These delicious pastries are filled with easy homemade almond paste and apples cooked in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until soft and saucy. After baking until puffed and golden, a generous drizzle of brown sugar glaze makes a good thing even better. Frozen puff pastry is the secret to keeping the prep time to around 30 minutes.
One Saturday in October, while out on the motorcycle in search of changing leaves in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Steve and I happened upon a festival at an outdoor center with food, music, and rows of booths with people selling everything from art to kayaking equipment.
We purchased a bear claw from an adorable older couple who were eager to chat with their customers, asking questions about where we were from and explaining that he makes the almond paste and she makes the dough. The bear claw was delicious and as is always the case when I eat something delicious, I wanted to make them at home.
This recipe is a simplified version of those bear claws. Using store bought frozen puff pastry simplifies the process and even though there are several components to this recipe, the actual hands on time is minimal - about 30 minutes.
You can cut down on the time even more by using store bought almond paste, which you can often find at many supermarkets. But, making it yourself is quite easy and takes less than 10 minutes.
How to make homemade almond paste
This recipe makes 14 ounces of almond paste, but you’ll only need half of that for 8 turnovers. When well wrapped, almond paste will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
1 1/2 cups of finely ground almond flour
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, OR 1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg white (or 3 tablespoons glucose syrup, more as needed)
2 teaspoons almond extract
Add 1 1/2 cups almond flour, 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the bowl of a food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Process or mix for a few seconds, just to combine.
Add the egg white and 2 teaspoons of almond extract. Process or beat until the mixture comes together into a ball of dough.
Dump the almond paste onto a work surface and divide it into two equal portions. Pat each portion into a log that’s approximately 2 inches thick. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Pro Tip:
Cutting the apples into small pieces that are about the size of a kidney bean will make filling the turnovers easier. Cut out the apple core, but there is no need to peel the apples.
Now that we’ve got those down, how about trying a cherry version?
These delicious puff pastry cherry turnovers are filled with sweet cherries and cream cheese, then topped with roasted almonds and vanilla glaze.