Gingerbread puff pastry twists are super simple treats to make and have all the flavors of the holidays! Brown sugar, molasses, and gingerbread spices are baked into melt-in-your-mouth, flaky puff pastry made in under 20 minutes!
Enjoy them for breakfast with your morning latte, place on the snack table at your holiday gathering, or serve after holiday dinner for a little something sweet.
Whether you love a good puff pastry, you're tight on time, or hate baking but have to bring something to some sort of gathering - these gingerbread puff pastry twists are the answer.
This recipe is inspired by other quick and easy holiday recipes on the site! Working full time, trying to keep up with gingerbread week, and all the craziness of the holiday has me reaching for recipes that are fast and require minimal cleanup.
If you love the sound of that, check out my two-ingredient gingerbread bark, gingerbread puppy chow, and these gingerbread candied pecans for more simple holiday recipes.
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What you'll need
We're taking premade puff pastry, slathering it in gingerbread goodness and sending it into the oven to bake into crisp, buttery goodness. We don't need to destroy the kitchen by searching for ingredients either!
- pre-made puff pastry
- unsalted butter
- molasses
- brown sugar
- ground ginger
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- clove
Scroll down to the recipe card for quantities.
How to make gingerbread puff pastry twists
Puff pastry twists may look tricky to make, but the pre-made puff pastry is doing all the work in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the thawed puff pastry with a rolling pin to remove the creases. Whisk the melted butter and molasses together and brush all over the puff pastry.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices. Spread evenly over the butter and molasses brushed puff pastry. Give it a quick roll over with the rolling pin to gently press it into the puff pastry.
Cut into 12 even strips. Twist about 6 or 7 times and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake in the top half of the oven (but not the top rack) for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.
Tip: use parchment paper or a silpat mat to line your baking sheet. Some of the brown sugar may bubble out of the twists in the high-heat baking. This will prevent the pastries from sticking to the pan.
Tip: The puff pastry should be mostly thawed but not soggy. If its soggy, just pop it back into the freezer for 5-10 minutes before baking. This will allow the butter to harden and that's what creates those flaky layers in the oven!
Switch it up if you want to
Puff pastry twists are incredibly versatile. You can pretty much do whatever you want with it and go! Some thoughts on how to add to this gingerbread variation of the recipe:
- add a thin layer of mascarpone cheese before the sugar-spice mixture
- chop up and sprinkle candied ginger for extra spice
- brush with melted butter or egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar before baking
- after twisting, coil the twists into a circle and bake that way
How to store them
After baking, let cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for 5 to 7 days.
FAQ
Your puff pastry dough was likely too warm before baking. If you find that it's really floppy and almost soggy before baking, stick the puff pastry (either the whole sheet or the prepared twists) in the freeze for about 5 to 10 minutes.
This happens to me all the time, but the dough doesn't have to be perfect for this recipe to work. The creases are typically still there because the dough is still slightly frozen and that's fine. A slightly frozen dough will yield nice flaky twists.
Try baking these in the top half of the oven, but not the very top rack. Typically, there's more heat at the top of the oven.
Enjoy these with some of my favorites!
Coffee, cocktails, maybe a little of both?
Gingerbread Puff Pastry Twists
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon unsulphered molasses
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
Instructions
- Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roll the thawed puff pastry dough with a rolling pin to flatten flatten the crease. The crease may not completely roll out of the dough (which is fine).1 sheet puff pastry
- Mix the metled butter and molasses together and brush on the puff pastry sheet.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon unsulphered molasses
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and spices together. Sprinkle evenly over the pastry sheet. Lightly press the rolling pin over the sugar to gently push it into the dough.¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- Cut the dough into 12 even strips. Twist each piece 6 or 7 times and place on a parchment paper or silpat mat lined baking sheet. Bake in the top half of the oven (but not the very top rack) at 400°F for 13 to 15 mintues until golden brown.
Notes
- If not serving immediately, let cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container.
- If the puff pastry dough is soft or soggy before baking, transfer to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before putting in the oven.
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