Strawberry Napoleon

Ok, so this dessert is truly a winner!  I just realized that you are never going to take me seriously if I say almost all of my desserts are amazing, I will be the girl who cried "Yummy" to everything! 

One of my brothers did tell me that he thought this was the probably the best tasting dessert of mine he had tried!  That counts for something, right?!

One of the best things about this one, is how easy it really is!  Practically fool proof!  The only mistake I made was forgetting to sprinkle some powdered sugar to add to the presentation and it still tasted dreamy!

The only part that could be messed up is overcooking the pasty sheets.  Let them thaw, cut them up to small rectangles and place on a cookie sheet for baking.

They should look something like this when done:

While they are baking you can get your almonds toasting in a small frying pan on low.  Mine took awhile, but I also didn't burn a single one!

Next is the filling.  A couple packages of pudding mix, some milk, Cool Whip and the key ingredient, almond extract.

Start with the milk and pudding before mixing in the extract and then folding in the Cool Whip.  So you can bake and mix up everything hours before you actually need it, another bonus for this one.  I also got my strawberries sliced up.  I imagine this would taste great with any sweet fruit and I am just this minute reminded that I have some frozen strawberries that might be very tasty with this!
Anyway, back to this version!  Now it is time to assemble!
Start by cutting each one in half.  If yours puff up enough, feel free to cut into 3 sections so you can have an extra layer for each dessert.  I only did 2 sections, mine didn't seem thick enough for 3.  Sprinkle some almond slices and then strawberries on the bottom.  Spoon some filling on, your choice on how much.  Spread some more strawberries before putting the top back on.  Finish it with a sprinkle of powdered sugar (which I forgot!), another dollop of pudding mixture and strawberry.
Voila!  Yummy but light goodness!

Not the easiest one to eat, but seriously, so mind blowing good!
*I made this again, this time with raspberries and still so very good!

Strawberry Napoleon

Ingredients
4 Long rectangle sheets of frozen pasty
2 small boxes of vanilla pudding (sugar free or regular)
2 cup milk
2 tsp almond extract
1 8oz tub of Cool Whip (can whip up your own if you have the time)
2 cup strawberries, sliced
Powdered sugar, optional garnish

Directions
1. Removed pastry sheets from oven to let them thaw for 20 minutes. If you can break them apart sooner, do that so you can put the remaining 2 long rectangles back in the freezer.  Break or cut apart the sheets into long rectangles and then cut those in half to make small rectangles.
2. Place on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Be careful not to burn them.  If you decide to toast your almonds, place in small skillet and medium low and stir frequently until lightly browned.
3. Whisk pudding mixes and milk in medium bowl until smooth.  Add almond extract and then fold in Cool Whip.  Stir until everything is well blended.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.  Cover and refrigerate.
4. To assemble, carefully split each pastry in half horizontally, like you would a bun.  Layer with almonds, strawberries, pudding mixture and more strawberries.  Put the top back on and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Garnish with a spoonful of the pudding mixture and another sliced strawberry.

Based on this amount of filling I was only only able to make 7 of these, but I know you could get 8 if you portioned out the pudding a bit better!

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/02/easy-strawberry-napoleon-recipe.html