Description
These festive Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks combine cheesy spinach dip sandwiched between layers of pizza dough, shaped into fun Christmas tree shapes, twisted for texture, and baked to golden perfection. Topped with garlic butter, they make a perfect holiday appetizer that’s both delicious and visually impressive.
Ingredients
Scale
Spinach Dip Filling
- 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 mozzarella cheese
Dough
- 1 tube refrigerated pizza crust (13.8 oz)
Topping
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to get it ready for baking the breadsticks.
- Prepare Spinach Dip Mixture: In a bowl, beat together the thawed and squeezed dry spinach with softened cream cheese until combined and creamy. Add minced garlic, salt, onion powder, chili powder, pepper, Italian seasoning, grated parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. Beat all the ingredients together until you have a smooth, creamy spinach dip mixture.
- Shape Pizza Dough: Unroll the refrigerated pizza crust onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into one large Christmas tree-shaped triangle and two smaller triangles. Transfer the two smaller triangles to a second parchment sheet, placing their straight edges together to form a second large tree-shaped triangle of dough.
- Assemble Layers: Spread the prepared spinach dip evenly across the second dough triangle. Then carefully flip the first triangle of dough over the spinach layer, creating a sandwich with the spinach dip between two layers of dough.
- Cut and Twist Dough: Beginning near the center, make cuts every inch or so from the center outward on both the left and right sides, leaving about an inch of dough intact in the center. These cuts create individual slices. Take each slice and twist it upward; the shorter top slices get about a half twist, while the longer bottom slices can be twisted two or three full times for texture.
- Bake Breadsticks: Place the prepared dough shape on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the breadsticks are golden brown on top and fully cooked through on the bottom. Avoid undercooking to ensure the dough is done.
- Melt Butter and Add Seasoning: While the breadsticks bake, melt the butter and mix in the garlic powder (or garlic salt) and Italian seasoning.
- Brush and Serve: As soon as the breadsticks come out of the oven, brush the garlic butter mixture generously over the top. Serve warm for the best flavor and texture.
Notes
- These Christmas tree breadsticks make a fun and festive appetizer perfect for holiday parties and gatherings.
- The spinach dip filling adds creamy, savory flavor to the breadsticks.
- Be sure to squeeze the thawed spinach dry to prevent sogginess in the dough.
- Twisting the dough slices gives an attractive layered appearance and crispy edges.
- Serve warm to enjoy the melty cheese and garlic butter topping at its best.
- Can be prepared ahead of time and baked just before serving for convenience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 breadstick
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
