Almond Twists Recipes

ALMOND-RICOTTA TWISTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until blended. Beat in eggs, then ricotta cheese and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until firm enough to shape., Preheat oven to 350°. Using 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie, divide in half and shape each into a 3-in. rope. (If dough is soft, work in batches and keep remaining dough chilled until ready to shape.) Twist two ropes around each other, pinching and tucking under ends. Place 2-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely., Drizzle melted baking chips over cookies; let stand until set. Store in airtight containers.

ALMOND TWISTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Sprinkle work surface lightly with superfine sugar.
• Unfold pastry and roll out to 12" square.
• Break apart almond paste into little pieces and scatter evenly over half of the dough.
• Fold dough in half over almond paste. Roll out to 10 x 12".
• Add more sugar to work surface as needed to keep dough from sticking.
• Fold dough in half again and roll out again to 10" x 12".
• Cut in half to make 2 rectangles each 5" x 12".
• Using a pizza wheel, cut each rectangle into 12 strips, each 1" x 5".
• Twist each strip into a loose corkscrew and put on ungreased cookie sheets 1" apart.
• Bake 15 - 18 minutes, until puffed and golden.
• Remove to wire rack to cool.
• In two small microwaveable bowls, separately melt the chocolates.
• Drizzle both chocolates over the cooled twists.

ALMOND TWISTS

Steps:

• Prepare the egg wash: Combine the yolks, whole egg, and milk in a small mixing bowl and whip with a hand whisk until well combined. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Flour the dough and table as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the table or the rolling pin. Place the dough on your work surface with a long side facing you. Use a pastry brush to coat the surface of the rectangle with some egg wash. Liberally sprinkle the ground almonds over the rectangle, followed by the salt and pepper. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the rectangle into ten 1-inch wide strips. Next, cut each of these strips into three 4-inch-long pieces. Flip each strip so that the almonds are on the bottom. Twist each strip by rolling each end in opposite directions. Always remember to twist so that the topping faces out --that way you can see how they are flavored. Place the strips on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet and bake until well risen and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. These puff pastry items are best eaten the day they are made.

HONEY ALMOND TWIST

Steps:

• 1. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast; blend well. In small saucepan heat water, milk and margarine until very warm (120 to 130 DF) Add warm liquid and egg to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir 3 cups of flour til dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl. On floured surface, knead in 1 to 2 cups flour until dough is smooth and elastic with blisters under the surface, about 10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80-85 F) until light and doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• 2. Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Allow dough to rest on counter, covered with inverted bowl, for 15 minutes. In small bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Divide dough into 3 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough to 25x6 inch rectangle. Spread each with 1 tablespoon margarine. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Starting with longer side, roll up tightly; pinch edges to seal. Twist each roll stretching slightly. Form into pretzel shape; tuck ends under to seal. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size; about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. In small saucepan, combine glaze ingredients. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Slowly spoon hot glaze over warm breads, completely covering tops and sides. 3 coffe cakes; 16 servings each.