One of my favorite Christmas traditions is setting aside a whole morning to bake with the women in my family. Depending on who’s in town, and who’s living where, it may be a whole bunch of us or it might be just a few. This year, my mom, sister, and aunt came over and kept the tradition going. My favorite thing we make is these Buttery Almond Bear Claws. They are a lovely, tender pastry with a sweet almond filling inside. I like these as much as my Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, and that’s a whole lot!
We bake them a couple of weeks before Christmas and then freeze them to serve with our traditional Day After Christmas Breakfast. We thaw them overnight and then put them on a baking sheet covered with foil, and then warm them up in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Like that freezer time never even happened.
They are loved by most, and in our family, if you don’t LOVE them, you’d best not take one because the people who do LOVE them only want them to be eaten by those who totally understand their wonder!
The recipe was first made by my aunt – she clipped it out of a Sunset Magazine in the late 1970’s. I’ve always wanted to take good pictures of the process that goes into making them, and so this year I finally made sure to take some pics as my aunt rolled out the dough, cut it into strips, added the filling, and shaped them into bear claws.
The dough and filling are both made the day before – and that chilling time is necessary to make the dough workable. You will also be glad if you have a yardstick handy. It helps not only to measure as you go as the recipe calls for very specific dimensions, but also to use the edge of the yardstick to even out the edge of the dough.
Even though this recipe is very specific and takes a bit of planning and concentration, it is so worth it! My mom and aunt were laughing about the yardstick because they only get it out once a year to make bear claws. Right here and now, I promise not to post any other recipes that require the use of a yardstick.
If you are looking for something truly special to try this Christmas, I hope you’ll give these a go. Please let me know if you do!
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Buttery Almond Bear Claws
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 18 1x
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 cup butter
- 1 packet (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 oz evaporated milk
- 3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- almond filling (recipe to follow)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds to sprinkle on top
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces almond paste
- 2 reserved egg whites
- 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
Instructions
For the Dough
- Melt butter and then let cool to room temp. Dissolve the yeast in water, then stir in the 1/4 cup sugar, the egg yolks (save the whites for the filling), salt, evaporated milk, and cooled butter. Stir into the flour and mix well. Cover and chill at least 24 hours. Meanwhile, you can make the almond filling, and then when you are ready to make the bear claws, let the filling sit out at room temp for 1 hour to make it easier to spread.
For the Filling
- Smoothly blend together butter with powdered sugar. Add all-purpose flour and almond paste. Stir until crumbly and evenly mixed, then beat in two of the reserved egg whites. Stir in finely chopped almonds. Cover and chill until firm (24 hours).
To Assemble
- To form bear claws, roll dough out on a well-floured surface (use about 1/2 cup flour) to a 13 1/2 ×27 inch rectangle. Straighten the edges with a ruler or yardstick as you roll.
- Cut the rectangle lengthwise into 3 strips (4 1/2 inch wide).
- Divide the almond paste into three portions and roll each into a 27 inch rope on a floured board. Lay one filling rope in the center of each strip of dough and flatten slightly.
- Fold long sides of each strip over filling, overlapping slightly.
- Cut each filled strip into six (4 1/2 inch long) segments. Arrange on a greased baking sheet.
- With a sharp floured knife, make a row of cuts halfway across each segment and about 1/2 inch apart. Curve each bear claw so it fans out.
- Lightly beat the remaining egg white and brush over bear claws, then top with sliced almonds. Let rise on countertop for 20 minutes, then bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
*This recipe is a family tradition that originally came from Sunset Magazine.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bear Claw
- Calories: 375
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 228mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6.6g
- Cholesterol: 74mg
Chris Scheuer says
These look amazing Julie and what a fun tradition you have! The memories will be priceless as time goes on. Wishing you and your family a very Merry, Blessed Christmas!
Julie says
Thank you so much, Chris! Merry Christmas to you!
Natalie says
What a cute and fun idea for Christmas! Can’t wait to try these rolls 🙂
Julie says
Thank you Natalie! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Merry Christmas to you!
Tarsha says
Hi, I’m from Australia and I haven’t heard of almond paste. Do you think it is possible to make a homemade version and what would be in it, please? It’s not just the almond version of peanut paste, is it?
Nichelle says
I am testing this recipe out to use for a family christmas reunion we have every year.
I just put the ingredients for the dough together and it is about the same consitency as pancake batter. Is this normal? I will chill for 24 hours as instructed but just wanted to know in case I did something wrong. Can you tell I’m not a baker? haha 😉
Kathryn says
This recipe is the same as the sunset bread recipe, just with 1 less cup of flour. So maybe try 3 1/3 cups of flour instead of 2 1/3! It works for my family every year!
Julie says
You are correct – the amount of flour listed in the recipe was incorrect, but I have fixed it now. Thank you for your help!
