Description

Deviled Egg Christmas Trees are a festive and creative appetizer perfect for holiday gatherings. This recipe features hard-boiled eggs filled with a creamy, flavorful spinach and egg yolk mixture, piped into whimsical tree shapes and decorated with colorful mini bell pepper stars, chili ‘ornaments,’ parmesan ‘snow,’ and fresh herbs for a delightful seasonal presentation.

Ingredients

Scale

Eggs and Filling

14 large eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 oz baby spinach
⅔ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon or yellow mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp hot sauce (or more to taste)
4 tbsp dehydrated potato flakes (for structure)
Salt & black pepper to taste

Decorations

1 red Fresno chili, finely minced (for ornaments)
½ yellow bell pepper, cut into mini stars (use a small cutter or slice by hand)
Finely grated parmesan (for “snow”)
Optional: chives or dill for extra “piney” texture

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Boil the eggs: Place eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from heat, cover it, and let the eggs sit for 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and cool the eggs in ice water before peeling.
Prepare spinach: In a skillet, melt the butter and lightly sauté the thinly sliced garlic until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then squeeze out excess moisture thoroughly.
Remove yolks: Halve the peeled eggs carefully and gently remove the yolks, setting the whites aside for filling.
Make the filling: In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, sautéed spinach and garlic mixture, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, smoked paprika, hot sauce, and dehydrated potato flakes. Blend until smooth and fluffy. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
Pipe the filling: Using a piping bag fitted with a star or round tip, pipe the filling onto the halved egg whites, building it up into a tree shape with height and texture. Chill the filled eggs in the refrigerator for 1 hour to allow the filling to set.
Decorate: Garnish the piped egg trees with finely minced red Fresno chili pieces as ornaments, yellow bell pepper mini stars as tree toppers, a dusting of finely grated parmesan for a snowy effect, and optionally add chives or dill for extra piney texture and festive appearance.

Notes

Dehydrated potato flakes help give the filling structure for piping; if unavailable, try finely crushed crackers as a substitute.
Ensure spinach is well-drained to prevent the filling from becoming too wet.
You can vary the decoration colors using other small diced vegetables or herbs to suit your festive theme.
Prepare eggs a day ahead for convenience; keep chilled until assembling.
Adjust hot sauce quantitiy according to your heat preference.