Nutella Cream Cheese Pecan Puffy Twists (AKA Nutella Shady Characters)

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Nutella Cream Cheese Pecan Puffy Twists (AKA Nutella Shady Characters)

You can modify a basic palmier recipe by adding whatever filling you would like, and you can even twist and shape them into whatever shape you want! They are slightly sweet and great for breakfast or dessert. Use your imagination, the sky's the limit with these. Don't like hazelnut spread? ...use a berry jam instead! Don't like nuts? ...leave them out! *Palmier shapes are quick to roll and cut. Twisting shapes takes longer.

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Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Chilling time recommended (twisting shapes takes longer also)30

Total Time52

Course: bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, French, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 164kcal

Author: ebookfoodie

Equipment

spatula
small bowls
rolling pin
cutting board/surface
sharp knife or pizza cutter
parchment paper
2 cookie sheets
2 Cooling racks

Ingredients

½ lb puff pastry One sheet, all butter is the best.
3 tbsp cream cheese I used whipped cream cheese.
2 tbsp Nutella Nutella, or hazelnut spread
⅛ tsp cinnamon Optional, just a tiny bit sprinkled over the puff pastry sheet. I like King Arthur, or Enspice!
2½ tbsp pecans Optional. If using pecans, you will need them finely chopped or ground. If you buy chopped, mince them until they are fine but not mushy. You could use hazelnuts, or walnuts...

Instructions

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. (Remove puff pastry from freezer about 30 minutes prior to making the pastries.) I recommend chilling the pastries prior to baking, so have some flat surfaces in the fridge or freezer ready to accommodate your baking sheets, if possible. If not, just work quickly, and have your oven at 400° ready to bake! I recommend lining two baking sheets with parchment paper per 1 sheet of puff pastry.
In a small bowl, mix nutella and cream cheese together. Adjust for your taste. If you like more nutella and less cream cheese, go for it!.
Dust your counter or work surface with flour or white sugar, and gently roll out a sheet of puff pastry to remove the creases, but not too thin!
Quickly spread the cream cheese & hazelnut spread mixture over the puff pastry. It should be thin, or the dough will get messy and runny.
Sprinkle finely chopped or ground nuts over the cream cheese, nutella mixture. If desired, sprinkle a very light dusting of cinnamon over the nuts.
If you want a basic palmier shape, roll the dough equally from both short sides for large palmiers, or roll from the long sides for small ones. Roll the dough in parchment and refrigerate, or freeze for thirty minutes before slicing them and baking. You can even roll it up jelly roll style.
If you want to twist them into whatever shape you want, fold the dough in half and use a sharp long knife, or better yet, a pizza cutter. Cut into about 1/2" wide strips or 12-15 strips. Just cut them evenly for even baking.
Twist into shady characters, or whatever shape you'd like on baking sheets, lined with parchment paper if you have it. If not, no big deal.
I recommend popping these cuties in the fridge or freezer for a good half hour before baking. If not, get them in the oven asap at 400° and bake for about 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown, while you prepare the other sheet of pastries.
Place cookie sheet on a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before gently sliding them off the baking sheet to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Notes

I hope you like this easy recipe and experiment with fun shapes of your own!

Nutrition