Name: Almond Swirl Pastries (Girelle alle Mandorle)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted; 2 oz (56 gr) butter, at room temperature; 1/2 cup (55 gr) almond flour; 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for counter; 2 eggs, divided; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional); almond slices, to sprinkle on top; powdered sugar, to sprinkle on top

Crispy and flaky puff pastry swirls
filled with frangipane and topped with almond slices
Easy to make and easier to eat!

It goes without saying that I loooove almond desserts! You probably have guessed it by the many recipes with almonds that I posted on the blog: Italian almond cookies, traditional almond biscotti, Italian almond tart, almond and plum cake, sweet almond ravioli, almond-poppyseeds muffins ... to name a few!

And today I present you with a NEW recipes with almonds: crispy puff pastry swirls, filled with almond cream and topped with more crunchy almond slices. Take a look!

These "girelle alle mandorle" (almond filled swirl pastries) are made with store bought puff pastry (so versatile and convenient!), and a few simple ingredients.

They only take about 30 minutes of your time. Perfect for breakfast or snack time.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this recipe.

You can make your own puff pastry, but I like to use store-bought pastry which is a lot more convenient and gives perfect results every time! You can buy refrigerated or frozen puff pastry.

Make sure to defrost (if frozen), work quickly once defrosted, and refrigerate for a bit before baking for the best results!

Make the frangipane in one bowl. Roll out the puff pastry sheets (if needed) into two rectangles. I sprinkled the counter with a little bit of sugar so the pastry wouldn't stick to the counter.

Spread the almond filling onto one sheet. Cover with the second sheet and place in the refrigerator.

If you are short in time you can skip the refrigeration. BUT the filling is super soft and will spread out of the strips when cutting. Not a big problem, but it's just a little messy.

Cut along the long side into strips about 1 inch wide. I roll out my puff pastry into a 12 by 8 inch rectangle. So each strip turns out 1 inch by 12 inches.

Twist the strip onto itself, while rolling into a swirl directly onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Don't roll the swirls too tight (you want the pastries to puff up and fully cook in the middle part too!). And tuck the ending under the swirl so it stays in place.

And leave lots of room between pastries on the baking sheet (I only have 4 pastries in one baking pan).

Make sure to check out my video to see how easy that is!

Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with almond slices - as many as you wish!

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. I started at 400F to get the nice puff a the beginning and lowered the temperature (without opening the oven) to 350F after the first 10 minutes, to make sure the pastries turned out full cooked inside and nice deep golden on the outside.