Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Do you like puff pastry and pesto? Then you will love this shamrock appetizer.
A cute idea inspired by The Food Network Magazine.
Shamrock Pesto Puff Pastry
- 1 sheet thawed puff pastry
- 1/2 cup or so homemade Pesto Perpetuo Basil or Weight Watcher’s Pesto and one more Pesto
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. You need to catch the oil that leaks out of the pesto, at least with my homemade I needed to.
Carefully unfold the dough and roll it out to a 12-by-14-inch rectangle on a liberally floured surface. Should it tear use a little water to press it together. I make it a little bigger and then using a pizza cutter straighten up all four sides.
Cut a 1/2-inch strip from one long side and set aside for the stems.
Spread a thin layer of pesto on top of the pastry. Cut the rectangle in half first; then roll up one long side towards the center, and then roll up the other long side as tight as you can until they meet. Repeat with the other half. Cut the log into 1/2-inch thick slices. Pinch the bottoms to form heart shapes.
Place three hearts together to create a shamrock shape using a beaten egg to “glue”the heart sides together. Cut a stem and press it into the bottom of the shamrock using more beaten egg.
Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Comment: I used too much pesto but it was delicious. You need to work on the heart shape because as the pastry bakes the hearts have a tendency to lose their shape.
If you would like more recipes using puff pastry go to Palmiers Appetizers Five Ways.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com






I wish they remained green, but still they look like real clover leaves!
Me too Liz – using less pesto will not make it so obvious 🙂
They look so good! You’re so clever!
Thanks Elaine 🙂
They look so cute Judi. And I bet delicious!
Thanks Sandhya – they were very good 🙂
How creative, and I’m sure very very tasty! 🙂
Thanks Ronit – I love pesto in so many different recipes 🙂
So very clever Judi, love them, and the fact that I saw WW on there somewhere, it must be good despite the puff pastry 🙂 Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you.
Thank you Loretta – yes I have a number of recipes for making pesto including Weight Watcher’s 🙂
This looks adorable and sounds delicious!
Thanks Julie !
Awesome! I love pesto, it has such great flavour.
Me too Sheryl – I freeze a bunch every year and was glad I had some left to make these shamrocks 🙂
This sounds amazing Judi, and so unique 🙂
Thanks Lynne – I love, love, love pesto 🙂
Great combination Judi! What a yummy St Patrick’s Day appetizer! Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Thanks Antonia – Same to you 🙂
Yum! We love pesto and this is a great use for it! Thanks for sharing and Happy St.Patty’s Day! 🙂
Thanks – I make sure I grow a lot of basil every year so I have plenty of pesto to get me through the winter 🙂
You’re so lucky! That’s the limitation we currently have with living in a flat- no garden! 🙁
Oh, I just know that these are scrumptious, Judi! What a great recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day!
Puff pastry and my homemade Pesto – always fun to make something I have grown in my garden (basil). Thanks Julianna…
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I like puff pastry and pest, and your shamrock appetizer is wonderful! 😛
Thank you Fae – so easy to put together since my pesto was already made 🙂
What a cute idea for St. Patty’s Day! And there are so many different kinds of pesto available too. 🙂
Thanks Kathryn – you can use any filling. I make a lot of different versions and they are always a big hit 🙂
Perfect for St. Paddy’s! But of course, I’d eat this anytime!
Me Too 🙂
They look so delightful and love the design as well. . Very innovative…
Thanks so much Chitra 🙂
Ooh I love these! My sisters birthday is on St Patricks Day so these would be perfect to make for her 🙂 What a fab idea!
Thanks – easy and delicious 🙂
yummm! This looks amazing!
They were easy and fun to make Lynn 🙂
They are so cute and lovely! I love this creative idea Judi!!
So festive, Judi! Your talents never cease to amaze me… I’m sure mine would resemble logs. 😉
Not with your talent Nancy – you have a creative way about you. No matter what they look like they were good to eat 🙂
Maybe I’d have better luck with egg shaped ones for Easter, Lol.
What a clever creative idea 🙂
Thanks – it was especially tasty because I used my homemade pesto 🙂