This Sweet Almond Pastry recipe is buttery, flaky, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Serve this braided almond pastry for breakfast or dessert – you can’t go wrong!
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My Favorite Sweet Breakfast Treat
With just a few simple ingredients, this bakery worthy Sweet Almond Pastry is perfectly crisp and flaky with a sweet almond filling. Serve it warm out of the oven dusted with powdered sugar and it’s guaranteed to disappear in seconds!
Many, many moons ago, when Jorge and I were kid-less, we used to sometimes wake up on a Saturday morning and drive to a farmer’s market in St. Pete. It was over an hour away, but they had the most amazing sweet almond filled crescents. I decided to try making my own almond pastries at home, and I have to say, they turned out scrumptious – maaaybe even better than the ones we used to buy at the market!
(Want more almond pastry magic? Try these Almond Stuffed Crescent Rolls – so pretty and so tasty!)
The Ingredients You’ll Need
These pastries look and taste elegant, but to make them, you don’t need anything fancy! It’s all basic grocery store stuff, which makes them easy to whip up anytime. Here’s the list:
- Egg: One large, whole egg for an egg wash.
- Water: Also for the egg wash.
- Almond Paste: For the sweet almond filling.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is fine, or you could use raw sugar.
- Vanilla: Usea good-quality pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Puff Pastry: Pre-made puff pastry from the frozen foods section makes this recipe quick and easy.
- Almonds: Sliced almonds for scattering on top.
Is Almond Pastry Filling the Same as Almond Paste?
There are a few different almond products on the market, and it’s not always easy to know which one you’re dealing with! First, there’s almond filling. This is a jammy, soft, spreadable filling mixture that often comes in a can. Then there’s almond paste. It’s much firmer, and is made with roughly half ground almonds and half sugar. Finally, there’s marzipan, which is very similar to almond paste. Marzipan is a bit firmer and sweeter than almond paste, and is technically considered a candy. This recipe uses almond paste, which you can find in most grocery stores as well as online.
Can I Use Crescent Rolls Instead of Puff Pastry?
For some recipes, crescent rolls can be a good substitute for puff pastry. But for these almond pastries, I really recommend using puff pastry and not a substitute. Crescent roll dough will not bake up with the same light, buttery, flaky layers as real puff pastry.
Let’s Make Sweet Almond Pastry!
I promise you will love this easy recipe for my favorite almond filled pastry. Make this for brunch to impress all your friends…while it looks very involved, it only takes about 40 minutes start to finish!
- Get Ready to Bake. First, preheat the oven to 400°F. Get out a baking sheet, and line it with parchment or a silpat baking mat. Then make your egg wash by whisking the egg and water together in a bowl or measuring cup.
- Make the Filling. Next, use a food processor or stand mixer to combine the almond paste, sugar, and vanilla. These should be well-combined and smooth.
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- Roll Out the Puff Pastry. Unfold the puff pastry, and lay it on the prepared baking sheet. Roll it gently with a rolling pin so that it’s a bit thinner and larger than it is right out of the box. Not much, just a little bit!
- Cut the Sides. Cut the long sides of the puff pastry at an angle, into one-inch-wide strips. You don’t want to cut all the way across; there should be an uncut area down the middle for spreading the filling.
- Add the Filling. Spread the almond paste filling down the center of the puff pastry.
- Fold the Strips Over the Filling. Fold the strips over the filling, alternating the sides. You should get a pretty “braided” effect from the strips overlapping.
- Add Egg Wash and Almonds. Brush the puff pastry with egg wash, and sprinkle the sliced almonds all over the top.
- Bake! Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, and then lower the heat to 375°F. Continue baking for another 17 – 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Cool and Serve. Cool your sweet almond pastry on the pan for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success
As with any baking recipe, there are a few things you should know ahead of time before you make this. Here are my top tips for the best sweet almond pastry.
