Almond Twists Food

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.

SWEET ALMOND TWISTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Unfold puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface; roll each sheet into a 15x10-in. rectangle., In a small bowl, whisk egg and water; brush over rectangles. Spread pastry filling over one rectangle to within 1/4 in. of edges; sprinkle with almonds. Top with remaining pastry, egg wash side down, pressing lightly., Brush top with egg wash. Cut in half lengthwise; cut each rectangle crosswise into 16 strips. Twist each strip 2-3 times. Place 1 in. apart on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Serve warm.

APRICOT ALMOND TWISTS(PAMPERED CHEF)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375*F.
• Dice apricots. Place apricots, chocolate chips, cranberries, flour and almond extract in a bowl. Mix well. Add water and mix again.
• Place bread dough, seam sides up, on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice each loaf lengthwise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open flat. Lightly sprinkle additional flour evenly over dough.
• Using a rolling pin, roll dough crosswise to a 4" width, creating a well down the center of each loaf.
• Spoon half of apricot mixture down the center of each loaf. Gather up the edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal.
• Place loaves, seam sides down, in an X pattern on baking sheet(or baking stone). Crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure 8, keeping ends of dough 1" from edge of pan and leaving two 1 1/2" openings in center of twist.
• Lightly brush egg white over dough using a pastry brush. Cut a 3" slit in each of the top sections of the twist to reveal filling.
• Sprinkle almonds evenly over dough, pressing gently.
• Bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown.
• Remove from the oven. Cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you like. Cut into slices and serve warm. Enjoy!

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.