In today’s post: Learn how to turn refrigerated dough into an adorable Christmas tree with these spinach dipped stuffed breadsticks! And be sure to check out the football version for game day and the sweet nutella version for Valentine’s Day!
As you know, my favorite part about any holiday (after the meaningful stuff like family and togetherness, etc.) is the food. Actually, my favorite part of any given day just might be the food, but hey, to each her own. The Christmas season is especially fun because there are all sorts of opportunities for delicious little snacks that you generally don’t eat all year long. I mean, we’ve already gone through more cheeseballs in the past three weeks than we do for the entire rest of the year, and don’t even get me started on Lil’ Smokies! Anyway, I wanted to make a festive, but still easy, holiday snack you could take to any party, so I came up with these Christmas tree spinach dip breadsticks.
They start with a refrigerated pizza crust, the kind that comes in a tube, so they’re easy to make and take just over half an hour start to finish. And look how cute they turn out!
Need a hilarious game for your Christmas gift exchange? Check out the LEFT RIGHT game!
How to make Christmas tree spinach dip breadsticks
Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks
Ingredients
- 12 oz Frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup grated cheddar OR mozzarella cheese
- 1 tube refrigerated thin crust pizza crust
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a bowl, beat together the spinach and cream cheese.
- Add garlic, salt, onion powder, chili powder, pepper, and Italian seasoning and beat to combine.
- Add parmesan cheese and 1/2 of the cheddar or mozzarella cheese and beat to combine. (The other half of the cheddar or mozzarella cheese will be sprinkled over the filling when you shape the Christmas tree.)
- Shape into Christmas tree as directed in the post.
- Bake for about 22 minutes until quite golden brown on top and cooked through on the bottom.
- Melt butter and stir in garlic salt and seasoning, then brush over breadsticks.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Note: Be sure to check out the football version for game day and the sweet nutella heart version for Valentine’s Day
You’ll start by mixing up the spinach dip ingredients. Make sure to thaw the frozen spinach (or just defrost it in the microwave) and squeeze it in handfuls to get most of the moisture out. Then use a hand or stand mixer to mix it with the softened cream cheese, garlic, seasonings, and cheeses.
Next, you can watch this video to see how I shape the Christmas tree breadsticks. Written instructions follow:
Unroll the pizza crust on a piece of parchment paper. I used the “thin” style pizza crust. Using a pizza slicer, cut the crust as shown below:
This gives you one large triangle and two smaller ones. Transfer the smaller triangles to a second piece of parchment paper, placing the long side edges together, to make another large triangle. The dough will stretch out a little as you move it around – no biggie, just gently tug it into the shape you want, pressing the two halves together in the middle. This will be the base of the breadsticks. I also gave the base a short little trunk.
Spread the spinach dip over the base.
Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, and then top with the first triangle of dough. You’ll likely have to tug at the dough a little bit to make sure it completely covers the base triangle.
Using a pizza cutter, cut slices from the middle to each edge about every inch down the triangle as shown below. Don’t slice all the way across; leave about an inch down the middle of the tree intact.
Grab each “slice” and twist it to form a tree shape, as shown below. For the top slice that’s very short you’ll just give it a half twist; as you go further down the tree and hit longer slices you’ll give them two or three full twists.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes until the bottom is completely cooked through. The top is going to get nice and browned, but make sure to check that the bottom is cooked through. If you are cooking on a heavy cookie sheet, like I did, you may want to cook this on the lower rack in your oven.
Once out of the oven you can brush the breadsticks with melted butter, garlic salt, and seasonings.
Then serve it up while it’s still warm. Everyone can tear off a breadstick or two to enjoy.
Answers to questions about the recipe
So I’ve had lots of questions about this recipe, and I’ll try to answer them all right here!
Q: Can I make this in advance and rewarm at the party I’m taking it to?
A: I’m sure you can, although I have not done so. This is a lot like a pizza, and like pizzas will taste best directly out of the oven, so your best option may be to shape it right before you leave for the party and then bake it once you get there. However, that’s not always an option. So you’re next best bet would be to bake right before you leave and then wrap it in foil and just serve it warm-ish (still tastes just fine!) or pop it in the oven for just a few minutes to heat through at the party. Some readers have suggested baking on a baking stone and transporting on the warm stone to keep it hot.
Q: Can I shape this in advance and refrigerate or freeze until time to bake?
A: You can certainly give it a try, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The refrigerated pizza dough from a tube that I used may not hold up well to sitting in the fridge for a few hours before baking.
Q: Can I use a different type of dough? Homemade dough?
A: Of course! You’ll just have to adjust your baking method a bit. Homemade pizza dough should work beautifully – just let it rise a bit before shaping and then watch it while baking as the bake time will vary a bit with different dough recipes. You could also use frozen Rhodes bread dough: you’ll just need to thaw it and allow it to rise before shaping.
Q: I can’t find the “thin” pizza crust, just regular. Can I use that?
A: Sure! Either you can sprinkle it with flour and gently roll it into a bit larger rectangle to begin with, or you can just make a tree that’s slightly smaller and a little thicker.
