If I’d known these pastries are so easy to make, I would have made them way sooner! It was only this year I thought I’d make this this traditional Dutch pastry.
I don’t think there’s really a proper English translation for this Dutch treat called “banketstaaf”, so we’ll just have to do with “Dutch almond paste-filled pastry log”!
These pastries are usually served around Sinterklaas, just like the ginger buttons I shared with you earlier this week, but I think they also make the perfect Christmas treat. If you’re not familiar with almond paste, it’s quite similar to marzipan, but instead of using powdered sugar we’ll be using granulated sugar. I simply used a ready-made pastry puff roll for the outside—I’ve yet to master the art of making my own!
To make the almond paste you’ll want to make sure that the almond flour and sugar ratio is always 1:1, so just keep that in mind if you wanted to make more servings.
I used flaked almonds on top of the pastry but some prefer to use whole blanched almonds. If you’ve got a real sweet tooth you might want to dust your pastry with icing sugar after the baking process!
Dutch almond-paste filled pastry
Ingredients
- 150 g ground almonds
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 4 tbsp soy milk
- 1 vegan puff pastry roll
- Almond flakes or blanched almonds
- Optional: a pinch of cinnamon
- Optional: icing sugar for dusting
Directions
- Mix the ground almonds and granulated sugar. You can add cinnamon now too if you like—I really think it enhances the flavour.
- Add the zest of one lemon, then gradually add the soy milk as you keep stirring well.
- Now knead the paste until it starts coming together and roll into a ball.
- For the best flavour experience, you’ll want to wrap the ball of almond paste in a food wrap and leave it overnight in the fridge. If you don’t have time for this, it’s okay to use the paste right away but I can really recommend leaving it overnight!
- Either after leaving your almond paste overnight or using it directly, roll out the puff pastry dough and cut into a long rectangular shape. Preheat your oven to 160 C.
- Roll out the almond paste into a cylinder and place it on top of the pastry dough. The dough should cover the almond paste all around.
- Close the pastry dough and make sure to fold in the sides.
- To glaze the roll I use just a little bit of soy milk. When the whole roll is covered, press the almond flakes on top.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Then, take out and carefully brush again with some soy milk.
- Put the roll back in the oven for another 15 minutes. These pastries are best when they’re still warm, so enjoy directly after baking or reheat later!
Kitchenoflion 