Unlock a Wickes Kitchen

Festive pastries

Ingredients: Festive pastries

  • 1 sheet of all butter ready rolled puff pastry (approx. size 350mm x 230mm)
  • 6 teaspoons of any jam you like
  • 1/2 tablespoon of icing sugar
  • 6 teaspoons of melted chocolate (dark, milk or white)

Pre-heat the oven to 220ºC/430ºF/gas mark 7 conventional or 200ºC/390ºF/gas mark 6 fan assisted.

Place 50g of chocolate in a small saucepan and set the induction hob to the lowest heat setting (for gas hobs use a bain-marie, again on the lowest heat setting).

Leave for 20 minutes and then stir - the chocolate should immediately turn to liquid.

Take the puff pastry from the fridge, remove the wrapping and allow to relax for ten minutes, or until it can be unrolled without cracking onto the parchment paper it was rolled up in.

Using a knife, scissors or pizza wheel, cut it into six equal squares.

Cut into the pastry from each corner towards the centre, but leave a 1cm portion in the middle uncut.

Fold one cut corner into the middle, press down gently and repeat for each alternate cut corner until you have a star/pinwheel shape.

Place a teaspoon of your favourite jam in the centre where the four cut corners touch each other.

Lift the parchment paper onto a baking tray and place in the middle of the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry has risen well and is a golden brown colour.

Remove from the oven and place somewhere safe to cool down.

When cool, sprinkle some icing sugar into a small sieve and tap gently over the pastries like snow.

Finally, take a teaspoon of melted chocolate and in a forwards/backwards motion allow it to drizzle thin lines over each pastry.

Serve immediately, or they can be stored in an airtight container for 48 hours when completely cool.