Easy Almond Braid

This easy almond braid is simple *and* totally scrumptious. Good luck not eating the entire beautifully braided dessert in one sitting!

Want to impress guests with a beautiful dessert but don't want to spend a ton of time making one? Try this easy almond braid. You'll not only impress those guests but also their taste buds as well!

Okay, okay. It may not be as easy as applesauce crunch cake, brookies, or Snickers salad, but it's totally easier than you think.

I don't know about you, but I heart almond filling. If I see a bear claw, I've gotta eat it. Any baked good with almond paste, almond filling, almond glaze, almond extract, I'm so there. Wrap it up in a pretty package like this easy almond braid and I'm in pastry heaven.

Generally I'm a brownie or cookie kind of gal, but I'll never pass up a delicious almond, cinnamon, brown-sugar mixture surrounded in freshly baked dough. I feel like it would be doing a disservice to dessert lovers everywhere.

Ready to learn how to make this sweet almond braid recipe?

How to Make an Easy Almond Braid

Step 1: Mix butter and brown sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Beat in flour, almond flavoring and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in almonds. Cover and chill.
Step 2: Combine rolls to form a ball and roll into a rectangle. Crumble filling evenly over the dough and make cuts on long sides of dough.
Step 3: Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling, then braid strips left over right. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid. Place on a large sprayed baking sheet and let rise. Bake.
Step 4: Drizzle with browned butter icing while warm.

Again, it may not be as easy as chocolate chip brownie cheesecake, peanut butter cookie dough dip, or this simple caramel popcorn recipe, but it's definitely less tricky than I originally thought.

To make it even easier, try using a pizza cutter to make those cuts. I use my pizza cutter for way more than pizza!

I also recommend a quality almond extract. Sometimes store-brand or generic extracts can taste a bit off. And nobody wants on off-tasting almond braid!

Printable recipe for easy almond braid below. Enjoy!

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Easy Almond Braid

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

This easy almond braid is simple *and* totally scrumptious. Good luck not eating the entire beautifully braided dessert in one sitting!

Print

Ingredients

Braid

• 12 Rhodes Texas Rolls, thawed and risen
• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons almond extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups sliced almonds

Icing

• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Braid

1. Mix butter and brown sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Beat in flour, almond flavoring and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in almonds. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. 
2. Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Combine rolls to form a ball and roll into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while almond mixture is chilling. 
3. Remove wrap and crumble filling evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of all edges. Make cuts 1 ½ inches apart on long sides of dough to within ½-inch of filling. 
4. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling, then braid strips left over right. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.
5. Lift braid with both hands and place on a large sprayed baking sheet. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30-45 minutes. 
6. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cover with foil the last 5 minutes, if necessary, to prevent over browning. Drizzle with browned butter icing while warm.

Icing

1. Lightly brown butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Do not burn. 
2. Remove from heat and blend in powdered sugar, milk and almond flavoring until mixture is smooth.
   

Notes

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 332Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 227mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 3gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g