Christmas Wreath Pastry
This pastry can be a decadent addition to your Christmas morning tradition.
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Recipe Summary
This pastry can be a decadent addition to your Christmas morning tradition, but in all honesty, it’s hard to make it for only the holiday once you’ve tried it. Altogether, this ring of sweet almond-y and yeasty goodness harmonizes some of our favorite holiday flavors in an at-home recipe that looks like it’s from the bakery. Simply rolling the dough like you would a cinnamon roll, cutting it in half, and braiding the two pieces makes an intertwined strand of dough that looks elegant when shaped into a circular wreath. Of the handful of secret ingredients in this recipe, the almond paste is by far the most crucial—it’s an ingredient found in most baking aisles, and it’s made for the purpose of filling a pastry ready to be baked. By using this ingredient, you don’t have to fuss with ground almonds. Dried cherries that have been rehydrated with orange liqueur is the other secret to this recipe. Once soaked, the cherries soften and take in the flavor of the liqueur, translating into juicy tart bites that contrast the rich sweetness of the pastry and almond filling. Bejeweled with these decadent cherries and brightened with the winter flavors of almond, orange, and lemon, the pastry is finished with a simple milk-and-powdered sugar glaze and a sprinkling of sliced almonds. Of all the things to wake up to on Christmas morning, this pastry might just become the new favorite.