Hazelnut-Chocolate Bear Claws
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Hazelnut-Chocolate Bear Claws

Makes 6 pastries

  • All-purpose flour, for dusting

  • Hazelnut-Chocolate Filling (recipe follows)

  • Rough Puff Pastry Dough (recipe on page 36)

  • 1 large egg (50 grams), lightly beaten

  • Swedish pearl sugar, for sprinkling

  1. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Divide Hazelnut-Chocolate Filling into 6 portions (about 2 tablespoons or 34 grams each), and place on a prepared pan; shape each portion into a 3¼x1¼-inch rectangle, and cover with plastic wrap.

  3. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16×11½-inch rectangle. Trim edges to create a 15×11-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half lengthwise to create 2 (15×5½-inch) rectangles; cut each half into 3 (5½x5-inch) rectangles.

  4. Position 1 dough rectangle with a 5-inch side closest to you. Place 1 filling rectangle on lower half of rectangle, leaving a ¾-inch border. Brush all edges of dough with egg; fold dough over filling to make 5-inch sides meet, firmly pressing edges to seal. Using a pastry cutter or pastry wheel, trim 1⁄16- to ⅛-inch of dough off sealed edges to further seal. Using a paring knife, make 4 (¾-inch-long) equally spaced cuts along the long sealed edge of dough, being careful not to cut through to filling. Repeat procedure with remaining dough rectangles and remaining filling. Place at least 1 inch apart on remaining prepared pan, gently curving to spread out cuts. Freeze for 10 minutes.

  5. Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

  6. Brush egg onto dough; sprinkle with pearl sugar.

  7. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375℉ (190℃), and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on pans for 15 minutes.

Makes ⅔ cup

  • ½ cup (48 grams) finely ground hazelnut flour
  • 3 tablespoons (21 grams) confectioners’ sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup (92 grams) hazelnut-chocolate spread
  • 1 large egg yolk (19 grams), room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Add hazelnut-chocolate spread, egg yolk, and melted butter; stir until well combined, kneading together by hand toward end if needed. (Mixture will be quite thick.) Use immediately.
  • 1⅔ cups (377 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
  • ⅔ cup (160 grams) ice water

  1. Freeze cold butter until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cold butter, flour, and salt at low speed just until butter is coated with fl our. With mixer on low speed, add ⅔ cup (160 grams) ice water in a slow, steady stream, beating just until dough comes together, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl and turn dough to hydrate evenly. (There will still be large pieces of butter. It’s OK if a few dry bits remain.)

  3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 7-inch square. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18×10-inch rectangle, lightly flouring surface and top of dough as needed. Fold dough in thirds like a letter. Rotate dough 90 degrees; roll into an 18×10-inch rectangle, and fold in thirds like a letter. Repeat procedure for a third and final turn. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (If, at any point, the butter is too soft after a fold, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until butter is firm again, checking every 5 minutes).

Pro Tip: To make your rough puff in a food processor: In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse flour and salt until combined. Add cold butter from freezer, and pulse just until butter is coated with flour and butter pieces are nickel-size, 2 to 3 times. Add ⅔ cup (160 grams) ice cold water, and process just until mixture starts to come together and no dry flour remains. Proceed with recipe from step 3.