Chocolate caramel Christmas trees recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

Chocolate-filled, caramel-coated Christmas trees are a decadent swirl of pastry heaven

Sarah Akhurst

Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill

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Ingredients

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Step by step

1. Warm the milk until just lukewarm, add the sugar and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes. Put the flour and salt in a free standing mixer or large bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the warm milk mixture, the egg and the 60g of butter. Stir to bring together, then continue to knead for 5 minutes with the dough hook on a low speed, or for 10 minutes by hand on a floured surface. Transfer to a greased bowl, and cover. Leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the cones to shape the dough. Use scissors to trim the edge of each waffle cone evenly so that they will stand up straight. Roll each cone in foil until it is covered, making sure the top has a distinct point, and tucking the foil underneath to hold it in place. Stand on a baking tray.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Tip the dough out onto a floured worksurface and knock it back. Roll out into a large rectangle, roughly 25cm x 40cm. Cut into 8 long strips.
5. Melt the extra 50g of butter; mix the cinnamon with the extra 100g of sugar in a wide shallow bowl. Brush the foiled cones with some melted butter to help you remove them easily later.
6. Taking one strip of dough, start to wind it around a buttered cone from the base, tucking the end under the cone so it doesn’t come loose. The strip should butt up against itself as you wind, but not overlap. When the cone is completely covered, roll it firmly with your hand on your work surface to press the strips together. Snip off any excess from the top, twisting the dough to a point at the top of the cone.
7. Brush with more melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Stand on the baking tray and repeat with the remaining cones. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown; cool.
8. When cool enough to handle, gently remove the foil cone from inside, carefully cutting away any excess bread to trim the base evenly so the trees will stand up straight. Warm the chocolate hazelnut spread briefly in the microwave then brush it all over the inside of the cones. Handle them gently as they easily separate in a twist.
9. Decorate with a drizzle of caramel sauce, a scattering of nuts and a snowy dusting of icing sugar. Stick a star-topped co*cktail stick in the top of each.