The holidays are upon us! That means lots of baking for parties and gatherings. If you’re having family over, and you want to prepare something special but spend the minimum amount of time and effort, I recommend this quick and easy brunch treat.

The secret? I used frozen puff pastry and bought the almond paste. Really, the work is in making it look pretty.  As you can see in the photo below, all you need to do is alternate strips of puff pastry over an almond core.  You could even switch out the filling if almond isn’t your thing!

The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 7-8 oz almond paste
• 4 oz (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

For the glaze:

• heaping 3/4 c. powdered sugar
• 2 T. milk
• 1/2 t. almond extract
• 1/4 c. sliced, toasted almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the almond paste, sugar, and butter in a food processor and pulse until well chopped (almost a wet sand texture). Add one egg and flour and process until smooth.
2. Place puff pastry sheets onto a greased pan or parchment paper lined pan. Spoon half of the almond mixture into the center third of each sheet, keeping some room at either end to seal. Smooth out the paste, then cut eight strips on each side to the center section. 
3. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across the filling. Pinch each end to seal them. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
4. In a bowl, mix the second egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of the pastry with the egg wash, and then bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.
5. Combine the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract in a bowl and drizzle it over the pastries.  Before the glaze dries, sprinkle with the almond slices.

The entire process takes about an hour, baking included! This easy brunch pastry is beautiful — your family and friends will think you went to a fancy bakery or worked for hours in the kitchen. (It’s our secret.)