Q: I hate spinach. Can I use a different filling?
A: Absolutely! I made a pretty tear&share bread using a pesto filling in this post, which was delicious! Other readers have recommended a buffalo chicken filling, which also sounds yummy. Just avoid really runny fillings as they may leak out too much and make a mess.
Q: Can I use store-bought spinach dip instead of your recipe?
A: Yep, that should work just fine. The only potential issue is if your prepared dip is very runny – my recipe is quite thick to make sure it doesn’t leak out while baking.
Q: Can I use crescent roll dough, phyllo dough, or puff pastry instead of the pizza dough?
A: I haven’t tried any of these options so I can’t say for sure, but I’m thinking it would work just fine with any of them! Just watch the cook time (and check some of the comments – readers are sharing different things they’ve tried).
Looking for more fun holiday food? Check out these posts:
Raspberry Nutella Puff Pastry Heart for Valentine’s Day
4 ingredient no-knead artisan bread
Buffalo chicken crescent rollups
25 fun Christmas treats to make with your kids
The PERFECT buttery holiday roll recipe
And be sure to check out the LEFT RIGHT Christmas gift exchange game. It’s so much fun!
Teresa Y Pulleyn says
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Jesse Otts says
Teresa,
I understand where you are coming from but id like to ask if you’d be willing to contribute to the site. You’ve mentioned that you love it and I’m sure a lot of people do as well so if she made it possible to donate monthly to her site so she wouldn’t have to run ads, would you do it?
No body wants advertisements but unfortunately nothing in this world is free. Just a little food for thought 🙂
B. F. says
Goat cheese with garlic and herbs and finely diced sun-dried tomatoes Yum!
Traci says
That sounds delish!!
HappyintheKitchen says
I am with you on the ads issue. I am a blogger and have made sure that people who come to my site get the information they need and that my site does not waste volumes of time trying to find the “Next” button or to see the section of an article I am reading because it keeps having pop up ads right in the middle of it, Irritating : ( and costs writers subscribers, even sites with excellent content. This site has great, useful, information. Please keep your material accessible to readers!
Natalie says
WOW this is just beautiful and perfect for Christmas! Will definitely try it soon 🙂
Sherry says
We don’t like spinach, what else could I use for the filling that would be tasty & delish? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank You for sharing. I’ll be waiting…..!!!
Staci says
Like a cheese ball …do cream cheese , green onion, ham or dried beef garlic salt
Netti Davis says
Drained Pesto would be green and pretty and very tasty!
Janice says
Have you heard back from anyone regarding the spinach? I like spinach, but I don’t think anyone else in my family does, except my one sister. It looks like a delicious recipe and would like to try it. It is perfect for a Christmas gathering. Thanks! Janice
Betty kemlein says
I am going to try it with artichoke, spinich dip. Should work the same as straight spinich.
Betty kemlein says
I made it tonight for a neighborhood party. Was a great hit. I used Costco’s artichoke, jalepeno dip vs the spinach listed in the recipe. I was very nervous about burning the bottom and not getting the middle cooked through. I did put tin foil over it the last 5 minutes as it was getting a bit dark and I was worried about it. It was really pretty, and the blended flavors were wonderful.
Sheryl says
Did you still add all of the other seasonings?
Euel says
how did you make the little trunk?
Carole Sullivan says
Did you add the Parmesan and Cheddar?
Colleen says
How did you slide it off the Parchment paper onto a platter without falling apart
Alicia says
I baked mine on parchment paper on the back of a rimmed baking sheet so I could slide the parchment onto a serving tray. Once in place, I gently pulled the paper from under the tree.
jan says
try pesto, any greens, or finely chopped ham
Pegilyn says
I hate cooked spinach, however you really don’t notice the spinach, this is really good.
Ruth says
I have used chopped broccoli and it was very good.
Pam says
can I prep ahead and bake 3 hours later?
Patsy says
Pesto
Karen says
Basil pesto
Jody says
I did a pizza version w yo kids, mini pepperonis, sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and I sprinkled a bit of garlic and if you like oregano … you can put anything really that you like. A crab Rangoon filling could also be fun depending on your guest. Chili cheese dip etc
Jennifer Walker says
Hi! I am thinking of making this for Christmas but with the pizza version. Did it turn out OK, or was the pizza sauce too watery?
Melanie says
I made a warm turnip green dip that was delicious. Subsitute turnip greens for the spinach.
Ann Marie says
Try using chopped frozen broccoli. That should work.
Yvonne Baldwin says
I use a hot breakfast sausage (preferably Jimmy Dean or Tennessee Pride) browned and drained, 1 block of cream cheese, and 1/2 lbs of mozzarella (shredded)~mixed together and done the same way! Try it!
Ellen says
Your recipe sounds delicious! What type of dough do you buy?
Crystal says
Did you add the spices as stated in the recipe to the sausage-cream cheese mixture?
Paula says
I bet you could try broccoli or broccoli Rabe
Nancy Hanna says
variety of mushroom could be good, Crab meat
HappyintheKitchen says
Crab??? YUM!
