PANERA BEAR CLAW RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat almond paste with an electric mixer to break it apart. Add the almonds, sugar, and salt; continue to mix until the almond paste is no longer lumpy. Stir in the butter, egg whites, almond extract and amaretto liqueur on high speed until its as fluffy as you can get it. Set aside.
• Using half of the dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that is about 8 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Trim the edges of the dough. Cut the dough in half lengthwise to make two 4 inch wide strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Fill a pastry bag halfway with the almond filling and pipe a stripe of filling down the center of each strip. Whisk together the egg and water. Brush onto one edge of each strip. Fold each strip over the filling and press gently to seal it. Brush each piece with egg wash and sprinkle sliced almonds over the top. Cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces, then cut 1/2 inch slits into the sealed edge to make the ''claws''. Place the bear claws at least two inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate and repeat with the second half of the dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until almonds are toasted and pastry is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving.

Steps:

• 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.