If you’ve ever sunk your teeth into a Lobster Tail Pastry—flaky, crispy shell on the outside with that creamy, cloud-like filling inside—you already know how dangerously delicious they are. And yes, they take some patience and love to make, but trust me, the reward is every bit worth it.
What Is a Lobster Tail Pastry?
This pastry gets its name from its shape—those elegant, layered ridges that resemble the tail of a lobster. But don’t be fooled—there’s no seafood here! It’s made with laminated dough (the same kind you use for sfogliatelle), filled with pâte à choux (cream puff dough) before baking, and finished with a generous filling of sweetened whipped ricotta cream.
What Makes This Recipe Special
- Crunchy, golden shell from ultra-thin rolled dough
- Airy interior thanks to the choux filling that puffs as it bakes
- Sweet and creamy center of whipped ricotta or pastry cream
- It’s a true Italian bakery treat—but made in your own kitchen!
Yes, It’s a Challenge—But You’ve Got This
This isn’t your average weeknight baking project. You’ll need 3 days and a good dose of patience. But if you enjoy baking projects and love pastry-making, this one’s going to be really satisfying. I’ve broken it down into manageable steps and included all the tips that helped me succeed—because once you’ve done it, you’ll be proud of every single flaky layer.
🗓 Suggested Game Plan
Day 1: Make the Dough (Lobster Tail Shell Dough)
- Mix and knead the dough until smooth.
- Shape it into a disk, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2: Laminate the Dough
- Slice your chilled dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Lightly roll them out, then run each piece through your pasta machine from setting 0 to 6. (Do not go thinner—setting 6 is just right!)
- Flour often and handle carefully—the dough is delicate.
- Spread softened vegetable shortening over the sheet, then roll tightly, stretching the dough as you go.
- Repeat with the next sheet, wrapping it around the first roll. Do this with all 4.
- You’ll end up with one big log about 12 inches long and 3–4 inches thick.
- Chill again until firm.
Day 3: Slice, Shape, Fill, and Bake
- Slice the dough roll into discs—about ¾ to 1 inch thick.
- Flatten each disc gently with the palm of your hand.
- Use your thumbs to press the center and edges to create a cone or shell shape.
- Pipe in pâte à choux dough, filling generously.
- Bake until puffed, golden, and crisp!
Let them cool slightly, then pipe in sweet whipped ricotta cream or pastry cream to finish. Dust with powdered sugar—and try not to eat them all at once!
Tips for Success
- Use a pasta roller – A dough sheeter would be ideal, but a pasta machine (with a motor, if you have one) works great.
- Shortening is key – It keeps the layers distinct and crisp. Don’t skip it!
- Keep it cool – If your kitchen’s warm, refrigerate the dough between steps to prevent melting.
- Work slowly and gently – The dough is thin and fragile, especially after rolling.
Cream Filling Options
- Whipped ricotta with powdered sugar and vanilla
- Vanilla pastry cream or whipped mascarpone
- Or go totally decadent with chantilly cream + mini chocolate chips
Storage & Serving
- These are best the same day, fresh and crisp from the oven.
- You can store them unfilled at room temp for a day, then fill just before serving.
- Reheat unfilled pastries in the oven at 325°F for 5–7 minutes to crisp them up again.
Lobster Tail Pastry
If you’ve ever sunk your teeth into a Lobster Tail Pastry—flaky, crispy shell on the outside with that creamy, cloud-like filling inside—you already know how dangerously delicious they are.
Ingredients
- 500 grams all purpose flour (if using bread flour, add about 90 ml or 6 tablespoons of water)
- 50 grams sugar
- 200 ml water
- Ingredients to Assemble the Dough Roll
- 150 grams shortening
- Ingredients for the Cream Puff Dough
- 230 grams unsalted butter (1 cup; 2 sticks)
- 473 ml water (2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 240 grams all purpose flour (2 cups)
- 8 large eggs
- Ingredients for the Whipped Cream Ricotta Filling
- 750 ml heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 420 grams powdered sugar, divided
- 2 1/4 pounds ricotta cheese, drained if needed
Instructions
- Day 1: Mix the dough for the lobster tail pastry shell and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2: Process the dough into very thin sheets using a pasta machine, roll it into log form with shortening, wrap, and refrigerate. Prepare the cream puff dough, cool it, cover, and refrigerate.
Day 3: Assemble the pastries, make the whipped ricotta filling, bake and cool the pastries, then fill. - Day 1 – Making the Lobster Tail Pastry DoughAdd the dry ingredients to the bowl of a standing mixer and mix well. Add water and mix until a firm dough forms. Knead until well developed and you can pull a windowpane. Transfer to an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
- Day 2 – Forming the Lobster Tail ShellsCut the dough into four pieces and roll out each one until nearly double in size. Flour both sides generously. Run each sheet through the pasta machine, starting at setting 0 and progressing to setting 6. Use flour to prevent sticking.
- Use a floured rolling pin to catch the dough as it comes through the machine. Apply a thin layer of shortening to one side of the dough. Gently pull to widen slightly, then roll tightly into a log, jellyroll style. Pull and roll to keep it tight. Repeat for each piece and keep adding them to the roll until it forms one large cylinder. Grease the outside well with shortening, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate overnight.
- Day 2 – Making the Cream Puff DoughSift the flour and salt together in a bowl. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and water over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium low, add the flour mixture all at once, and stir until the dough pulls away from the pan sides and forms a ball
- Remove from heat. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing vigorously between each addition. A hand mixer works well here. Transfer to a bowl or airtight container, cover, and refrigerate.
- Day 3 – Making the Whipped Cream Ricotta FillingIn a medium bowl, whip 1.5 cups heavy cream with 1.5 teaspoons vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1.5 cups powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining 1.5 cups cream, 1.5 teaspoons vanilla, about 2 cups powdered sugar (scant), and all the ricotta.
- Combine both mixtures and chill until ready to use.
- Day 3 – Assembling the PastriesRemove the dough roll from the fridge and slice into 14 to 18 pieces, about 1/2 inch thick. If it’s hard to slice, chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes first. Flatten each slice with your palm using just enough flour to prevent sticking.
- Form each disc into a cone shape by pressing down with both thumbs. Fill each cone generously with the cream puff dough. The more filling you use, the more the pastry expands while baking.
- Place the filled cones on a lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each. If you're short on oven space, keep the remaining pastries chilled until ready to bake.
- Day 3 – Baking the Lobster TailsPreheat your oven to 450°F. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Make sure the pastries are deep golden brown before removing them, or they may deflate.
- Day 3 – Filling the Lobster TailsLet the pastries cool completely before filling. If they’re warm, the filling will melt. Make a slit in the bottom of each pastry and pipe in the whipped ricotta cream. Set on a tray and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like.
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 924Total Fat 55gSaturated Fat 30gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 210mgSodium 335mgCarbohydrates 88gFiber 2gSugar 32gProtein 19g
Easy Shrimp Recipes.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although allchickenrecipes.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