Shannon says
Try it with Buffalo Chicken Dip!
sara says
what about pesto? or pepperoni (for the kids) 🙂
Cindy Fant says
use cans of chicken –like a buffalo chicken dip..its wonderful!!
Mandy says
I’ve done something similar to this, using a hot cheesy crab dip, and it was really good!
Leslie Iglesias says
You could try this mixture:
cream cheese
garlic
parmesan cheese
basil (fresh)
sun dried tomato
This would keep it thick without adding too much moisture.
Happy Holidays!
Laura Alsobrooks says
You really don’t taste the spinach. This is very good. Made it for our family Christmas party last Friday and they were gone in a flash.
Donna says
Chicken salad ?
Judy Gamboa says
How would you warm this up to serve it if you take it to a party?
Iris Newton says
I love the recipe, but you ask for a cup of mozzarella cheese, and then in the instructions you don’t mention it. Also in the list of ingredients there is mention of cheddar cheese but in the preparation section you do, Can you clarify these two points for me, Thanks
Iris
Lela Thurow says
In the recipe it says 1 c. Of mozzarella or cheddar. 1/2 c. goes in the spinach recipe the other 1/2 on top.
Barb says
Thank you for that clarification.
Christine says
I don’t understand how you take this to a party. Do you bring it uncooked and ask to use the oven so you can serve it warm or can it be cooked at home and warmed up at the party? It looks great and I want to try it for a party I am going to.
autumn says
Either way should work! It’s a lot like pizza – it will taste best straight out of the oven, so if you can bake it there that will be the best. But pizza still tastes good warm and rewarmed, so serving it warm or at room temp is also an option.
Carla MCCravy says
You could do this with buffalo chicken dip, add green coloring if you need it to be green!
Troye Newcomb says
Buffalo chicken dip sounds like a brilliant idea too!!!! I may need to try that!
Christine says
Do you think I could add chopped artichoke hearts to this?
autumn says
Sure!
autumn says
Absolutely!
Bee Beam says
What about using pizza sauce, with or without meat, and “decorating” it with olives, mushrooms, red peppers, etc.? Messy, but fun and pretty. This would appeal to a wider range of palates than those who like spinach. I love spinach! Would put some pine nuts in with the pesto others suggested. A dessert version might have nuts and cinnamon bun sauce.
autumn says
Great ideas!
Suki says
Hi Autumn, could this be made ahead and frozen? Thank you
Bart says
Try it and lettuce know! FUN!
autumn says
Hi! I’ve never tried making it ahead and freezing it. Think of it like pizza: would you freeze a piece of pizza and then warm it back up again to serve? I’m not sure how well that would work. Good luck, and let us know if you try it!
Marion says
Autumn, made this today, I substituted onion and chive cream cheese and added cherry tomatoes to serve as ornaments. It was a HIT everyone wanted to know why I only made 1.
autumn says
Great idea!
Diana Bitting says
can i use something like store brought spinich dip or knors spinach dip recipe and bake then serve at to.temperature?
Deb says
Did the spinach dip work? I bought spinach dip too… hope it worked.
Sharon Larsen says
I also want to know can you use cresc
ent rolls and a spinach and artichoke recipe?
autumn says
That should be just fine!
Brenda Pence says
I just made the recipe with crescent roll dough and it was wonderful. It is a lighter, fluffier finished product. The pizza dough is a little heavier.. great recipe!
Shannon says
Hi there! I bought the crescent rolls too to try it out. How many crescent roll tubes did it take to make it a decent size? I was thinking two for each the front and back but curious how you did it. Thanks!!
Karin Barrett says
They make the Crescent dough in sheets also…. not just triangles
Brenda Pence says
I just used one can and it made a nice size…. I am going to make one with crescent dough/spinach and I am going to make a pizza filled one with the bread stick dough for a New Years Party… I love the look and the taste is outstanding. Also, it is very easy….
autumn says
Should be fine!
Janice says
I didn’t see any answers to the holiday party/warm up question….
Bart says
Bake it minus 5 mins, wrap in tin foil and broil 4 mins on low before sebong!
Anne says
I’m interested in the “warm-up” question too.
I was thinking maybe I could bake it on a rectangular pizza stone, then keep it on the stone, which will retain some warmth.
Then drive really fast. Hahaha.
I have a cardboard box that is the same size as the stone, long and not too deep, that I’ll put it in, with some big potholders on the bottom.
Interested in other ideas too.
Thanks.
Katherine says
Once cooked, put this into a silver lined tote (I bought mine at Sam’s a few years ago) – similar to the pizza delivery guy’s tote. In fact, when I pick up a pizza that i have ordered over the phone, I put the pizza into my silver lined tote and it is still hot when I get home. It would surely work for this fabulous treat!
Debra Vardoulis says
Can you make ahead of time and refrigerate over night and bake in the morning?
autumn says
I’ve never tried it Debra, but since the recipe calls for the refrigerated pizza dough from a tube I think I would not recommend that.
Denise Fox says
I made it the day before and left it in our extra fridge covered with plastic wrap and it baked up great but the next time I’ll put little to no filling in the center or cut each branch closer to the center. The tips of my branches got really dark but the center stayed raw. I would definitely make this again though. I had some filling left and cooked it briefly in a sauce pan and added it as topping to a couple baked potatoes. GREAT!
