This Crescent Roll Christmas Tree is a delicious holiday appetizer made with crescent rolls, Boursin cheese, Parmesan, and fresh parsley. The stuffed crescent bites are arranged into a Christmas tree shape, brushed with egg wash, and baked until golden. Not only is it fun and festive, but it’s yummy too.
We love this recipe for Christmas parties and holiday dinners because it looks festive but starts with refrigerated crescent rolls (which means it’s easy!) This recipe takes a little more time rolling each dough piece, but it’s worth the effort because it tastes amazing and looks great on any table.
Try our Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread for another cheesy Christmas favorite or our Pull Apart Cheesecake Christmas Tree for a sweet version.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Extra Easy with a Shortcut: Refrigerated crescent rolls keep the recipe quick and simple.
- Cheese and Garlic Flavor Bomb: Boursin garlic and herb cheese makes the filling creamy and flavorful.
- Skinny Crescent Triangles Create Bite-size Rolls: Cutting each triangle in half makes smaller pieces that are easy to arrange into a tree.
- Egg Wash Helps Them Bake Golden: Brushing the rolls before baking gives them a pretty color and helps the Parmesan stick.
Crescent Roll Christmas Tree Ingredients
- Refrigerated Pillsbury™ Original Crescent Rolls, 8 count (2 cans, 8 ounces each): Creates the soft, flaky roll base and make the appetizer easy to assemble.
- Boursin garlic & herb cream cheese (1 box, 5.2 ounces): Adds creamy, garlicky, herby flavor inside each crescent roll.
- Egg (1): Helps create the egg wash for a golden finish.
- Water (1 tablespoon): Thins the egg so it brushes smoothly over the rolls.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Adds salty, cheesy flavor on top.
- Fresh parsley, chopped: Adds color, freshness, and a pretty Christmas tree finish.
- Optional dips: Homemade Marinara Sauce, Homemade Pizza Sauce, Homemade Ranch Dressing
How to Make a Crescent Roll Christmas Tree
PREP. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Separate both cans of crescent dough into 16 triangles. Using a pizza cutter, cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make 32 skinny triangles.
ASSEMBLE. Add a heaping ½ teaspoon of the garlic herb cream cheese to the largest side of each triangle.
Roll up each crescent roll, starting at the wide end of the triangle and rolling up towards the shortest side of each triangle.
Place each roll on the prepared sheet to make a tree-shaped pattern starting with one roll at the top, adding a second row with 2 rolls, a third row with 3 rolls, and so forth until you have 7 rows.
Use the remaining rolls to create a rectangle trunk.
BAKE. Before baking, make an egg wash by whisking 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water and brushing over the rolls. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Add just a heaping ½ teaspoon of Boursin to each roll so the filling does not spill out too much.
- Arrange the rolls close together in a tree shape so they bake into a pull-apart appetizer.
- Use the parchment paper to transfer the tree from the baking sheet to a festive tray or board and gently slide the tree off the paper.
- Make-ahead tip: Assemble the rolls in the tree shape earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate, then brush with egg wash and bake before serving.
Crescent Roll Christmas Tree Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated Pillsbury™ Original Crescent Rolls (8 count)
- 1 (5.2-ounce) box Boursin garlic & herb cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- grated parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Separate dough into 16 triangles. Using a pizza cutter, cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make 32 skinny triangles.
- Add a heaping ½ teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture to the largest side of each triangle.
- Roll up each crescent roll, starting at the large side and rolling up towards the pointy end.
- Place each roll on the prepared sheet to make a tree shape starting with one roll at the top, adding a second row with 2 rolls, a third row with 3 rolls, and so forth until you have 7 rows. Use the remaining rolls to create a square trunk.
- Before baking, make an egg wash by whisking the egg and water and brushing over the rolls. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley.
Notes
- Add just a heaping ½ teaspoon of Boursin to each roll so the filling does not spill out too much.
- Arrange the rolls close together in a tree shape so they bake into a pull-apart appetizer.
- Brush the egg wash lightly over the tops before adding Parmesan for the best golden finish.
- Use the parchment paper to transfer the tree from the baking sheet to a festive tray or board and gently slide the tree off the paper.
- Make-ahead tip: assemble the rolls in the tree shape earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate, then brush with egg wash and bake before serving.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
Cut the recipe in half or make two smaller trees. Arrange in the shape of a Christmas tree as follows- use 1 dough roll for the trunk then rows of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 rolled ball on top.
Assemble, cover it with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before baking and serving warm.
Cover the whole tree with plastic wrap or pull it apart and place the rolls in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in if needed and reheat in a preheated 300°F oven for about 10 minutes.
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This post was originally published October, 2024.