- Thaw the Puff Pastry: The best way to thaw puff pastry is in the fridge overnight, so definitely do that if possible. If not, set it out at room temperature, and use it as soon as it’s pliable enough to unfold without cracking. Puff pastry that’s still frozen will crack. Puff pastry that’s too warm will be soggy.
- Almond Paste: The almond paste is what gives this all its flavor – don’t skimp on it!
- Add Chocolate: Also, if you want to add chocolate, I like to spread some homemade nutella on top of the almond mixture before I braid the pastry. It is seriously divine.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve almond pastry is for brunch, with a few other brunch dishes to fill out the menu and add contrast. These easy brunch ideas would be perfect.
- Eggs: Who can resist a big platter of creamy scrambled eggs? No one in my house, that’s for sure. This tutorial will show you How to Make Scrambled Eggs 4 Different Ways.
- Fruit Salad: No brunch is complete without a pretty fruit salad! This old-fashioned Ambrosia Salad will hit all the right notes, no matter the occasion.
- Coffee: Looking for a special coffee drink? Look no more. Easy Dalgona Coffee is ultra-luxe, but incredibly simple to make
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
You can store these pastries on the counter in a baggie for 2 days, or in the fridge for a bit longer. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months (make sure to thaw them out in the refrigerator before serving.)
If you would like to warm up the pastries for serving, pop them in the toaster oven or regular oven at 350°F for a few minutes, until heated through. Alternatively, microwave for just a few seconds at a time until they’re warmed up.
Sweet Almond Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 8 oz almond paste
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Set aside.
- In a food processor (or stand mixer) combine almond paste, sugar and vanilla extract. Until well combined.
- Unfold pastry sheet on prepared baking sheet. Gently roll it with a rolling pin to be a little thinner than it is out of the box – not much, just a little larger.
Follow video above for how to cut, fill and braid pastry. Here are some written directions to help guide you:
- Unfold 1 pastry sheet on prepared pan. Cut slits 1 inch apart from the 2 sides of the pastry rectangle within 1/2 inch of the where the center mixture will go. Arrange the almond paste mixture down the center of the pastry.
- Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the almond mixture on a diagonal, alternating sides. Brush the pastry lightly with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then lower heat to 375°F and continue to bake for 17 to 20 minutes — until golden brown. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes, slice and serve.
Notes
- Thaw the Puff Pastry: The best way to thaw puff pastry is in the fridge overnight, so definitely do that if possible. If not, set it out at room temperature, and use it as soon as it’s pliable enough to unfold without cracking. Puff pastry that’s still frozen will crack. Puff pastry that’s too warm will be soggy.
- Almond Paste: The almond paste is what gives this all its flavor – don’t skimp on it!
- Add Chocolate: Also, if you want to add chocolate, I like to spread Nutella on top of the almond mixture before I braid the pastry. It is seriously divine.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Amazing Almond Recipes
- Almond Biscotti
- Almond Amaretto Cookies
- Almond Shortbread Tea Cookies
- White Texas Almond Sheet Cake
- Almond Meltaway Cookies
- Almond Amaretto Cheesecake
- Almond Joy Truffles
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So freaking good!! I took others advice & split the filling between two puff pastry sheets. I also used vanilla paste instead of extract & added a splash of Disaronno to the filling. Before I plaited, I added some chocolate to one of them. Baked beautifully & absolutely delicious.
I wish I had read the reviews before making this recipe. I would use 1/3, maybe 1/2 of the amount of paste reccomended. My husband made the same comment after trying it without hearing my critique. Otherwise it was easy and looks like it’s from a bakery! I will definitely make it again with adjustments.
I have used many online recipes over the years.. and I have never used one that was so bad that I took it upon myself to warn others… until tonight. I read the comments and decided to half the amount of the almond paste mixture. I used the premade Odense 7oz almond paste from the store and honestly.. I felt like the pastry needed more paste but not more of that paste. It tasted like medicine!! The pastry turned out good and I am giving two stars for the pastry and the cutting instructions, but this recipe needs home made almond paste. I had to throw the whole pastry away.