Susan M Desjardine says
I wonder if you could use Phylo instead of pizza dough. If it would be too flaky and fall apart as you pull it apart.
Margie says
I recently made this with phyllo and Nutella/almond filling. It’s delicious, and the flakiness wasn’t too bad!
Carroll Zamler says
Any answers to the warm up questions at a party. Please let us know
Emi says
microwave
Annie says
If you get it ready then bake it just before you leave for party; OR, if you bake it earlier, warm it in your oven as you get ready for the party; THEN, how about wrapping it in heavy duty aluminum foil.
You could transport it on a cutting board (you could use the board to serve it on); however, if you’re worried about it slipping off the board during transport, use scotch or masking tape to keep it in place. It won’t hurt anything because you’d be running it across the foil to the bottom of the board. I hope I made sense to you. Cripes, I’ve used bath towels to keep pots warm in transport!
Lori says
I use the ole brick method. https://www.google.com/amp/amp.southernliving.com/tailgating/how-to-keep-food-warm-at-a-tailgate
HappyintheKitchen says
I forgot I even had a bread brick! Thank you for mentioning it [email protected] I just got it out so I don’t forget on Christmas!
Rhonda says
I was also concerned about it cooling to quickly & my party was only 5 houses down the street. I opted to use her oven to be sure. The tree was well received. A bit salty for my taste so will make tweeks for Christmas.
Vivien Jackson says
I have just made this. Lovely idea and looks fab, it’s just way too salty. I will try again, with less additional salt and chilli.
Denise Fox says
I loved this but did have trouble getting it off of the metal baking pan even though I greased it with solid shortening. My branches cooked way before the center so next time I’ll put just a smidge of filling in the center. After the branches were eaten I had to put the center back into the oven to finish cooking so you definitely can reheat it.
Helen Comazzetto says
I put the tree on parchment paper then placed it on a metal cooling rack on a cookie sheet to bake. It slips right off onto a platter or wooden cutting board when done . I also let it cool slightly to set up before taking it off the paper. I hope this helpful. I sprinkled chopped peppers and made a star for the top out of peppers. Enjoy
Diane says
SReally want to take this to a party next week !! so I’m super interested in how to keep it warm or ….
Emi says
Microwave!
Lea says
Yuk. It will ruin the texture…just like it does microwaved pizza.
leslie says
how do you make the trunk part of tree?
Leslie Morrison says
Looks like when you twist up the last portion it makes itself.
deb says
watch the video ! you just cut and twist sides leaving the middle inch alone
cat says
did you get an answer to this? i would also like to know!
Robyn Green says
Hi there!
I’m really keen to try your festive recipe but am only familiar with Pampuss puff pastry sheets. Have not heard of Refrigerated thin pizza crust in a tube.
Could you show a picture of what it looks like…and/ or suggest whether pastry might work?
Lynn Fiddler says
Pillsbury makes the pizza crust
Susan Conroy says
I just purchased a can of Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust. It was difficult to find! My Walmart carries it bus was out of stock. I was able to finally locate it at Publix. I’m afraid Pillsbury’s Classic Pizza Crust would be too thick.
Vivien Jackson says
I used puff pastry. It’s fine. The only pizza dough I have seen is pre coated with a tomato sauce.
Noni Lung says
Hey,
Just wondering how long you left this in the oven using puff pastry?
Thanks 🙂
autumn says
Hi! I think the puff pastry would work just fine!
Shannon says
Be very careful using peff pastry and how big you make the tree as all the butter in puff patry *can cause your oven to catch fire and almost burn the house down* …. Everything is fine at our house now but this dish turned out great after all the flames were put out!
autumn says
Oh my goodness! I’m glad everyone is ok and thank you so much for letting us know this could be a problem.
Charlotte Thornton says
I love this! I am going to make one change…I’m adding chopped pimentos for a touch of red!
Thanks for sharing.
G. Alexander says
Charlotte, That’s a good idea, I thought of using cranberries, myself!
Michele Klitzke says
If you put it in the frig over night do you have to let it come to room temp first?
autumn says
Hi! I’ve never tried making it and refrigerating it before baking, so I don’t know if that would work. The canned doughs are meant to be baked right away, so I’m just not sure how that would go.
Anita says
Excellent!!!
Shauna says
I can’t find thin crust pizza dough anywhere where I live, do you think just a regular pillsbury pizza dough in a tube would work? Or would it puff up too much?
Susan Conroy says
I think it would be too thick. I found the Pillsbury Thin Crust at Publix and Walmart (Super store with groceries).
autumn says
Hi Shauna – sure you could use a regular one. Just put flour down before you unroll the dough and then put some flour on the top side of the dough and gently roll it or stretch it out a bit until it’s roughly 9×12 inches. Then shape as directed!
Sharon says
Can I put this together ahead of time, refrigerate and bake later?
shari says
So many questions not being answered? would be nice to know the answers before christmas
Bart says
Test it out and let us know! It’s fun to see what works and doesn’t.
