Almond Cream/Frangipane is having a bit of star moment right now andits truly well deserved. You can level up your pastry game by putting this on croissants, in puff pastry or in pies .And the best part, you don't need to go to France to have these. I have made these adorable heart shaped pastries from puff pastry because lets just admit it , store bought puff pastry is the single most genius good of all times.
You can slather the Almond cream on store bought or if are feeling more risky ,homemade croissants and then bake these for 400°F for 20 minutes and you'll have the most delicious croissants. I will post the recipe for those soon as well.
I shaped these pastries into cute little hearts but you can make these in squares or triangles if its just convenient for you!
The recipe yields enough Almond cream to make 10-12 croissants.
What you'll need for these:
2 sheets Puff Pastry(thawed)
1 cup of Almond meal/ flour or finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Zest of 1 orange ( optional)
1 Egg (for Egg wash)
Slivered Almonds for Garnish
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400° F. And line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dry roast the Almond flour or Almond meal in a heavy bottomed sauce pan on low heat until golden brown and aromatic. Keep a watchful eye on it.
Now transfer to a large mixing bowl and add butter ,sugar, salt and beat with an electric hand mixer until well mixed.
Then add egg, zest of 1 orange, the extracts and beat on medium high until fluffy and well mixed.
Transfer into a piping bag, it is just a little quick this way, otherwise a spoon works just fine.
Cut the thawed ( important)puff pastry into your desirable shape, I have used a heart shaped cookie cutter to shape the pastry .
In a small bowl beat an egg. Now fill the pastry with the almond cream and cover with another one on top and seal with a fork, by crimping the edges.Repeat with remaining pastries.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle slivered almonds. Now transfer to baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes golden brown . Leftover Frangipane can be frozen in a zip loc or an airtight container.
Enjoy warm with your favorite cup of Joe or Tea!!
If you happen to make these, let me know !