Easy to assemble, even easier to eat! These little swirls of puff pastry, custard, Nutella and chocolate are a great excuse for snack time!
My daughter is the brain behind these 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚 ℕ𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 ℂ𝕙𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕡 ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤. She was so excited to find these little cuties all lined up on the cooling rack. The first batch had custard and chocolate chips in it, which I could find nothing wrong with. I mean, crispy puff pastry, Nutella, custard and chocolate chips? All good, right?! After she tried them (with strict instructions to only eat certain ones because they didn’t make the cut 📸) she suggested the addition of Nutella. Now, I’m not sure whether this was a genuine suggestion, or a sneaky move on her part to get her mitts in the jar before the end of our (somewhat failed) attempt at ‘no sugar January’. Nevertheless, we made up another batch, and I have to admit, as hard as it is sometimes 😆, that YES, she was right. What can I say, she takes after her mother. 😂 So thank you, sweetie, for your never failing chocolate expertise and input.
This is a cheat’s version, there’s no laminating of dough here, although it’s something very high on my bucket list of techniques to attempt. The only thing I actually made, was the custard, and the rest was assembly. You could even skip the custard if you weren’t feeling it (or use a powder mix 🤫) we’re not here to judge, although obviously my daughter is! 😜
xoxo Kirsty
Ingredients - makes 15 mini pastries
For the custard (makes more than you need but it’s delicious on its own!):
1/4 cup (48g) sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1 cup (236ml) whole milk
1 egg yolk (freeze the white in a zip lock baggie for later use)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan. Whisk in the milk and egg yolk. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. When it starts to boil, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and allow to cool. Don’t stir it whilst it’s cooling or it may not set. When cool, cover and refrigerate until needed. This can be made a day or two ahead.
To assemble the pastries:
1 roll of puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions and kept cold until ready to use.
1/4 cup Nutella
1/4 cup custard (recipe above)
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
2 tablespoons apricot jam (optional)
extra Nutella for drizzling
Unroll the puff pastry onto a lightly floured board. Use an offset spatula or a long knife to spread the Nutella over the pastry. Spread a the vanilla custard on top of the Nutella. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Starting at the long end of the pastry (if it’s square it doesn’t matter where you start), gently and evenly roll the pastry into a sausage. You want to have it tight enough so that it’s not loose, but don’t squeeze it so tightly that the filling squishes out the sides. Put the roll in the freezer for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
After the dough has been in the freezer for 15 minutes, use cooking floss for best results (a sharp knife will do), to cut the roll into 1/2-inch (1.2cm) slices. Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes until puffed up and golden. If you want to give them a little extra shine, heat the jam until it’s liquid and brush it over the pastries when they are hot out of the oven. Allow to cool on a cooling rack and drizzle with a little extra Nutella if you're feeling really naughty!