BP*
autumn says
I’m updating the post right now with answers to all the questions – thanks!
Marie says
Can you cheat and buy the spinach dip already prepared?
autumn says
Sure!
Cathy says
Can croissant dough be used instead of pizza dough
deb says
That was my question – going to try it for a Xmas party next Weds. Will let you know
Maria Raysses-Whipple says
As a Greek girl, I would make the spanakopita filling and use that for a fuller flavor and result!!!
Joyce Scarbrough says
I make vegan spinach/artichoke crescent rolls that nobody ever believes are vegan. I’m going to make this with the spinach/artichoke filling and vegan cheese. And I won’t tell anyone it’s vegan until they’ve already swooned over how good it is. 😉
Lisa March says
My daughter is vegan. Can you tell me what dip and cheese you are using? I’d love to make something she would eat also.
Debbie says
Hi This looks like a fantastic and I am going to try to make it today. But I am in Australia and unfortunately we do not have pizza crust dough in a can. I have bought fresh pizza dough balls and will roll these out to use. Just wondering if anyone can tell me roughly the size of the rectangle that the dough in a can comes in ?
It looks to be about 12″ x 9″ (30cm x 23cm) is that about right?
thanks for your help
Debbie
autumn says
Yes, I think 12 x 9 inches is just about right!
Josephine B says
Debbie I’m also in Australia and I’d like to know where you were able to get the *fresh pizza ball as I’ve NEVER seen any. It’s a pain when we don’t have Pillsbury like in America for wonderful recipes like this.
Teresa Thornton says
Homemade pizza dough is easy to make…try googling”easy homemade pizza dough”. Just roll fairly thin so it won’t be too thick. Best wishes!
Suzan Key Greeson says
What a festive great idea! Was wondering if puff pastry could be used instead of pizza dough? Thanks
autumn says
I think that would work just fine!
Cheryl says
Has anyone tried this recipe with phyllo dough or puff pastry? I
RY says
What do I do with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar/mozerella?
RY says
Never mind, when I watched the video, it becomes clear that the 2nd 1/2 cup is spread on the dip after the dip is apread over the crust.
Think I’ll serve this Friday at a family party.
Nancy says
If you can make the two dough cut outs into even the semblance of the shape of a tree, you are truly gifted. Once you move them after you cut, it’s all over. Dip is going in a bowl and I must go back to the store for crackers to arrange around it. Really wanted to take it to a party tonight. Disappointed in my dough-shaping impairment.
Ellen says
I, too, almost gave up halfway through, BUT I persisted, and was delighted with the results. Try, try again. I felt so accomplished after completion, and it was beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. Making it again for a party tomorrow.
Heidi Sabnani says
I just make this with Phillsbury thin crust (not in a roll not tube.) It is too thin, wishing I had another one as I have double the filling that I need so will have to try with the regular dough tomorrow. The dough stuck to the paper and didn’t want to twist because it was so thin. Wondering if I should have tried with regular homemade bread dough. I’m bringing to a Christmas baby shower so will be transporting on pizza sheet and then rewarming there. I am guessing it will taste good, but it doesn’t look very good right now. You can use almost any kind of filling with this (I’ve made other braided bread type things before. Mix pesto with some cream cheese and parmesan same thing with sundried tomato pesto. You just don’t want it to be too oily a filling or it will all leak out.
Jean says
This popped up on FB this past week and I thought maybe I can create this shape for Christmas gathering. I tried it out tonight for a family supper and everyone really liked it, even my husband who does not like cooked spinach. Creating the top layer was challenging but the finished product looked pretty good, if I must say so myself.
Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today says
I looove this recipe, I am so making it 😀
Barbara Harris says
We made this for a reception after Lessons & Carols. It was a big hit! “You made this??? Wow!” Thanks for giving such great step by step instructions. Turned out beautifully.
autumn says
Glad it turned out, thanks for letting me know!
CHERYL says
What about pizza crust base and puff pastry top?
Irma says
I just made this recipe last night and it was a hit.
Thanks You, Irma~
Happy Holidays….
Erika says
Would substituting fresh spinach for the frozen spinach change anything?
John Sigwald says
Hi, Autumn. I’m a male whose kitchen repertoire is, well, limited. With my wife’s help assembling ingredients I did make a passably aesthetic Christmas Tree spinach dip for a gathering tonight. Thank you so much!
I do have a couple of suggestions for other novices like me:
I’d chill the dough in the freezer for a while to help make it easier to manipulate (mine had a mind of its own!).
Add a line to add the other 1/2 cup cheddar (or mozzarella) cheese after the mixed ingredients are spread on the base triangle/tree.
Two misspellings you may want to correct are “mozzarella” in the ingredients list and “chili” powder in the 1st paragraph of instructions.
Also, 20 minutes in the oven was plenty for me.
Again, thank you for your inspiring me to try something a little different!
jenn says
To all who have asked – I made this in advance & it turned out delicious!! I prepared it the night before, stuck it in the fridge, and then baked it around noon for a potluck lunch the next day. I do this often with bread doughs, and it always seems to work well. I bet you could make this, freeze it, move it to the fridge the night before you want to bake it, and then bake it the next day when you need it so it’s hot & fresh! Crowd pleaser & super easy to make!
