Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries

FRESH STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES

2/14/2020

Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries are a simple and perfectly wonderful pastry recipe! Made with a flaky layer of puff pastry, a creamy and tangy sweetened cream cheese filling, topped with fresh strawberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Who wouldn’t love these? Perfect for a Valentine's breakfast in bed or lazy morning at home!

Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries

A SIMPLE VALENTINE TREAT!

Although these are perfect for Valentine's Day, this heart-shaped, tender and flaky puff pastry is sure to put a smile on every face any day of the year! I love making these in summer when fresh fruit is in season! You can substitute blueberries, raspberries, peaches for the fresh fruit – and apricots are especially lovely! You’ll want to switch to plain cream cheese flavor for these flavors and add the matching jam, preserves or fruit spread.

Since these begin with store-bought puff pastry, they are simple easy to prepare. Either frozen or fresh puff pastry work well. Anyone who likes Cream Cheese Danish is going to LOVE this cream cheese and fresh fruit combination! The fruit-flavored cream cheese will remind you of cheesecake - so you know it's good!

These have a much fresher and lighter taste than typical pastries, and leave room for the fresh sweetness and flavor of the strawberries to shine. Although you can prepare these ahead of time, they do taste the best the same day that you make them.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

Puff pastry – fresh or frozen, both work great!
Cream cheese – I use flavored cream cheese - strawberry, raspberry or blueberry - you can also use full-fat regular cream cheese here.
Strawberry jam or fruit spread – I like the Bonne Maman Intense Strawberry Fruit Spread for fresh and intense strawberry flavor.
Pink food coloring or beet powder (optional) – just a drop is all you need to tint the cream cheese a beautiful light pink.
Fresh strawberries – use the sweetest & ripest strawberries you can find for the best flavor and color.
Egg – this is used to make an egg wash for a pretty golden brown exterior. Don't skip this easy step for a golden and tender crust!
Sparkling sugar - I like to sprinkle the tiniest bit of this around the edge of the pastry for a sweet flavor.
Powdered sugar – right before serving, a sprinkle of powdered sugar adds just a hint of extra sweetness.

Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries

FRESH STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES

Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8.6 oz) sheet puff pastry (fresh or frozen)
3 ounces strawberry cream cheese (softened to room temp)
2 tablespoons strawberry jam (I use Bonne Maman Intense Strawberry Fruit Spread)
1 drop pink food coloring (optional – you can also use beet powder)
2/3 cup very small diced strawberries
1 large egg (room temperature) whisked with 1 Tablespoon water
Sparkling sugar
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Remove cream cheese and egg from refrigerator to warm to room temperature.
If using frozen puff pastry, thaw pastry according to directions on package. If using fresh puff pastry, no need to thaw! Halfway through thawing, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
While puff pastry is thawing, in a small bowl mix together cream cheese, jam or preserves, and a drop of pink food coloring, until well-blended and smooth.
Cut pastry into heart shapes using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter (space them as close together as possible so you can get as many as you can out of the sheet – I can usually get 9 hearts out of each sheet of puff pastry).
Transfer hearts to a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper, spacing 1 1/2-inches apart.
Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter slightly smaller than the puff pastry hearts, or using a sharp paring knife, lightly score a heart inside of each cut-out heart coming about 1/3-inch from the edge, without cutting entirely through bottom of the dough.
Add about 1-1/2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture to center of each heart then spread outward without covering the 1/3-inch edge. (I find that a small butter knife works the best for this.)
Add strawberries pieces over cream cheese layer, again without covering the edge.
Using a very small pastry brush or your fingertip, brush the 1/3-inch edge with egg wash mixture.
Using your fingers, lightly sprinkle sparkling sugar over the edge of each pastry.
Bake in preheated oven 14 - 15 minutes until edges are golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
Dust with powdered sugar right before serving. Best served the day they are prepared.

YIELD: 9 pastries

RECIPE NOTES:
Can I Make These in Advance? These can be made hours in advance but for best results serve these the day they are prepared.

Can I Use Another Type of Fruit? You can substitute blueberries, raspberries or peaches for the fresh fruit – you’ll want to switch to plain cream cheese flavor for these flavors and add the matching jam, preserves or fruit spread.

Originally posted February 2016; revised and reposted February 2020.

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