Bear Claw
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Bear claw pastry made with puff pastry and a delicious almond filling is one of my favorite breakfast treats!
This almond bear claw is such an easy breakfast pastry and the perfect brunch or afternoon recipe. Serve it with other breakfast favorites like poached eggs and chocolate chip pancakes.
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Bear Claw
Bear Claw
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Bear Claw Pastry Ingredients
- Almond paste – You can make your own or pick some up at the market.
- Butter – Unsalted butter.
- Sugar – White granulated and coarse sugar.
- Egg – Large, lightly beaten and divided.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Puff pastry – Thawed.
- Almonds – Sliced almonds.
How do you make a homemade almond bear claw? (step-by-step)
⭐ First, break up the almond paste into smaller chunks and place into a food processor along with the butter and sugar. Pulse until chopped fine. Add in half of the beaten egg and flour, process until smooth.
⭐ Then, lay the puff pastry out onto the parchment lined sheet tray. Spread the almond paste mixture over half of the puff pastry sheet, leaving an inch perimeter around the pastry. Fold the pastry over the filling, crimp the edges together. Roll the edge under the bottom seam to make sure it is sealed.
⭐ Next, cut lines through the pastry to form the “claw”. Fan out the pastry slightly to separate the claws. Brush with the remaining egg all over. Sprinkle the sliced almonds and coarse sugar on top.
⭐ Finally, bake until golden brown. Let cool and serve.
Preparation
Can you make a bear claw pastry ahead of time?
Yes! This is a great treat to make a few days ahead and enjoy for breakfast or as an afternoon snack during the week.
You can also prepare several and freeze for later.
What is almond paste?
Almond paste is a sweetened paste made of blanched blended almonds, sugar, almond extract, and egg.
Storage and leftovers
Does a bear claw pastry need to be refrigerated?
No, this can be kept at room temperature in an air tight container.
How long does a an almond bear claw last?
This will keep at room temperature for 2 – 3 days, in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days, or longer if frozen.
How do you freeze pastry?
Allow the pastry to cool completely, then wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Place the double wrapped pastry in a freezer bag for best results.
Thaw in the refrigerator and enjoy chilled or warm in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes.
Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions
✅ Make it with different fillings like fruit pie fillings or chocolate.
✅ Prepare three or four and stash the extras in the freezer for an easy treat later.
✅ Try drizzling with icing instead coarse sugar.
What to eat with your bear claw pastry (serving suggestions)
Serve this at your next holiday brunch with sherbet punch or Irish coffees and a tray of oven baked bacon and an avocado toast station!
More delicious pastry recipes
- Chocolate cream cheese pastry
- Blueberry scones
- Cheese Danish
- Classic scone recipe
- Pumpkin spice pastry
- See all our pastry recipes!
Other awesome breakfast recipes
- Air fryer French toast
- Breakfast burritos
- Sheet pan pancakes
- Hashbrown waffles
- See all our yummy breakfast recipes
Tools we love
- Bakers half sheet – It’s cool, we only have about six of these bakers half sheets because they’re good for absolutely everything. Cookies? Yes! Steak? Yes! Cake? Oh yeh! Roasted veggies? Uhhhh huh!
- Silicone baking mats – Nothing sticks to these! Whaaaa?! Perfect for baking sugary cookies, or cheesy croissants or make some no bake cookies. You know why? Because nothing sticks to these!!!
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How to Make a Homemade Bear Claw Pastry
Bear Claw
Ingredients
- 4 ounces almond paste
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg lightly beaten, divided in two
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons coarse sugar
Instructions
- Break up the almond paste into smaller chunks and place into a food processor along with the granulated butter and sugar.
- Pulse until chopped fine. Add in half of the beaten egg and flour, process until smooth.
- Lay the puff pastry out onto a lined baking sheet. Spread the almond paste mixture over half of the puff pastry sheet, leaving about an inch around the edges.
- Fold the unfilled half of the pastry over the filling, crimp the edges together and roll the edge under the bottom seam to make sure it is sealed.
- Make 4 cuts about ¾ of the way through the pastry to form the “claw” (it will make 5 "fingers").
- Fan out the pastry slightly to separate the "fingers". Brush with the remaining egg all over and sprinkle the top with sliced almonds and coarse sugar.
- Bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool at least a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Bear Claw
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I would have never thought to make bear claws at home! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe and making it so simple!
In my book, these are one of the best pastries. Almond anything is so delicious!
I am swooning over the almond filling! It’s absolutely delicious! My whole family loved this treat!
Classic big bear claw
Back in the day before I developed a tree nut allergy, I used to prefer icing on my Bear Claws! Ummmm. So delicious!
I will try making this with blueberry filling
Oh yum !!
Sugar, no fruit and definitely one BIG bear claw 🙂
Sugar, almond filling & one large bear claw!
Bear Claws are, in my heart, only made with almond paste. YUM!!
Oh momma’s goodness this looks so good😍! I love the plain almond flavor but top it with sugar crystal and make them mini’s so I could sneak more. 🤣
I prefer the almond paste in my Bear Claws but using the fruit filling once in a while would be a nice change every so often.
These sound delicious but since I am allergic to tree nuts any ideas on what else I could use?
yum
I would make this with cherry pie filling instead of almon paste. I would use sugar on top, large crystals and I would make the large size. I can not wait to try it.
I would love to have cheese in mine.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love bear claws with almond paste and sprinkled with almost and sugar. Never thought to use fruit filling, but will give it a try.
I love anything almond and almond bear claws are delicious. Cannot wait to try this. I am definitely a fan of a large bear claw with icing. I love the almond filling but fruits works for anyone that is not an almond lover.
Fruit filling sounds yummy!
Icing on top is a must. As for fruit fillings, cherry would be perfect!
I would just do the almond paste and a little sprinkling of sugar on yhe top