"Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen."
All you need is a box of Pepperidge Farm puffed pasty, an egg and two spices. That's not all.
There are three variations so you can mix and match whatever flavors you're in the mood for. It starts with puff pastry that you don't have to make.
Puff Pastry is a light, flaky pastry made by layering shortening and pastry dough, then rolling out and folding the dough repeatedly.
This painstaking process yields a pastry made of dozens of layers.
The pastry "puffs" when baked because the moisture in the butter creates steam between the layers, causing them to separate.
Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry is ready to bake, so you can skip the work and still enjoy perfectly made golden, flaky pastry.
How to Make Elephant Ears
Serves 12 (2 each)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 pkg. (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets), thawed
You need a hot oven, so preheat your oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in the small bowl with a fork. In another bowl, gently stir the sugar and cinnamon together.
Sprinkle the work surface with the flour. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on the floured surface.
Brush the pastry with the egg mixture and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar mixture. Starting at both short sides, fold the pastry toward the center, leaving a 1/4-inch space in the center.
Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar mixture. Fold one side over the other, making a 4-layer rectangle. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
Cut each rectangle into 12 (3/4-inch) slices, making 24 slices in all. Place the slices cut-side down, 2 inches apart on baking sheets and brush with the egg mixture.
Bake for 12 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and cool on wire racks.
Three Flavor Variations:
1. For chocolate-drizzled pastries, drizzle the pastries with melted chocolate.
2. For walnut pastries, sprinkle 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts over the sugar mixture on each pastry sheet before folding.
3. For chocolate peanut pastries, omit the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons each mini semi-sweet chocolate pieces and finely chopped peanuts on each pastry sheet before folding.
Source: Pepperidge Farm
Margaret Rudkin, a Connecticut housewife and mother of three young children, discovers one of her sons has an allergy to commercial breads that contain preservatives and artificial ingredients. So in 1937, she begins experimenting with baking her own preservative-free bread for her ailing son -- ultimately perfecting a delicious whole-wheat loaf that contained only natural ingredients.
Encouraged by her family and her son's doctor, she begins a small business out of her kitchen selling her "Pepperidge Farm" bread to local grocers. Named for her family's farm in Fairfield, Connecticut, consumers recognize her homemade bread's quality and buy every loaf she baked.