| 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 | Press together the edges of the pastry triangles with your fingers to sealThe perfect Christmas dessert (or indulgent breakfast?), this looks beautiful and is so much fun to make. Store leftover chocolate hazelnut spread in sterilised jars (see here). 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 flavour.
SERVES 8–10
2 x 280g sheets ready-rolled plant-based puff pastry
1½ tbsp dairy-free butter
2 tbsp icing sugar
FOR THE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD
200g blanched hazelnuts
½ tsp salt
200g dark chocolate
150ml maple syrup
100ml unsweetened plant-based milk, plus a little more for brushing
Preheat oven to 180°C | Baking tray | Liquidiser | Kettle boiled | Saucepan | Heatproof bowl | Pastry brush | Small pan, optional | Baking sheet | Ruler
Spread the hazelnuts out on the baking tray | Put the tray in the oven for 10 minutes | Transfer the tray to a heatproof surface and let it cool to room temperature
Put the cooled hazelnuts and salt in the liquidiser and blend to a smooth, thick nut butter, scraping down the sides occasionally to make sure it’s all incorporated
Melt the chocolate | Pour hot water into the saucepan until it’s about 3cm deep and bring to the 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
Pour the melted chocolate, maple syrup and milk into the liquidiser with the hazelnut butter | Blend until you have a really smooth chocolate spread
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 centre of the top edge of the pastry, about 12cm in from the corners | Cut the pasty 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
Spread a generous layer of the chocolate hazelnut spread over one of the triangles, leaving a 1cm border all the way round. 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 | Press together the edges of the pastry triangles with your fingers to seal
Now make the branches of your tree | Leaving a 2cm 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
Put the dairy-free butter in a dish in the microwave and blast for a few seconds to melt (or melt in a small pan on a medium heat) | Brush the melted butter all over the tree and any festive shapes | Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown (smaller shapes may 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
Carefully transfer the tree to a serving board, dust with the icing sugar and serve
