Description
Thousand Leaves, also known as Napoleon Pastry, is a classic French dessert featuring flaky puff pastry layered with rich, creamy pastry cream, topped with vanilla icing and chocolate drizzle. This elegant treat offers a perfect balance of crunch and smoothness, ideal for special occasions or afternoon snacks.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb homemade rough puff pastry or 2 sheets of store-bought frozen puff pastry, thawed
- All-purpose flour (as needed for rolling dough)
- 4 large egg yolks (cold or room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
- Small pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (cold)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
- 15 tablespoons milk (for topping)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (for topping)
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (coarsely chopped)
Instructions
- Prepare rough puff pastry if making from scratch or thaw store-bought puff pastry. Roll dough into an 11×16 inch rectangle on a floured surface.
- Whisk egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth. Heat whole milk and sugar until simmering, then gradually mix into egg yolks while whisking. Strain mixture back into saucepan.
- Heat over medium, whisking constantly until thickened (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in butter, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, and salt. Cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Dock pastry dough with fork, cover with parchment and baking sheet to weigh down. Bake 20 minutes, remove top parchment and bake 7-9 more minutes until golden. Cool completely.
- Whip cold heavy cream to medium peaks, fold gently into chilled pastry cream. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Cut baked pastry into about 15 uniform squares.
- Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to make icing. Melt chocolate until smooth for drizzle.
- Assemble: layer pastry square, pipe cream, repeat layers, finish with pastry square on top. Ice top layer and drizzle with chocolate.
- Refrigerate assembled pastry for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Dock pastry before baking to prevent excessive puffing.
- Chill pastry and cream adequately for best texture.
- Use a sharp knife for clean cuts of pastry.
- Do not overwhip heavy cream to avoid grainy texture.
- Store assembled pastry in airtight container in fridge to prevent sogginess.
- Freeze leftover pastry layers and cream separately if needed.
- Optional flavor variations include lemon, coffee, or chocolate-infused cream.
- For dairy-free, substitute heavy cream and milk with plant-based alternatives.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including chilling time)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece (approximate)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg
Keywords: Thousand Leaves, Napoleon Pastry, Mille-feuille, French dessert, puff pastry, pastry cream, layered dessert