Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Be sure not to use a silicone baking mat for this recipe because you will be cutting your pastry puff directly on the pan and you don’t want to ruin your baking mat.
2. Follow any instructions that the box may have about laying out your crust. The pastry crust that I bought had me remove the puff pastry from the freezer about 20 minutes ahead of time, but no more than 40 minutes.
3. Be very slow and careful when opening up the puff pastry as you don’t want to crack the dough. Lay one puff pastry sheet directly onto the pan in a single layer.
4. Place a large bowl (approximately 12″ wide) on the center of the puff pastry and cut the puff pastry dough that extends past the bowl with a knife, pastry wheel or pizza cutter. I used a sharp knife and liked that I could have very precise control while cutting the dough into strips later.
5. Spread the Nutella on the puff pastry in an even layer, being sure to leave the outer 1/4 inch rim of the dough clean. Open up the second puff pastry in the same way you did before and lay it out on top of the first layer. Lightly press down on the top and around the edges to seal the pastry shells together.
6. Gently mark the center of the circle. Cut from about 1/2″ from the center of the circle to the outer rim. First, you will cut into four sections. Then, you will cut each of those four sections in half, making sure to setback a smidge from the center when you cut. Finally, cut those sections in half one last time, also making sure to set-back the cuts. You will have a total of 16 cut strips.
7. Take two sections, starting with last ones you just cut, and twist the sections toward each other about three to four times. I find it looks prettiest if you can twist both strips at the same time because then the twists will mirror each other.
8. Press the inside points together so that the tips are now connected. You could alternatively pull the outside points underneath and connect them underneath the pastry. Continue to do this until all strips are paired up. You will have 8 twisted sections when all are paired up.
9. Make the egg wash by combining the egg and milk in a small bowl. Whisk together using a small whisk or fork. Take a brush and brush on a light layer onto any exposed surfaces of the puff pastry. This will help the surface to have a nice golden brown look after baking.
10. Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is a nice golden brown color and fully baked.
11. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking pan for about 20 minutes. Lightly dust with powdered sugar.

This Nutella Puff Pastry Snowflake can be eaten at room temperature, but it is BEST served fresh out of the oven and slightly warm. If you are making ahead, you can microwave it for 10 seconds in the microwave, or toss it back in the oven on low heat for a few minutes.