Honey Almond Twist Food

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.

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.

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 BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a baking pan 13-15 inches long with either cooking spray and foil or parchment.
• Combine honey and water, stirring to form a solution; stir in almond extract and/or vanilla if desired and set aside.
• Combine the dry ingredients (including the ground and the whole almonds) and stir for a minute or so to combine.
• Add honey-water and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated into a thick dough.
• Divide the dough in half and form or roll into 2 logs about 12 inches long (they'll spread out as they bake so place well apart from each other in the pan)--Tip: Lightly moisten your fingers with water to prevent the dough from sticking to them. It's easier to shape the logs.
• Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes; they should be well risen, firm, and a dark golden color. It is important that the logs bake a half hour or very close to it.
• After cooling for 5-10 minutes, slice the logs diagonally at 1/2 inch intervals with a sharp knife.
• Place the biscotti on their sides and bake about 15 minutes at 300°F until lightly colored and dry.
• If they need to bake longer than 15 minutes, turn them over to avoid over-browning the side on bottom.
• Allow to cool in the pan and store in a tin or tightly closed container.
• (Note: I usually buy raw almonds and roast them myself in a 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring after the first 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using in a recipe).

HONEY ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Cream butter and almond paste until fluffy.
• Add honey and eggs and extract. Mix well.
• Mix in flour and salt.
• Spread dough into greased 9x13" pan.
• Sprinkle with sliced, slivered or chopped almonds.
• Bake at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes.