


My all-time favorite recipe? Almond Puff Loaf.


And I’ll swoon over an olive oil-bathed overstuffed sandwich just as readily as a perfect piece of toffee buttercrunch candy. But if I had to choose… REALLY had to choose… my favorite recipe would be Almond Puff Loaf.





Ready to make Almond Puff Loaf? Let’s begin.



...until they're nicely browned. Remove them from the oven, and set them aside to cool.


1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter*, cut into pats or 1/2" cubes


Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. That means it's OK to leave some bigger chunks of butter.

Add 1/4 cup cold water.

Mix until the dough is cohesive, though not smooth.

Since you're going to divide the dough in half, it helps to weigh it. But don't worry too much; if you don't have a scale, just eyeball it.


I'm using an 18” x 13” half-sheet pan here. If you don't have a pan that big, use two pans; these puffs are going to PUFF.

To make the second layer - put the following in a saucepan:

1 cup water
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter*




Immediately start stirring; the mixture will be lumpy. That's OK; keep stirring.




Notice the mixture will look slimy when you first add the eggs...

...but will smooth out beautifully as you beat.

Next, a key ingredient: almond extract.

Add 1 teaspoon almond extract.

Don't care for almond flavor? Substitute vanilla extract.

Spread half the batter atop each dough log.

Spread the batter to cover the logs completely.


Aren't you glad you left all that space between the logs?

Remove the puffs from the oven.

While the puffs are still warm, spread them with the jam or preserve of your choice. I'm an apricot lover, so that's always my choice. Except for an occasional foray into raspberry...


Combine a heaping 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk or water, enough to make the glaze "drizzle-able."

Drizzle artfully over the puffs. I wasn't being particularly artful here, as I was drizzling with my left hand and taking a picture with my right.


Cut in squares to serve.

See that center? It almost looks like it's filled with pastry cream, doesn't it?

Trust me: you'll think this is an incredibly buttery, tender Danish. But, no rolling... no folding... no fuss!



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