Pig's Ears

A German favorite

Makes about 60 pieces/3 baking sheets

For the pastry:

1/2 packet (225 g/8 oz) frozen puff pastry or 1/2 basic recipe puff pastry

For coating and topping:

25 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter

50 g/1 3/4 oz (4 tablespoons) sugar

3 drops vanilla essence in 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Defrost the puff pastry following the instructions on the packet or make it yourself following the instructions in the basic recipe but halving the amounts.  Preheat the oven.  Grease the baking sheet and sprinkle with a little water.

2. Melt the butter in a pan and leave to cool down, put the layers on top of each on a floured work surface, roll out to make a rectangle (55 x 22 cm/22 x 8 1/2 in) and brush with the melted butter.  Mix together the sugar and vanilla sugar and sprinkle over the dough.  Roll up the dough starting from the two long sides until the edges meet and press firmly together.

3.  Refrigerate the dough until it is firm enough to slice.  Then cut into slices 1 cm 3/8 in thick, put on the prepared baking sheet and bake in 3 batches.

Bake 200 degrees C/400 degrees F for 15 minutes (turn over the pastries after 10 minutes)

4.  Remove the pig's ears from the baking sheet, immediately sprinkle with sugar and put on a rack to cool down.