Patti Smith says
Made tonight..did a practice piece. Oh my..the stories my kitchen could tell! Let me begin by saying I should never be behind the wheel of a pizza cutter..dough became too thin ,I twisted ..it didn’t.. husband loved it adding it looked almost like a Christmas tree…shh we won’t tell him. It was excellant just very ugly..trying again for Christmas guest..thanks for wonderful recipe and instruction. Happy Holidays to all
Marieve says
Is there a certain dip you would recommend with this recipe? I don’t know if this was asked before as I haven’t read through all of the comments given the number of them. 😉
Thank you!
Lea says
The dip recipe is at the top of the page.
mrsben says
I do stand to be corrected; but I believe the recipe is for the filling whereas the question is in reference to a dip that the torn pieces can be dipped into. That said; any salad dressing of a thicker consistency (i.e.: Kraft — ‘Ranch’ / ‘Creamy Caesar’) or one of your favourite dipping sauces IMHO should work. -Brenda-
Tracy says
This was so good and easy to make! It was beautiful on my party table! Thank you!
Marina says
Woooow looks so bomb?
Brenda says
The video does not correspond with the written recipe. The recipe states to put cheddar or mozzarella in spinach mix; the video shows placing in on top. Confusing
Karen says
Inside. I believe the video shows brushing with butter and maybe some seasonings.
Ellen says
I, too, was confused. BUT the answer is you put 1/2 IN the mix and AFTER it’s spread on the bottom tree, you sprinkle the other 1/2 cup on top of spread BEFORE adding top tree-dough. i FORGOT second 1/2, but it was still delicious, and will makr IN RED on recipe — I was just too freaked out on this, my first making of the recipe. And I sure wasn’t going to try to life that second layer of dough off to sprinkle the cheese!!
Tammy Kelley says
could you use fresh spinach and the cream cheese instead of the frozen spinach and would you cook it slightly or leave raw
ww says
raw…thaw and squeeze water out
Kathy Campbell says
I really wanted to make this for Christmas, but couldn’t find the actual recipe. Am I missing it?
Karen says
Right below the large photo. Or you can look it up on website.
Deborah S says
My son and I made this today and it is awesome! Thank you for the recipe and the tree idea. I will be making this again…soon!
Barb says
I made this recipe, just as written for a party last night, and everyone loved it. It looked so impressive and not a bite was left! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Karen says
Such a cute idea! Was just wondering if it’s better to use real shredded Parmesan or the grated dry cheese?
Tali says
Made this for a Christmas party yesterday. It was a big hit! I made the spinach dip the night before (used fresh spinach and added sundried tomatoes) then put it together in the morning. Baked it for 17 or 18 minutes then re-heated when I got to the party (few hours in between).
Kenn says
This did not work at all! The directions are confusing since it says “breadsticks” in one place “thin pizza dough” in another. Not sure if this was referring to the type of dough or calling it breadsticks even though the dough was from pizza dough. You need more instructions regarding how to handle the dough. It was very difficult to handle. Got too sticky too quickly. I’m very disappointed. I think it is a good idea and a beautiful presentation. It just didn’t work out as described.
Denise Fox says
It finishes off as breadstick branches on a Christmas Tree but starts out with a rectangle of thin crust pizza dough. I rolled it out on a piece of waxed paper for better handling. You can take the two extra dough pieces and put them together on another piece of waxed paper, mold the two together with presses of your fingers then roll the dough out with a rolling pin, up-end the dough over the bottom triangle and use your pizza cutter to cut away any ragged edges. Hope this helps. Oh and also don’t put a lot of filling down the center as the branches bake way before the center.
Evelyn says
What are the dimensions of the piece of dough that you roll out?
Stephanie says
This looks super yummy! Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen? Maybe just sauté it a little so it’s smaller pieces than big leaves?
Sonia says
Has anyone tried this using crescent rolls dough? If so, any tips on baking instructions? Thanks
Sue says
*mozzarella. ?
CGray says
Has anyone made this without cheese?
Lisamarie says
Have you ever made this the day before you need it and then bake it the next day?
jill says
What do you do with the other 1/2 C. of cheese?
Peg Bosco says
Can you prepare and bake it and then refrigerate it the day before. And just heat it up the next day?
Graca Victoria says
I tried this, and took it to two different parties this week, the first i did with the pizza dough but found 22 minutes a bit too long.. as i was eating it, i thought to myself .. this would be perfect with phyllo dough, which i tried the second time around. Not sure which one is my favorite but i do know they were a hit. People just loved the flakiness of the phyllo, so i’ll be making one more and most likely with the phyllo dough. Delicious.
Laura Alsobrooks says
5 Stars!! Loved it and turned out fabulous. Thank you.
Renee says
I made this for Christmas lunch and it was a big hit! Thank you!
