Start by removing the frozen puff pastry from the freezer. Let it thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. This is essential; it ensures that the pastry is pliable when you’re ready to work with it.

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). While the oven is warming up, you can work on assembling your pastries. This will ensure they bake evenly and achieve a proper puff.

Once thawed, place the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll them out. You want them to be about 1/8 inch thick. This creates that ideal flakiness we all crave!

Using a knife or a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter, cut the dough into snowflake shapes. If using a knife, you can create a simple snowflake by cutting a round shape and adding arms to the center. Go wild with your creativity!

In a bowl, mix the chocolate-hazelnut spread with the chopped toasted hazelnuts and the vanilla extract until combined. This filling is undeniably tempting, and you might find yourself wanting to lick the bowl!

Place a generous teaspoon of the filling in the center of each snowflake shape. Leave some space around the edges to ensure that the filling doesn’t ooze out while baking.

Top each filled snowflake with another pastry cut-out. Press the edges down with a fork or your fingers to seal the two layers together. Make sure there are no gaps where the filling could escape.

Brush the tops of the snowflakes with the beaten egg. This will give them that golden-brown color when they come out of the oven.

Place the pastries on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they puff up and turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them; ovens vary!

Once baked, remove the snowflakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Dust them lightly with icing sugar before serving for that extra touch of elegance.