American•indulgent

BEST Pastry Braid

Easter chocolate pastry braid made from puff pastry, filled with a chocolate bar and decorated with ganache and Cadbury mini eggs.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

8.6 grams puff pastry (thawed according to the directions of the package (OR one sheet of puff pastry))
4.25 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate bar (( one chocolate bar))
1 large egg (lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water)
⅓ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Cadbury milk chocolate mini eggs with a crisp sugar shell

1
Cut and fill: Lay out one sheet of thawed puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface. Place one chocolate bar in the center of the puff pastry sheet, and cut diagonal lines into the pastry sheet along the left and right sides of the chocolate bar (about an inch between each line). Then remove the corner pieces of pastry.
2
Braid: Starting from the top, fold down one of the top diagonal flaps across the chocolate bar, and then alternate folding down the remaining flaps right and left until you are close to the bottom. Fold the bottom flap up and then finish folding down the last remaining flaps alternately right and left. If necessary, tuck any extra puff pastry underneath.
3
Place the braided puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash. NOTE: Please, do not garnish with the chocolate eggs at this point.
4
Bake at 415°F (213°C) for about 16-20 minutes or until chocolate has melted and puff pastry is golden brown. Remove tray from the oven and let sit on a rack while preparing the chocolate ganache.
5
Make the ganache and decorate: Place chocolate chips and heavy cream into a small bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals just until the chocolate has melted. Stir well to obtain a smooth mixture. Using a fork, drizzle the pastry braid with the chocolate ganache. Decorate with the chocolate eggs and let set. Enjoy!