Bear Claws

 Ingredients: For the dough: 240 g butter at room temperature, 750 g flour, 10 g yeast, 200 ml liquid sour cream, 50 g sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1 yolk for brushing the dough before putting it in the oven, 2 tablespoons ground walnuts to be sprinkled before being put in the oven. For the filling: 200 g walnut paste, 1 egg white, 1/2 cup powdered sugar. For the walnut paste: 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3/4 cup ground walnuts, 1/2 lightly beaten egg white. For the glaze: 1 egg white, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

The dough is the perfect base for any dessert, and this recipe offers a delight that will surely impress. We start by preparing the dough. In a bowl, we mix the soft butter with 450 g of flour, making sure the butter is well incorporated. Once we achieve a homogeneous mixture, we cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it to cool. This will contribute to a flakier texture of the dough.

In another bowl, we combine the remaining flour with 10 g of yeast, mixing well to evenly distribute the yeast. In a saucepan, we heat the liquid cream together with the sugar until it reaches a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. This step is essential to activate the yeast. After we have the mixture, we pour it over the flour with yeast. We also add a whole egg, mixing vigorously until we obtain a homogeneous composition. This will become the fluffy base of our final product.

Once the mixture is well combined, we unify it with the butter mixture from the refrigerator. The goal is to homogenize well, after which we roll out the dough on a floured surface, forming a sheet about 4-5 mm thick. The folding procedure is crucial: we fold the sheet into 3 and roll it out again, repeating this process 3 times. This will create fine and delicate layers in the dough. Finally, we wrap the dough in plastic and let it chill again in the refrigerator, preferably for 4-24 hours, to firm up.

For the nut paste, we mix all the ingredients until we obtain a homogeneous composition, which should not be too hard, but rather soft and easy to shape. The filling is made from beaten egg whites with sugar, to which we gradually add the nut paste, achieving a fine and soft consistency.

After the dough has been in the refrigerator, we take it out and divide it into two. Each half is rolled out on a floured surface, forming a sheet of 3-5 mm thick, which is cut into 9 equal pieces. On each piece, we place the nut filling, and the edges are well sealed. At the longer end, we make a few cuts to form the "claws," adding a decorative touch.

Once we finish shaping all the pieces, we place them on the baking tray, covering them with plastic wrap to let them rise for an hour. It is amazing to see how the dough doubles in volume. Before putting them in the oven, we brush each piece with egg yolk and sprinkle ground nuts on top. We bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until they become golden and appetizing.

After we take them out of the oven, we drizzle them with a delicious glaze made from beaten egg whites with sugar and lemon juice, which will add a shiny finish. These sweets will surely bring joy at every tasting!

 Tags:  eggs unt flour sour cream sugar lemon nut christmas and new year's recipes vegetarian recipes recipes for children