Almond Bear Claw with Puff Pastry (Printable)

Flaky puff pastry filled with sweet almond paste and topped with crunchy sliced almonds for a bakery-style treat.

# What You Need:

→ Filling

01 - 1 cup almond flour
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 large egg white
04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
06 - Pinch of salt

→ Pastry

07 - 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (about 9 oz), thawed

→ Assembly

08 - 1 large egg, beaten for egg wash
09 - 1/2 cup sliced almonds
10 - 2 tbsp coarse sugar

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Combine almond flour, sugar, egg white, softened butter, almond extract, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth paste forms.
03 - Roll thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface into 12x12 inch square.
04 - Cut pastry into 4 equal strips, then cut each strip in half to create 8 rectangles.
05 - Place about 1 tablespoon almond filling down center of each rectangle, leaving border around edges.
06 - Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise, covering filling. Seal edges by pressing gently.
07 - Make 3-4 cuts along sealed edge with sharp knife. Gently curve pastries into slight arc to fan out toes.
08 - Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush each bear claw with beaten egg, sprinkle with sliced almonds and coarse sugar.
09 - Bake for 18-22 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
10 - Allow to cool slightly before serving.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • Using store bought puff pastry means zero stress about laminating dough from scratch
  • The almond paste filling comes together in minutes but tastes like you spent hours perfecting it
  • These pastries freeze beautifully before baking so you can have fresh bakery treats anytime
02 -
  • Keep your puff pastry cold while working with it or it will become sticky and difficult to handle
  • The filling expands during baking so do not overfill or you will have a messy situation
  • Making the cuts too deep will cause the pastry to fall apart instead of fanning out nicely
03 -
  • Use a ruler when cutting the puff pastry to ensure all your bear claws bake evenly
  • Brush off excess flour from the pastry before adding the egg wash or you will have white spots on the finished pastry

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