Almond Apple Puff Pastries

Thank you so much for all your warm comments, everyone! I am so touched by how many caring people are reading my blog and have been praying for us and encouraging us since the birth of our baby. I am doing much better, but would appreciate all your continued prayers so I can make a complete recovery. You guys are the best!

I am back today with a great recipe to share. I know how much many of you love desserts, so this is just for you. This recipe is such a cinch to prepare. Homemade goodies are the best and you can use some store bought ingredients to give you a head start. In this recipe, store bought puff pastry and almond paste make this recipe especially easy and convenient. You can also make the puff pastry and the almond paste from scratch.

These pastries are so beautiful and elegant. They are very quick to prepare too. One of the nice bonuses about this recipe is that you can keep all the ingredients on hand and when you have unexpected company or want a simple baking option, this is the recipe to reach for.

I love flaky, tender puff pastry. It’s a great staple to have on hand for both savory and sweet food. Almond paste and apples are a great combination for this very humble sweet treat. You can even use pears for another delicious option.

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) package puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

2 apples, peel and cut into thin pieces

3 Tablespoons butter, melted brush apples with melted butter,

sprinkle with sugar

Egg wash (1 egg and 1 Tablespoon water)

1/2 cup apple jelly

Homemade Almond Paste:

1 cup Almond Meal/Flour

3/4 cup Powdered Sugar

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

1  Egg White

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Prepare the almond paste. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. You can also just mix it by hand. If you’re using store bought almond paste, add one egg white and a splash of vanilla extract to the almond paste and mix to combine until the paste is soft and workable. If you make the almond paste from scratch it will be soft and very easy to work with.

Peel and slice the apples thinly. You can also use pears in this recipe instead of the apples.

Prepare the egg wash by lightly beating the egg and water. You can use milk or cream instead of the water too.

If you would prefer to make puff pastry from scratch, there are many recipes online. I also have a Quick Puff Pastry recipe on my website that you can use.

Unfold the puff pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured counter just until the seams are evenly rolled out.  Each sheet of pastry should be rolled out into 11-12 inch square. You don’t have to be too precise with it, since you’ll be cutting out circles out of it anyway.

Cut out circles out of the dough. I used a 3 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Place about 1/2-3/4 of a Tablespoon of almond paste on top of each circle of dough and spread it out evenly, leaving a rim around the edges. Shingle the slices of apples on top of the almond paste. The apple slices need to be very thin, so that they will bake through completely. Brush the apple slices with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Brush the edges of the pastries with the egg wash.

Bake the pastries in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the pastries are golden brown.

While the pastries are baking, place the apple jelly in a small saucepan and heat it up just until the apple jelly is liquid. You can also warm up the apple jelly in the microwave for about a minute. When the pastries are baked and still warm, brush the pastries with the liquid apple jelly. This will not only add more apple flavor and sweetness to these pastries, but also give them a beautiful glossy finish.