Date and Almond Swirls

I felt like baking on the weekend, but couldn't decide on what to make. I really wanted some Tiramisu but somehow that didnt happen, neither did the Portuguese Tarts...

With my spare time quickly running out, I finally decided to make a cheats version of Mama's Danish pastries (or are they kolache? I can't remember, either way they are delicious!)

Mama makes hers from scratch, buttery pasty and all, and makes an almond filling as well as a poppy seed one.

I seem to also remember a date filling so I thought I would give that a go.

In a small saucepan, place about 1/2 a cup of dates with a bit of water. Cook gently until dates a very soft. Keep an eye on the water, you want just enough so the dates don't stick or burn.

Add about a 1/3 cup brown sugar to the dates along with 1 egg white and about 1/2 cup whole almond meal, then combine well.

Spread the filling onto defrosted puff pastry sheets, loosely roll and place back in the freezer to firm up a little. Otherwise, you can slice the pastry into strips about 1 1/2 cm wide and loosely roll into spirals.

Place your little swirls onto a lined baking tray and bake in a hot oven until golden brown.

MmMmmm! Although they were not as scrumptious as Mamas, they still make a nice treat with a leisurely afternoon coffee.