Sweet Half-Moon Pastries

Yield: 8 pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 package puff pastry, room temperature
• ¾ cup (180 ml) grape jam or jelly
• ¼ cup (60 ml) toasted almond slices
• ¼ cup (60 ml) chunks of dark chocolate (or substitute with dark chocolate chips)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange zest
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cinnamon
• 1 egg, whisked, for egg wash
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

Lay the puff pastry out flat. Roll it along the long edge into a pinwheel log. Chill in refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C).

Cut chilled pastry log into 8, roughly 1 ½ inch (4 cm), rounds.

With a rolling pin, flatten slices into thin circles.

In a bowl, fold together grape jam, almond slices, dark chocolate, orange zest, and cinnamon.

Place some of the jam mixture in the centre of each of the thin pastry circles.

Lightly brush egg wash along the outside edges of each circle as a ‘glue’.

Fold pastry over around the jam mixture into half moons. Gently pinch along the edges to seal.

Shape the half-moons into crescent moons by pulling the two tips back towards each other so the flat edge becomes curved.

Transfer the shaped pastries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden.

Remove and let cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.

Buon appetito!