My dad loved Bear Claw pastries. He bought them whenever he could. I even witnessed him choose a Bear Claw over chocolate, which he could eat by the pound. However, I vividly remember my dad’s shock when he learned he learned that Bear Claw pastries were filled with an almond paste mixture. Although it was his best friend’s wife, who worked at a bakery in Delaware, that told him, he did not believe her at first. I have no idea of what he thought filled a Bear Claw, but it obviously was not almond paste. Despite liking almonds, I thought my dad might stop eating Bear Claws based upon how shocked he was by the news of the filling contents. Instead, he continued eating Bear Claws whenever possible. I think it was why he looked forward to going to Panera to eat whenever he visited my sister was so that he could get a Bear Claw.
Today, I rarely go to Panera without ordering a Bear Claw. I think of my dad every time I eat one. However, I have not been to Panera or anywhere else to eat in months. So, when I decided to to to use some of my almond flour supply by making almond paste, I decided to try to make Bear Claws too.
I found an easy way to make Bear Claws that I really like; I use frozen puff pastry. It is so much quicker and easier than making pastry dough from scratch.
Although having a flaky pastry is important to a great Bear Claw, a great tasting filling is probably the key to a fantastic Bear Claw. While using a shortcut for the dough, a filling made using a homemade almond paste is worth the little extra time and effort. It is still much quicker and easier to make homemade almond paste than to make the pastry dough from scratch. I like the taste and cost of it better than the tube or box that can be purchased in a grocery store.
Easy Bear Claws
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 oz. almond paste
- 1 Tbsp. almond liquor or 1 tsp. almond extract
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 c. confectioners or extra fine granulated sugar
- 3/4 c. almond flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon, to taste
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Pastry
- 1 lb. +/- frozen puff pastry dough
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp.+/- water
- sliced almonds
Icing
- 1 c. confectioners sugar
- 1 Tbsp. +/- milk
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Follow thawing directions on frozen puff pastry package to thaw dough prior to starting making the bear claw filling.
- Preheat oven to 400 or 375 degrees F, depending on what brand of frozen puff pastry dough you use. Pepperidge Farm is 400 degrees.
- Place a silicone sheet or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- In a mixing bowl, place pieces of almond paste, almond liquor, and butter.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat until paste and other ingredients combine.
- Add egg whites, sugar, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Beat until well combined and fluffy. It should be a thick enough mixture to easily pipe, but not too thick.
- Place mixture in the corner of a gallon or quart zipper plastic bag or a piping bag.
- Beat the egg yolks and water together and set aside.
- Roll out half of thawed pastry dough into a rectangle that is approximately 10 X 12 inches.
- Cut into six rectangles of approximately 5 X 4 inches.
- Cut the corner of the plastic bag so that the filling mixture can be squeezed (piped) in a strip.
- Pipe a bead (row) of filling starting near the middle of a pastry rectangle. I like a lot of filling so I pipe two to three beads of filling so that it makes a 2-ish inch strip that ends about 1/2 inch from the side edge of the rectangle. I get within a 1/2-inch at the top and the bottom of the rectangle, but you can leave 1/2-inch clearance all the way around if you like.
- You can use some of the egg wash to lightly go around the outer edge of half of the rectangle of dough to seal one half of the pastry to the other. Or, you can just firmly press the pastry together on the edges, especially if the dough is rather soft.
- Cut 4 slits rather evenly along the folded edge of the filled pastry. (Yes, you cut the the filled area).
- Lay each filled pastry on the prepared baking sheet slightly curving the pastry at the top where you have sealed the edges so the split area separates.
- Place in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to chill dough again.
- Brush with egg wash and top with slice almond.
- Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and light sounding when tapped. (I usually check on them at 10 minutes). If baking at 375 degrees, it may need to bake longer.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
- Roll out other half of the puff pastry dough and fill as directed after first batch is baked or while first batch is in the refrigerator/baking if you want to use two baking sheets. I do not recommend baking more than one sheet at a time.
- Combine the confectioners sugar, milk, extract, and salt in a small bowl. Use a fork or spoon to drizzle the icing/glaze on the baked bear claws as soon as they have cooled a little.
- They are great when served warm.
