Almond Puff Pastry
This Almond Puff Pastry recipe features flaky, buttery puff pastry wrapped around homemade almond paste. It’s surprisingly easy to make – it’ll become a family favorite!
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Almond Puff Pastry has always been a favorite treat around our house. Every year during the holidays, we pick up a couple of kringles from Trader Joe’s. They’ve become a bit of a holiday tradition, and they never last very long. A slice of flaky puff pastry filled with almond paste is amazing – even more so when it’s paired with a good cup of coffee!
Over the years I’ve dabbled with these same flavors, and this Almond Bear Claw recipe is one that we have made a number of times. Flaky puff pastry. Sweet almond paste filling. Easy to make. You see the theme here, right?
Almond Puff Pastry
Recently I hit the kitchen with the idea of making Almond Puff Pastry with homemade almond paste. This recipe turned out better than I expected – and it only calls for a few basic ingredients! The result is a crispy, flaky pastry with a sweet almond filling. Move over, kringles – this homemade treat has become a new favorite! (We’ve already made this recipe 3 times in a couple of weeks…it’s that good!)
I know the concept of homemade almond paste might sound a little scary. It’s not! A simple combination of almond flour with butter, sugar and eggs is all it takes. Just use an electric mixer to combine these ingredients until they are nice and fluffy, and you’re all set. Of course, you can also use store-bought almond paste – but I recommend this homemade version.
Slices of this Almond Puff Pastry can be served warm or at room temperature. They also work well as a dessert. Or as a mid-morning snack. Basically you can eat this treat at any time of the day!
Ingredients
- Homemade Almond Paste. Almond paste is surprisingly easy to make at home. Just combine almond flour with a bit of all-purpose flour. Add in unsalted butter, sugar, an egg and vanilla and almond extracts. That’s it. I recommend using an electric mixer or food processor so that the almond paste gets nice and fluffy.
- Puff Pastry. The flaky puff pastry is easy thanks to a sheet of frozen puff pastry. I recommend brushing the top of the Almond Puff Pastry with an egg wash and sprinkling sliced almonds on top. A generous sprinkling of sanding sugar is a nice addition as well.
This easy almond pastry recipe is certain to become a new family favorite! The classic braided top of this puff pastry looks impressive, too. Just slice the puff pastry into 1″ diagonal pieces and then fold them back and forth over each other. The result is a treat that looks like it came from a professional bakery. (I’ll keep your secret safe – we both know it’s an easy homemade recipe instead!)
Since packages of frozen puff pastry come with 2 sheets, we often double this recipe and make two pieces of Almond Puff Pastry – trust me when I say the extra doesn’t go to waste!
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover pieces of this Almond Puff Pastry should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend putting the slices in a toaster oven or oven for a few minutes to restore the crunchy texture. This recipe also freezes well. Just wrap the cooled puff pastry tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before reheating.
If you’re looking for a fantastic breakfast or brunch recipe, then hang onto this one! We enjoy making (and eating) this one as a family, and this Almond Puff Pastry is also a great option for when you have overnight guests in town. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do – Happy Baking!
Did you bake this easy Almond Puff Pastry recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) on Instagram – I’d love to see your version!
Almond Puff Pastry
Ingredients
For the Filling
- ¾ cup finely ground almond flour
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
For the Almond Puff Pastry
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 2 Tbsp sanding sugar or sparkling sugar
- {optional} confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the Filling
- Using a medium bowl, combine the almond flour and all-purpose flour; set bowl aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (~2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Add egg, vanilla extract and almond extract; mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add flour mixture (from above); mix on low speed until well combined. Set almond filling aside.
For the Almond Puff Pastry
- Working on a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll puff pastry sheet into a 14”x16” rectangle.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Note: If you haven’t already made the filling, this is a good time to do that.)
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Remove the puff pastry from refrigerator and trim into a 12”x15” rectangle. Transfer puff pastry onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Using the back of a dull knife (i.e. table knife), lightly score 2 lines down the length of the dough 4” in from each of the long edges.
- Spread the almond filling evenly into the center portion of the dough, leaving ~1” of space at either end.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the sides of the dough into 1” strips on a diagonal. Discard the excess triangle of dough from the top and bottom.
- Fold the 1” piece of dough at the top and bottom over the filling.
- Next, fold the diagonal strips over the dough, alternating between sides to create a braided look.
- Using a small bowl, whisk the egg together with 1 Tbsp of water. Brush this egg wash evenly on top of almond puff pastry.
- Sprinkle top with sliced almonds and sanding sugar.
- Transfer parchment onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown in color.
- Let cool on pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.
- If desired, dust the top of the pastry with powdered sugar.
- Cut pastry into 2” strips for serving.
Notes
Looking for more almond dessert recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I need to try this soon for me BTW cant wait to make your recipes soon for me
You definitely should make this treat, Ramya – it’s delicious!
I love recipes with almond meal – always makes them so moist and nutty! This looks great David.
sherry
And this is surprisingly easy, too – well, that is if you can get frozen puff pastry down there in Australia!
Do I dare hope my comment went thru? 🙂 Anyways here’s another. Just saying i love almond meal in a recipe; makes it moist and nutty!
sherry
Yup, your first one came through – I see ’em all…even if they don’t show up immediately on your end. Thanks, Sherry!
Mmm almond frangipane is one of my favorite fillings! Love how you’ve turned it into a delicious almond puff! Yum!
This is a fantastic breakfast (or dessert) recipe, Michelle – give it a try!
This almond cream sounds so good that I could probably enjoy it simply on a toast or with crepes. But of course marriage with buttery and flakey pastry makes it an ultimate treat!
You know, that’s a great idea to take the almond filling from this recipe and use it for other things. You are the crepe king, Ben, so I expect to see an almond crepes recipe soon! 🙂
WOA! I had no idea almond paste was that easy to make! Thanks David! I cannot wait to try your almond paste with store bought puff pastry – and you are spot on, its hard to beat the combo of almond paste, buttery puff pastry, and coffee!
I’m with you, Shashi – I’ve always bought almond paste in the past…until now! This is so easy to make, and using frozen puff pastry makes this recipe surprisingly easy. Add in that cup of coffee, and you’ve got breakfast covered!
This looks absolutely heavenly, David. I love puff pastry and I love almond paste. This would be double-love at first sight. I actually hadn’t come across this before I read your post. Now I want to head over to Trader Joe’s. Or even better, now that I have the recipe, make my own..
I can’t lie, Frank – the Trader Joe’s kringles are pretty fantastic. Sometimes they are seasonal items around the holidays, but you can often still find ’em year-round. They’re legit. But the homemade version is surprisingly easy. Definitely give it a shot!!
I do love puff pastry. Filling it with some almond paste sounds amazing. I agree that it’s a great coffee pairing David. Yum!
This is a great combination, Neil – and homemade almond paste is surprisingly easy to make. Definitely give this one a try sometime!
Okay, you had me at “flaky puff pastry + homemade almond paste” , that’s my kind of magic! Love how you’ve turned a fancy bakery treat into something so doable (and freezer-friendly for emergencies).
This treat is surprisingly easy to make at home, Raymund…the only problem is it will disappear too quickly!
If I wanted to make individual squares or triangles, what size would you suggest? Would 2″ still be ok? Thanks!
Hey Nora! You could certainly make these as individuals, but you’re going to need extra dough to fold over the sides. For a 2″ square, I would start with 2″x4″ pieces of dough, then fold the extra dough from the longer sides over to create the top. I hope this makes sense!