Jennie O says
I made this for 2 parties over the Christmas holiday and it was a huge hit both times! What a great recipe and not to hard at all. Everyone loved it and and had ideas to make similar with other things inside, like pesto filling. I think I will try this again during the year but leave in rectangle shape and use another piece of dough to cover and just cut into strips for the twisted bread sticks. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
Doroth Galvan says
I made this on Christmas Day and it was a hit and there were no leftovers. My frozen spinach only comes in a 10 oz package. I did not add any salt. I was confused that the ingredients listed 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and then adds only 1/2 cup later in the recipe. I used a whole cup of mozzarella and 1/2 c. of freshly grated Parmesan. I skipped the oil and garlic and it was a neat finger food. I baked the crust until it was golden brown a little longer than 22 minutes. My husband doesn’t “mind” when I make it again. It was very successful! Thanks for sharing this terrific recipe.
Pam says
Hi, I live in Australia and have never seen a tube of pizza dough.
Has any other Aussie seen it ? If so where ?
I want to make this so In the meantime, I will try puff pastry..
Pam
Kelly says
Holy moly, this looks incredible! I just made spinach artichoke puff pastry “snails” for lack of a better description for Xmas, which were a huge hit. I had the recipe to Pinterest and so Pinterest “suggested” your recipe because of the similar ingredients — so thank you Pinterest too 😉
I’m just blown away by your creativity — and without your tutorial there’s no way I could figure out how to shape the tree branches — which is so freaking awesome!! I can’t wait for next Xmas to make one of these trees!!
Also, while my puff pastry was delicious, it’s by definition a bit heavy/buttery and I think the pizza dough will be so much better (was going to say healthier, that might be a stretch — since it’s filled with cheese, ha) and a little bit less greasy.
JenS says
I made this for our Christmas Eve family dinner. It was a huge hit! Everyone loved it. I should have made more. Fortunately, I have the ingredients in the fridge and will make one for just us to eat with diner tomorrow. Will probably just go with a rectangle shape instead of the tree though. I think it will go nicely as a side dish to a soup. Yum! Thanks for a great recipe.
Erin says
My coworker made this for a party and it was delicious!! My favorite dish at the party!
K Thomas says
I tried and failed. Felt I should have had 2 pizza crusts, because what I cut was not big enough for the top and when twisting the Tostitos pre made spinach dip it just was too runny and leaked out.
Melissa says
This turned out great! They don’t sell the thin crust here in canada so I got regular and stretched it to the size of my sheet pan. I thought I was doing a bad job shaping until I was done and it looked like a tree! It baked up beautifully! A little too bready, I think I’d try to thin it out more next time, but great tasting!
Lori Smith says
I was so surprised at how easy this was to actually make and it tasted great and the end result was so pretty. I made it for a Christmas Eve party and it was a hit and gone instantly! I will definitely make it again. For those that say they don’t care for spinach, it definitely does not a strong spinach flavor, it tastes so good. I want to make it again just because. Thanks for sharing.
Wendy says
Made this for Xmas. Loved how it looked, but was far too heavy/filling. Maybe make the branches thinner than suggested so each serving isn’t so filling.
Kate R says
This is wonderful! My DIL made this for Christmas, and we wanted to have it again. We tried tonight, with what we had on hand … a tube of refrigerated flaky biscuits, instead of pizza dough. I pressed half of the biscuits into a large square, spread the spinach dip over it, and topped it with a square made of the remaining four biscuits. After cutting the square into strips (using a pizza cutter), I twisted and then spaced out the breadsticks on the cookie sheet and baked. Not Christmas themed, but a wonderful side for any dinner!
David H says
Omg. So I made two of these for my church’s after service coffee hour on Dec 24 ’17. One I made with your spinach dip, the other I made with problanos and jalapenos. Get 2 large size problanos and one good size jalapeno, roast them under the broiler on high in a cast iron skillet or on a gas stove over the flame till the skins are dark and smokey, then place them in a bowl with plastic wrap to cover so the skins can be easily pulled off. Pull the skins off and de-seed and then mash in a bowl. I used the same seasonings and a bit of ranch seasoning and a mixture of chihuahua and extra sharp cheddar cheese, and some sprinkled on top of the tree. The chihuahua cheese will leak a bit when baking, but when cooled, firms up a bit. Nevertheless, DELICIOUS.
Tell me why did I make another Jalapeno popper one this past Saturday and literally ate the entire thing in about an hour. It was honestly a guilty pleasure eating. 🙂
Wondering if Bacon and Chives will work good.
Tara says
Hi Autumn, I love the name of your website. Autumn is hands down my fav season. All year I hunt for Christmas recipes to serve Christmas week. This one is going in the recipe book. Thanks !
Rob Skaer says
This was a big hit this past Christmas. I’m wondering if I could double the recipe and make it as a big rectangle, just placing one crust atop the other, and cutting in from the long sides. (Think of it looking a bit like a football field). What do you think?
Richard Sgrillo says
Prosciutto, Provolone + chopped dates…
Jan says
I made the Christmas Tree this past week and it was a huge success – not a crumb left. Good instructions, video and pictures make it very easy to follow. I will be making it again for another event this month. Thanks for an excellent recipe. (One note, would you fix the mis-spelling in the recipe card for mozzarella? Please and thank you.)
