Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs, stirring in thoroughly before adding more. Fold in 75g of the pistachios, the ground almonds and flour and mix again. Refrigerate until needed.2. Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / gas 4. On a lined baking tray roll out one of the pastry sheets. Cut into a christmas tree shape, including a trunk. Using a spatula cover in a layer of the pistachio frangipane mixture, then top with a layer of cherry jam. Place your second sheet of puff pastry on top, and cut it in line with the shape of the christmas tree.
3. From the top of the tree gently score two lines either side of the trunk, all the way down. Either side of the trunk cut horizontally to form branches about 1cm wide, ensuring you have fully cut through the pastry. Work your way up the branches twisting each one. Cut a star from your pastry discard and top the tree.
4. Brush with a beaten egg and place into the oven for 15- 20 minutes until golden and puffed up. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios and dot with Opies Cocktail Cherries to make edible baubles.
5. Dust with some icing sugar and serve warm.
Ingredients
• 75g butter, softened
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100g pistachios, blitzed
• 75g ground almonds
• 15g plain flour
• 2 x ready rolled puff pastry sheets
• 150g cherry jam
• 1 egg, beaten
• 12 Opies Cocktail Cherries
• Icing sugar for dusting
