Quick-and-Easy Puff Pastry Nutella "Cornetti"

A recipe from Evelyn Skye of San Carlos

Hey, Everyone—As promised, today’s recipe is super quick and easy. In fact, I don’t think I’d really call it a “recipe” at all; it’s really more of a method for cheating your way to a sweet treat by buying two great pre-made ingredients and combining them. But that doesn’t make it any less delicious.

This method comes from Evelyn Skye (who, in turn, learned it from the blog Shweta in the Kitchen). Earlier this week, Evelyn told us all about her life-long obsession with food and how she uses food scenes in her novels to world-build and offer insight into her characters. If you haven’t read that interview yet, you should—especially if you’re a fan of her NYT-bestselling books!

Puff Pastry Nutella "Cornetti"

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Nutella (or other hazelnut-cocoa spread)
1 egg, beaten
Powdered sugar or cinnamon

1. Thaw the puff pastry, according to the instructions on the package, until the sheet unfolds easily but is still very cold. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Set the pastry on a large cutting board or counter dusted with a little flour and use a floured rolling pin to press the pastry into a long triangle. Cut the triangle into long, thin triangles (they won’t be totally even, as the end pieces will have right angles at the corner).

3. Spread a dollop of Nutella onto each triangle, leaving about 2” of the thinnest part of the triangle plain. Roll up each triangle, starting at the widest end, so the Nutella is inside the pastry. Transfer the rolls to the prepared sheet pan and brush them gently with the egg.

4. Bake the cornetti for 15–20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown; the puffier they are, the flakier the result will be. Remove the pan from the oven, let the cornetti cool to room temperature, and dust them with powdered sugar or a little cinnamon.

Other California Recipes to Cook

This spring’s warm weather has brought us lots of produce to play with. If you’re looking for great ways to have fun with strawberries, check out the San Francisco Chronicle’s recipe for Strawberry Polenta Crisp or the gorgeous Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting that my friend Elizabeth posted to the Ranch Table blog last fall. If you’d prefer something savory, the LA Times has a perfect recipe for getting the most out of oro blanco grapefruit season by pairing that citrus with marinated feta and spice-roasted tomatoes, while Edible Marin and Wine Country has a gorgeous-looking warm asparagus salad with shaved spring vegetables.

From the Archives

The overlap of asparagus and citrus seasons brings me back to this old-school recipe for asparagus with orange butter from The California Heritage Cookbook, which I featured last year after writing about that book for The Stained Page newsletter. If you want to celebrate crab season at the same time, pair this dish with the spaghetti with crab sauce that I featured from the same book. Both got rave reviews from readers who tried them last year!

Photos: Georgia Freedman