Creamy Lemon Almond Pastries
I love lemon-filled doughnuts when I can find them. This recipe brings the concept to a new level by placing the filling into a baked beignet and enhancing it with a bit of almond flavoring and toasted almonds.
The result? Sunshine in a bite. —Arlene Erlbach, Morton Grove, IL
Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min. + cooling Makes: 9 pastries ¹₂ cup plus 1 Tbsp. cream cheese,
softened (4¹ ₂ oz.)
²₃ cup confectioners’ sugar, divided 2 Tbsp. lemon curd
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
¹₄ tsp. almond extract
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 small egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. 2% milk
3 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
1. Beat the cream cheese, 3 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar, lemon curd, lemon zest and almond extract on medium speed until combined. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry. Roll into a 12x9-in. rectangle. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut into nine rectangles. Spoon rounded tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in center of each rectangle. In a small bowl, whisk egg with water. Brush edges with the egg mixture.
3. Wrap puff pastry around filling to cover completely. Pinch edges together to form a ball. Place seam side down, 2 in. apart, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the pastries with remaining egg mixture. Pierce each once with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen pastries from the parchment paper.
4. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, milk and remaining confectioners’ sugar. Brush each pastry with lemon glaze.
Top with almonds. When glaze is set, in 1-2 minutes, peel off paper. Serve warm.
Per pastry: 255 cal., 14g fat (5g sat. fat), 39mg chol., 148mg sod., 29g carb. (12g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g pro.
Test Kitchen tip: To toast nuts, bake in a shallow pan in a 350° oven for
5-10 minutes, or cook in a skillet over low heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.