Nichelle says
Turned out waaay too wet. The pastry was more like batter.
I recommend you begin taking pictures of the process and posting them as well. This will come in handy for someone who doesn’t bake often. Seeing a picture of adding in the ingredients, what the dough looks like before and after setting for 24 hours, etc would be way more helpful.
We made do and still put them together the best we could, they tasted okay. But they would have been better if we had better direction.
Alltogether we won’t be making these again.
Julie says
I’m so sorry that this recipe didn’t work out well for you – there was an error in the amount of flour listed in the recipe. I have fixed it now. Once again, so sorry for your trouble!
Helen says
I also have had this Sunset recipe for a long time, but my recipe calls for 3 1/3 c flour. All other ingredients are the same. Too bad almond paste is so expensive but the bear claws are delicious.
Julie says
They are wonderful as a seasonal treat! I have changed the amount of flour listed in the recipe, so it is correct now. Thank you for your help!
Janet says
My mom has used this same recipe every year. Never knew it came from Sunset. Thank you for sharing it. Stumbled upon your recipe when I was looking for dough recipes that might be a bit lighter, less dense. My dughters, mom, and son’s girlfriend will be assembling this Sunday! We serve Christmas morning along with home made Cinnamon rolls!
Virginia Katis says
Can you freeze these before baking?
Julie says
Hi Virginia, we have only frozen them after baking. Then we thaw them, and cover them with foil on a baking sheet and warm them back up in the oven.
Dave says
I’m confused about the filling. It looks like you have to make almond paste and then use it to make the filling which the recipe is the same for almond paste omit the flour? Can you just use almond paste for the filling?
Julie says
Hi Dave, thanks for your question. We do not make the almond paste, but buy it in the baking aisle. It comes in a tube. I’ve included a link so you can see what it looks like. The almond paste is used as an ingredient in the bear claw filling. I think the filling would have a different texture and taste if you just used the almond filling. Hope this helps! https://www.amazon.com/Odense-Almond-Paste-Ounce-Tube/dp/B0005Z8BCE
Kim says
These bear claws were a hit in my house both yesterday and this morning with coffee! I only put together and baked 1/3 of the dough/filling at a time and was able to learn from my mistakes as I went. I found that leaving the dough out of the refrigerator half an hour longer made a big difference in being able to roll it. In spite of that it was still hard to get it as thin as I thought it should be.
I’m trying to match what Mom and I enjoy at Panera Bread. These come pretty close already, but next time I bake I’m going to 1) roll dough even thinner…and try doing so using a pie cloth–not sure this will be easier than rolling on a clean Corian counter, but it’s worth a try, 2) cut the claws more like yours (I didn’t read closely and only cut them 1/2 inch in), 3) bake less time (I baked for 16 minutes and it probably should have been more like 12 or 13), and try adding vanilla extract or cinnamon or both.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and your photos–which also helped a lot.
★★★★★
Kim says
(I forgot to say that once they come out of the oven, we add a frosting of confectioner’s sugar and milk.)
Julie says
Thank you for making this recipe, and for leaving such a well written review. I’m glad the pictures were helpful. These are not the easiest to make, but with practice, I’m sure you’ll get them just how you like them!
Carmen says
Do you think i can make it with gluten free flour please?
Julie says
No, I’m sorry but I don’t think this particular recipe lends well to substitutions.
Hilary Parry says
Should the butter be unsalted, or will salted butter work? My mom made bear claws once when I was young, probably in the 70’s (maybe she read Sunset?) and I have been holding onto a can of almond paste for ages getting up the nerve to try myself. 🙂
Julie says
Hi Hilary, I’m glad you found this recipe! We always use salted butter – it’s just what we have on hand. They do take patience, but are so worth it! I hope you enjoy.
Jeni says
My husband asked me to make Bear Claws for Christmas Eve/ Christmas breakfast. I have never had one before so I didn’t know what to look for in a recipe. This is the one I decided to follow just off of chance and I am glad I did. I can’t compare it to other recipes, but these were delicious. I think it might become a Christmas tradition now.
★★★★★
Julie says
Jeni, I’m so glad! This recipe is one my family makes every year and we all love so much. They definitely take some time, but once you get the hang of it, they get easier. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review letting me know how they turned out for you.
Helen says
Eureka, I found it!! I also got this bear claw recipe from Sunset Magazine and rewrote it by hand on to a index card. The card was getting stained and tattered so before rewriting it, decided to look online. Voila!! Found it on your website! Thanks for doing all the work of posting it. I love these bear claws, too!!
Julie says
Helen, I’m so glad you found this recipe and that it is helpful for you!
Kristal Fox says
Thanks for the recipe. I’m making them a second time for
our quarantined house church. Your instructions and photo illustrations make it so easy ❤️
★★★★★