Almond Pastry Puffs

By Addie

This tender, nutty coffee cake is one of my favorite brunch treats. It looks and tastes so special, people won’t believe you made it yourself. It’s good that the recipe makes two!—Betty Claycomb, Alverton, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

• PASTRY:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup cold water, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 eggs
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• FROSTING:
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 teaspoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2/3 cup chopped almonds, toasted

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour and salt; cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons cold water; stir with a fork until blended. Shape dough into a ball; divide in half. Place dough 3 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet; pat each into a 12-in. x 3-in. rectangle.

2. In a large saucepan, bring remaining butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in extract and remaining flour until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.

3. Spread over rectangles. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks.

4. For frosting, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, water and extract; beat until smooth. Spread over pastries; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 2 pastries (11 servings each).
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REVIEWS -

I've been making this wonderful recipe for years which I think may have originated in WI. I always vary what I put in between layers, but most times I choose red raspberry or black raspberry preserves. I can't think of a reason why things like lemon curd might not work well too.

My puff didn't turn out like the picture, but I'll try it again. My "puff" layer was very dense, so next time I'll transfer the "flour ball" into my kitchen aid before beating in the eggs to get more air. I'm also thinking that half cream cheese in place of the butter might be interesting as well as some lemon flavor. I'd also like to try small pastry rounds instead of the 12" rectangles to make them easier to handle and serve.

I have been making this for years and my husband and I love it. Years ago I found a recipe that was made exactly like this only it had a pineapple filling between the bottom and top layer. I lost that recipe but it was delicious. Does anyone have that recipe? Do you think it would work if I added pineapple preserves between the layers? thanks

Obviously I did something wrong because the top layer was very runny and came out looking flat. I re-read the recipe and can't figure out what went wrong.

This is one of the most delicious/unique pastriesI have ever had. I have been looking for this recipe forever! I 1st made it over 34 years ago, then stopped baking so much & somehow misplaced it; been looking for it10 years.

This is absolutely wonderful! I had this at a hotel in Green Bay and have been searching for the recipe. When I tasted this I knew this was the exact recipe from the hotel! I will make this frequently! My family loves it!!

I added homemade raspberry jam between the crust layer and the puff layer. We loved it!