Marta Dearmas says
Love the Christmas tree recepe
De'Anna says
You could make a sweet version with white icing and raspberry jam and decorate with icing sugar and sprinkles.
Debora Christensen says
For those who are concerned about serving this hours after baking, fear not! I brought this to a work potluck where my best option was to bake it at 5:30 am and serve at noon. I slid it onto a cutting board (the only flat object I had big enough and sturdy enough to travel), wrapped it in cling wrap, and held it at room temperature until time to eat. We have only a couple of small microwaves and a toaster oven at work (plus all of the crockpots coworkers brought in), so there really was no way to heat this back up. Everyone still loved it and several asked for the recipe! And that’s even after I forgot to add the additional cheese over the spinach before topping with the second layer of pizza crust (it was 5 am, after all). I compensated by sprinkling a bit of cheese (combination of Parmesan and mozzarella) over the tops of the “branches” and melting briefly in the oven to resemble snow.
I loved how festive, fun, and easy this was to make! It’s also a pretty solid concept that could be modified in any number of ways to suit different tastes and occasions. Easy enough for a soup night at home, but pretty enough for a gathering. Other than the cheese omission described above, the only other significant changes I made were adding a dollop or three of party dip and a quirt of lemon juice because my cream cheese was weirdly bland and decreasing the salt. It wasn’t the tiniest bit soggy, and forming the tree was very straight-foward and kind of fun.
One last tip, if you have trouble getting your pizza cutter to cut evenly to the center strip, just use kitchen shears.
Thanks for a great recipe that was fun to make and delicious to share!
Marjie says
I made this yesterday for my daughter’s baby shower and used Pillsbury Pie Crust and shaped it in a wreath instead of a tree. I also served warm pizza sauce with it. It was delicious and everyone asked for the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
sunshine says
i’ve done this recipe a couple different ways.
instead of the pizza dough, i used the crescent dough.
it turned out really well.
inside i used, spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sharp cheddar, garlic and her seasoning (mrs dash)
it was really good.
then i made a sweet version. using the same crescent dough, but put some almond paste inside
and then just a vanilla glaze icing on top and added a few star spinkles.
that was the biggest hit ever!
sunshine says
opps… forgot to put in there, the mrs dash garlic and her seasoning.
sunshine says
garlic and herb seasoning
(for some reason it keeps taking off the b!)
sorry about that!
Donna Bruce says
I am not a baker……wanted to know if it’s better to baste Christmas tree spinach dip breadstix with the garlic butter before or after you bake it? Or both??
Vanessa Adams says
sounds good
Clarissa Comer says
I made this for my very first Christmas Eve party and it was a hit! Everyone loved it!
Sara B says
Just made this and it turned out pretty good, thank you! I just wanted to mention that at about 15 minutes in, the small top of the tree started browning when the larger base had a bit more to go. So I put a piece of tin foil over the top to protect it halfway through, otherwise, I think it may have burned.
Next time I think I’ll add some cayenne pepper to give it a little more kick.
But looked great to bring as a party appetizer.
Harjith says
Lady, you are unreal! Fabulous idea and mouthwatering!
Melinda says
Hi! I’ve made this a few times and absolutely love it! Not only as a Christmas tree but just as a rectangle for any type of event. It’s always a hit, so thank you!! My question… I have lost the recipe and for some reason it’s not showing on this page. I used the football ingredients but it’s just missing the melted butter, garlic salt and Italian seasoning amounts. Can you please share? Thanks in advance!!
Carla M. says
Teresa P. made a legit point by speaking her feelings about all the ads on these Pinterest sites. She is absolutely correct because 99% of Pinterest is deluged by annoying, repetitive ads. Totally understand your comment about the ads paying for your blog & this blog being your job, so you’re both correct, but Pinterest used to be a little less about ads & more about bloggers bragging about a recipe! Totally getting carried away with advertising which is gong to come by & bite you in the end, leaving you both in the gutter, unfortunately!
Panettone says
Thank you so much for this nice article. i have never enjoyed so much in a long time while reading a good article.
Salma says
Made this Christmas tree last year and it disappeared fast. So I made it again today, not as pretty but I am sure it will be delicious.
weemel says
Made this today for a small gathering at a friend’s, it was a hit and i’m no baker! I used a Jus-Roll shortcrust pastry sheet, am sure it took longer than 22 mins to cook but worked out well. Thanks a lot! 😀
Katy says
These were delicious! My MOPS group loved them. Easy to make too. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do the twist part without problems but everything stayed together. Making these again for Christmas eve and planning to do a second one with pizza toppings for my kiddos.
JchuA says
Will puff pastry work?
Samira Gupta says
Very beautiful looking bread. I too tried it and came out amazing. Thank you for sharing this.
Andrea says
This was wonderful. I used homemade pizza dough (the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction website) and it turned out perfect.
Lis says
This is perfect! So easy and so delicious! And so pretty! People are impressed, makes me look like I know my way around the kitchen! Thank you Autumn!
Rochelle says
Made it last night for dinner. Everyone loved it. I will make it again for sure. Thank you for the recipe. Greetings from Spain!