Raspberry-Cocoa Nib Sugar Rolls

Raspberry-Cocoa Nib Sugar Rolls

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• About 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 ounce cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 2 ounces almond paste
• 1/8 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 ounces fresh raspberries
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to the package instructions
• 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter, whisking constantly, until the butter has deepened in color and smells nutty. There should be brown specks on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the browned butter into a small bowl, scraping up any of the browned bits.
3. Using a pastry brush, coat the wells of a standard muffin tin with some of the browned butter (you'll use about 1 tablespoon), reserving the rest for the puff pastry (see below). Then generously sprinkle the wells with granulated sugar so they are fully coated. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the cream cheese, almond paste, powdered sugar, vanilla extra and salt until smooth. Add the raspberries and mix on low until they are broken down.
5. Lightly flour your counter top and roll out the puff pastry into an 8 X 20 inch rectangle. Brush the puff pastry with the remaining browned butter. Then spread the raspberry filling evenly over the surface, leaving a one inch border on all sides. Top with the cocoa nibs.
6. Starting with one of the long sides, roll the pastry into a tight log and pinch together the seam to seal it as much as possible. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Place the pieces in your prepared muffin tin, cut side facing up.
7. Transfer the muffin tin to your pre-heated oven and bake for 22-25 minutes. The pastry should be browned and puffed. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the sugar rolls from their muffin tin and place them on a wire rack.
8. Add the remaining sugar to a shallow bowl. Once the sugar rolls are cool enough to handle, roll them in the sugar.
9. Sugar rolls are best if eaten within a few hours of baking.