Chef Massimo Capra‘s wife Rosa started making this tree about seven years ago, and it became so popular, she’s had to make one for every party the couple goes to! It’s not a difficult recipe, but it does take time.
Pretzel and popcorn Christmas tree
Ingredients:
- 2 medium bags of popcorn, about 300 g
- 600 g white chocolate chips
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 3/4 cup peanut brittle, crushed
- 3/4 cup assorted Christmas candies, tiny size multicolour
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 kg salted pretzels sticks
- 1 kg dark chocolate chips
Method:
Draw on parchment paper two sets of circles for each of the following diameters: 4, 6, 8 and 10 inches. Cut out the circles.
Melt the chocolate on a double boiler at no more than 115 F or 45 C. Hold it in a warm water bath to keep it melted.
Toss the popcorn with the white chocolate, making sure to use your clean hands to coat it well. Add the candies and nuts.
For the first set of circles, stack popcorn loosely, at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches tall. Set aside to rest and cool so the chocolate will stick and harden.
For the second set of circles, start dipping the pretzels two-thirds of the way in chocolate, shake excess off and lay concentrically across the drawn circle, making sure the part with no chocolate is sticking out about one inch. Go around the circle twice and make sure you have about 1/2-inch height and all the sticks are touching. Drizzle some chocolate to make sure they stay together. Set aside to cool so the chocolate will harden.
To assemble, place the largest popcorn circle on a pedestal plate using some melted chocolate as glue. Place the largest pretzel stick circle on top. Continue to alternate the next smallest popcorn and pretzel circles, sticking each layer to the next using a melted chocolate.
Dress the tree with more candies and icing sugar or any way you like.
Courtesy Chef Massimo Capra
massimocapra.com
@chefcapra
All of our product suggestions are independently researched and sourced by Cityline. However, if you purchase something through cityline.tv, we may earn commission. Thanks for visiting us!