Apple Bear Claws Recipe • 5★ • 3 hrs

Preparation

• Make the apple compote:
• Step 1Core the apple (leaving it unpeeled) and cut into ½-inch cubes. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, stirring. Once the mixture starts to bubble slowly, add the apple and salt, stirring to coat completely. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the apple has released a lot of its juices and has started to soften.
• Step 2In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice to make a slurry, then stir it into the apple mixture. After about a minute, the compote should look visibly thickened. Spread the compote in an even layer onto a plate or small baking sheet to cool quickly. Once it’s at room temperature, about 15 minutes, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to a day).
• Make the almond filling:
• Step 3In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, butter, brown sugar, almond extract and salt. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork until no streaks of egg white remain, then stir into the almond mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to a day).
• Once the fillings are cold, prepare the pastry:
• Step 4Lightly flour a clean work surface, then unfold the puff pastry onto it and sprinkle the pastry with a bit more flour. If the puff pastry came as one sheet, cut it in half. Working one sheet at a time, roll each into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, using more flour as needed. Cut each sheet of pastry into four 5-by-6-inch rectangles, rolling out more as needed. Place the 8 pieces of pastry on a large platter or baking sheet and refrigerate for a few minutes to relax the gluten and ensure they’re still cold.
• Assemble the bear claws:
• Step 5In a small bowl, beat the egg white with a teaspoon of water until it’s slightly foamy. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (You’ll bake on two sheet pans, but only refrigerate one to save space.) Work with 4 pieces of pastry at a time, keeping the others refrigerated until ready to assemble.
• Step 6Lay one of the pastry pieces lengthwise with the shorter edge closest to you. Spread a layer of the almond filling (a scant 2 tablespoons) on the half that’s nearest you and up to the center of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry on the 3 remaining sides. Spread a layer of the apple filling on top (also a scant 2 tablespoons), then brush the egg white on the exposed border around the filling.
• Step 7Fold the pastry over the filling, then crimp the edges with a lightly floured fork and cut 4 (½-inch) slits on the side closest to you with a paring knife. For the classic bear claw look, bring the folded corners of the uncut side toward each other to form a crescent. Place the pastry on one of the lined baking sheets and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate the tray of shaped pastries for at least 30 minutes (and up to overnight) before baking; if refrigerating for more than 1 hour, cover the bear claws with plastic wrap, and cover and refrigerate the bowl of egg white as well.
• Step 8When ready to bake, position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Move 4 of the bear claws to the other lined baking sheet. Make sure the claws on both sheets are spaced at least 2 inches apart. Brush the tops of each pastry with the beaten egg white, then sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• Step 9Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, switching the positions of the pans halfway through, until the bear claws are flaky, puffed and golden brown. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes so the filling can set before glazing.
• Step 10In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of milk. The glaze should be slightly runnier than honey; mix in a teaspoon more milk at a time if needed. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly cooled pastries, let it set for a couple minutes until dry, then enjoy. They’re best eaten day-of, either warm or at room temperature, but will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Private Notes

A Big Warm Bearhug! Made exactly as written after watching Vaughn’s video last night.

Popped them in the oven this morning and they turned out perfectly. Here are my tips: -People seem concerned about the size of the apple. Just pick an average Pink Lady and if you have extra after filling your pies then eat it with a spoon. -Do be careful not to roll your pastry too thin.

I got a bit aggressive and ended up with a couple weak spots. -Don’t worry if your rectangles aren’t perfect because when you smoosh them into the bear claw shape, you can make them look nicer -The almond flour isn’t needed for gluten free reasons - it’s used to make a tasty filling and you can’t substitute AP flour. -Ok I did make one substitution because my grocery store ran out of the thin shaved almonds. I used the slivered kind and inserted one into each “paw” finger so it looked like there was a real claw coming out.

Turned out cute! Please include weights for fruits.

Do two small apples equal one large? Or, 1.5 small apples? Thank you in advance.

My kiddos won’t eat “squishy” apples. So, I subbed frozen pitted cherries instead of the apples. Hardest part was approximating the quantity.

Even after watching the entire video, there was still no clue on the weight or volume measure for the fruit. So I went with a generous one and a half cups of thawed frozen cherries, after eye-balling what Vaughn used on the video. Otherwise, followed the recipe verbatim.

Used Dufour GLUTEN-FREE puff pastry & gluten free AP flour for rolling out the dough. Family absolutely loved this! The combination of cherry and almond flavors was sublime!

Sort of a hybrid cherry danish/cherry strudel vibe. I cannot tell you how they tasted the next day because there were no leftovers!

I substituted Colorado Palisade peaches which I had on hand -- a late-summer treat here. Incredible!

When Fall comes, I'll try the apples. For those asking why not use almond paste: almond paste would be too sweet.

These aren't terribly sweet. The almond filling perfectly compliments the barely-sweetened apples.

Most of the sweetness comes from the drizzle on top. I recently moved to a small town where I can’t always find the ingredients that were always at hand when I lived in a city.

One example is puff pastry made with butter. I can drive 45 minutes to find it, but can I get away with using the non-butter pastry?

I’ve never used it before. Thoughts?