you do that, you’ll be able to enjoy these holiday snacks in no time.
1 – Layer The Trees
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees so it’s preheated as soon as your Christmas trees are done. You can also line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper if you want to avoid the mess on the baking sheets!
Now, take one sheet of thawed puff pastry and lay it on your baking sheet, either right on the sheet or on top of the parchment paper.
On top arrange the sliced ham so that it covers the entire sheet. There’s no need to cut them up, just add the full slices. You’ll be cutting them up later!
I like to leave a little space between the ham and the edges of the puff pastry to make sealing the trees a little easier, but it’s not really going to matter that much (not like with these Christmas tree hand pies).
Add your cheese slices right on top of the ham slices. You’ll likely need to cut the cheese into smaller pieces to get the right fit – try and cover the entire thing with cheese!
Also – when you’re slicing your cheese or having it sliced at the deli, I recommend thinner slices (compared to thicker ones) so it’ll complement the thin ham slices.
Once the cheese is added, finish off the sandwich layers by adding the second piece of puff pastry right on top of the cheese, lining it up with the bottom layer of puff pastry the best you can!
2 – Assemble The Trees
With your pastry layered, cut eight equal strips using a pizza cutter. Cut the sheet width-wise so your trees don’t end up long and skinny.
Take one strip and fold it into the shape of a tree. To do this, turn your strip so you can see the ham and cheese inside. At roughly a fourth of the length of the strip, fold it on top of itself.
Continue to fold the pastry strip on top of itself, making sure to get shorter with each level until you have the shape of a tree.
Take your skewer and gently push through each layer of the tree, leaving at least an inch of skewer at the top for the star cutout later.
Repeat this with all of your strips so you have eight little ham and cheese Christmas tree appetizers!
3 – Bake The ham and cheese trees
Place the assembled trees onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and put them in the oven. These will flatten and expand when they cook, so don’t crowd the tray.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
While the trees are baking, melt the butter. Combine garlic salt and parsley with the butter in a small bowl and set aside.
Once the trees are golden brown, remove the trees from the oven and immediately brush lightly with the garlic butter mixture. I like to use a silicone pastry brush to do this but you could just pour a little on each tree as well too!
4 – Add the Stars and Enjoy
Take the block of cheese and cut out small star shapes using a cookie cutter.
Once the trees are cool enough to handle, gently glide the star onto the top of the skewer. Make sure they’re not still super hot or your tree stars will just melt (and be too hot to touch).
Your ham and cheese Christmas trees are ready to eat! These are best served warm or at room temperature. You could serve them with some sort of dipping sauce (the one we serve with these cheesy pigs in a blanket would be ideal) or just eat them on their own!
Expert Tips & Storage Information
Soak skewers ahead of time to get rid of splinters. Make sure to use room temperature water and allow them to sit in the water for roughly thirty minutes before using.
Assemble the trees ahead of time and then place them in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to bake.
Serve with a variety of dipping sauces like this pesto or ranch.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes! Simply assemble the trees, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to bake.
Can I add a sauce to the trees?
Adding a sauce will cause the trees to leak more. I recommend serving them with a sauce on the side to dip into instead.
What’s the best way to reheat these?
When you are ready to eat the leftovers, simply place them back in a cold oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Let the trees come to temperature with the oven and they’ll be just like when you first made them! You can also pop them in the microwave but they won’t be as crisp that way.
More Easy Christmas Appetizers
Want some more Christmas appetizers to serve with these Christmas trees? Try one of these!
- Christmas tree cheese board – use any leftover cheese you might have in this fun Christmas charcuterie board made with meat and cheese!
- Caprese salad skewers – have leftover skewers? Make these red and green caprese salad appetizers!
- Bacon wrapped stuffed dates – these cheese stuffed dates make the perfect cocktail party appetizer!
- Crockpot meatballs with grape jelly – the easiest appetizer ever!! Just toss it all in and let the crockpot do the cooking!
- Christmas tree cheese ball – a festive cheese ball that’s perfect served with some crackers and veggies!
Ham and Cheese Christmas Trees
Ingredients
- 17.3 oz sheet puffy pastry (two sheets) thawed
- 6 slices ham
- 6 slices cheese
- 2 TBS butter melted
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
- 4 oz block cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take one sheet of thawed puff pastry and lay it on your baking sheet.17.3 oz sheet puffy pastry (two sheets)
- Arrange the sliced ham so that it covers the entire sheet of puff pastry, leaving a little space between the ham and the edge of the puff pastry.6 slices ham
- Add your cheese slices right on top of the ham slices.6 slices cheese
- Finish off the sandwich layers by adding the second piece of puff pastry right on top of the cheese.
- With your pastry layered, cut eight equal strips using a pizza cutter. Cut the sheet width-wise so your trees don’t end up long and skinny.
- Take one strip and fold it into the shape of a tree. To do this, turn your strip so you can see the ham and cheese inside. At roughly a fourth of the length of the strip, fold it on top of itself. Continue to fold the pastry strip on top of itself, making sure to get shorter with each level until you have the shape of a tree.
- Take your skewer and gently push through each layer of the tree, leaving at least an inch of skewer at the top for the star cutout later. Repeat this with all of your strips so you have eight little ham and cheese Christmas tree appetizers!
- Place the assembled trees onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and put them in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- While the trees are baking, melt the butter. Combine garlic salt and parsley with the butter in a small bowl and set aside.2 TBS butter, 1 tsp garlic salt, 2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
- Once the trees are golden brown, remove the trees from the oven and immediately brush lightly with the garlic butter mixture.
- Cut out small star shapes using a cookie cutter.4 oz block cheddar cheese
- Once the trees are cool enough to handle, gently glide the star onto the top of the skewer. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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