Taste: 0/10
Bake: 8/10
Hi Michelle, I am sorry your results weren’t great, but I believe your almond paste must have gone bad. We used many brands of almond paste when I worked in a bakery and they all tasted virtually the same. So I think somehow yours must have gone bad if it tasted so terribly.
I used half the paste part as recommended by other people and I think it was still too much. The ends stayed nice and puffy but the center six inched flopped a bit. Any recommendations?
I never used Almost Paste before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. OMG…. Loved it. The instructions were very easy to follow, especially how to cut and prep the puff pastry. I didn’t have any sliced almonds. But I did have canned cherries that I wanted to try. I will be making this forever!
This sounds delicious but I’d really like to see the video on how to braid it together. Evidently it’s no longer available.
Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/cUtHp1v20-U
I used half the filling – but LOVE this! I’ll be doing this again! Thank you!
I prepared the recipe and it was a huge succed!! i didn’t use the whole filling. Thanks a lot from Spain!
Jessica, Have you tried to assemble the pastry together in the evening, refrigerate and bake it in the morning?
If you wrap it tightly with Saran Wrap, it should be ok in the fridge to store before baking!
How long would this last at room temp.?
24 hours!
So I accidentally bought solo almond filling instead of paste, so will try this concept with that until I have paste instead!
After already having bought shells instead of pastry sheets, I’m having almond something lol
Thanks for taking the time with this awesome recipe
I bet you sliced apple would be lovely on top of that marzipan too. I must try this soon. Thanks for sharing.
Just made this. It came out beautifully and was delicious. I added 4oz (half a block) of cream cheese and 1 egg to the almond paste mixture and kept the sugar the same. Instead of vanilla extract, I used almond extract. The mixture is runnier, but is easily managed. Very professional looking with the great braiding instructions!
I loved the recipe very much, but after making it there was too much filling in the fished product. Things I will do next time is make two puff pasty sheets and split the filling recipe between the both. And to me that would be must perfect. Even sprinkle with dry powder sugar on it When plating.
I just made this and thought it was wonderful! My favorite part of these kinds of pastries is the filling, so I didn’t mind the amount of filling at all! (No really, I could eat almond paste by the block I love it so much haha.) However, I did make a homemade puff pastry that was decently thick, so it balanced out the filling more than a store-bought puff pastry would.
Is it hard to make the almond paste from scratch? I don’t know if I can buy it at my local shops. Also instead of nutella could maple syrup be drizzled or would it ruin it?
I always make almond paste from scratch. In a food processor mix 1 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sprinkle of salt, 1 egg white, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond extract. Once uniform, put in plastic wrap and tie off on both ends and store in fridge til ready to use.
This is late for you but may help others. Almond paste is very easy to make. If you have a food processor, you can use whole almonds, blanched or unbalanced. If you don’t havr a food processor, just use the same amount of almond flour. Being over on the almond measurement won’t hurt. Most recipes I’ve seen make about 3 cans worth much cheaper than just one can!
This is delicious and super easy! The video was a big help!
This recipe is delicious. Just made it this morning but definitely wished I used half the almond paste it was too much for one pastry sheet. I will make this again but will half the almond mixture.
I’m sorry to say…But this did not come out well for me either….I wish I would’ve read the comments before…..But lesson learned.
Oh and at the top total prep time says 40 min.
I believe you might of meant 50 min. I may be wrong though…
This looks great! Could you tell me the size/weight of the puff pastry you used? This looks perfect for a brunch I am going to next weekend. Thanks!
I just made these and they turned out wonderful! I did what another woman on here suggested and just used a little over half of the almond paste mixture that this recipe calls for and it was perfect. I can see how too much would ruin the taste. I also used a little bit of melted butter on the pastry sheet to help it brown. This makes for the perfect treat or snack with tea or for brunch.
Thanks for sharing!!