Almond Puff Pastry Twisted Cookies (Sacristains)
Classic French twisted puff pastry cookies topped with sliced almonds and coarse sugar, with a rich buttery aroma. Store in a dry environment.
Ingredients
Quick puff pastry dough (see recipe on page 358, freeze remaining half for later use)
1/2 recipe
large egg (beaten with 1 tsp water for egg wash)
1
Coarse sugar (divided into two portions for use)
1/2 cup
Sliced almonds (chopped, divided into two portions for use)
1/2 cup
Instructions
1
Rolling the dough
Sprinkle flour on the work surface, roll the dough into a 12×16 inch rectangle (about 1/16 inch thick), dusting with flour as needed. Trim the edges with a chef's knife to make them neat
2
Brushing with egg wash and sprinkling toppings
Brush the egg wash over the entire dough using an egg brush. Evenly sprinkle half of the sugar and half of the chopped almonds. Gently roll to press the almonds and sugar so they adhere. Carefully flip the rectangle over. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with the remaining nuts and sugar. Roll gently again. Using a chef's knife, cut the dough lengthwise into three equal rectangles (each about 3 3/4 × 15 1/2 inches). Cut each rectangle crosswise into 1/2 × 3 3/4 inch strips. Hold both ends of a strip, twist three times, and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining twisted cookies, spacing about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes (can be refrigerated up to 1 day)
3
Preheating the oven
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 375°F
4
Baking
Bake one tray at a time for 10 minutes, until the bottoms start to color. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip each twisted cookie. Bake again for 8 to 12 minutes, until evenly golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely
