Swedish pastry has a buttery, flaky crust topped with a soft almond pastry layer and drizzled with an almond flavored powdered sugar glaze.
Swedish Pastry
Swedish pastry is a heritage recipe that my family has made for dessert for decades and has been passed down several generations. This old-fashioned layered pastry has a Scandinavian origin and is typically flavored with almond. While this pastry is traditionally made around the holiday season, you can make it for any occasion.
The base of the pastry has a buttery crust that is spread with an almond flavored filling that is similar to a cream puff and “puffs up” when baking. The pastry is topped with an almond flavored powdered sugar glaze after baking and sprinkled with slivered almonds and to make it more festive for the holiday season, chopped maraschino cherries can be added.
Making Swedish Pastry
This Swedish pastry has a similar technique to making cream puffs. If you’ve never made cream puffs, they aren’t too complicated to make as long as you follow the steps of the recipe in the correct order. While my Grandma even had a special round pan to make this pastry in, I make mine in two rows on a lined sheet pan. Don’t skip the powdered sugar glaze – there is no other sugar in this recipe, so it is essential for the sweetness of this pastry. Not a fan of almond flavor? Be sure to read the tips below!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided (1/2 cup must be cold)
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of water, divided plus and additional 3-4 teaspoons for the glaze
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract, divided
- 1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
- slivered almonds (optional)
- maraschino cherries, chopped (optional)
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, cut cold butter into 1 cup flour until crumbly. Add in 2 tablespoons water and mix until dough sticks together when a small amount is pinched between two fingers (mixture will be crumbly). Divide dough in half and pat into 2 rectangles (roughly 12″x 3″ each) on baking sheets.
In a medium-sized saucepan, bring remaining 1/2 cup of butter and 1 cup of water to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in 1/2 cup flour. Mixture will be thick. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool 10 minutes. After cooling, stir in eggs, one at a time using a wooden spoon. Stir in 1 teaspoon almond extract. Spread this mixture evenly onto the 2 rectangles and bake for 55-60 minutes at 325°F.
Allow pastries to cool completely. Once cooled, combine confectioner’s sugar and add water, 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches a consistency thin enough to drizzle. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. Drizzle cooled pastries with glaze, sprinkle with slivered almonds and chopped maraschino cherries if desired. Cut into long strips to serve.
Tips for Swedish Pastry
- If you don’t like almond flavoring, substitute vanilla extract instead
- Store pastry in an airtight container up to 72 hours
- This pastry does not freeze well
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Want more old-fashioned recipes?
Swedish Pastry
Equipment
- baking sheets
- medium sized saucepan
- whisk
- wooden spoon
- mixing bowls of various sizes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided (1/2 cup needs to be cold)
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons water divided, plus 3-4 additional teaspoons for glaze
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract, divided
- 1 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
- slivered almonds
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cut cold butter into 1 cup flour until crumbly. Add in 2 tablespoons water and mix until dough sticks together when a small amount is pinched between two fingers (mixture will be crumbly).
- Divide dough in half and pat into 2 rectangles (roughly 12"x 3" each) on baking sheets.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, bring remaining 1/2 cup of butter and 1 cup of water to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in 1/2 cup flour. Mixture will be thick.
- Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool 10 minutes. After cooling, stir in eggs, one at a time using a wooden spoon. Stir in 1 teaspoon almond extract.
- Spread this mixture evenly onto the 2 rectangles and bake for 55-60 minutes at 325°F.
- Allow pastries to cool completely. Once cooled, combine confectioner's sugar and add water, 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches a consistency thin enough to drizzle. Add in a1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
- Drizzle cooled pastries with glaze, sprinkle with slivered almonds and chopped maraschino cherries if desired. Cut into long strips to serve.
Notes
- Store pastry in an airtight container up to 72 hours.
- This pastry does not freeze well.
- May substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract in this recipe.
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