Description
Delightful strawberry cream cheese breakfast pastries made with flaky puff pastry, sweet strawberry jam, and fresh diced strawberries, perfect for a special morning treat or brunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 1 (8.6 oz) sheet puff pastry
Filling
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 Tbsp strawberry jam
- 1 drop red food coloring (or use beet powder) optional
- 2/3 cup very small diced strawberries
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
To Finish
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare Puff Pastry and Oven: Thaw puff pastry sheet according to package directions. Halfway through thawing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it’s ready for baking.
- Make Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix the softened cream cheese, strawberry jam, and optional red food coloring or beet powder. Press mixture along the bottom and sides of the bowl to eliminate any large lumps. Refrigerate the mixture to firm it up and prevent it from being runny; flash chilling in the freezer helps if close to pastry readiness.
- Cut Puff Pastry Shapes: Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many hearts as possible from the puff pastry sheet, placing them close together to maximize yield.
- Prepare Hearts for Filling: Transfer the cut hearts to a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Then, gently score a smaller heart inside each larger heart using a sharp paring knife, about 1/3 inch from the edges, without cutting all the way through the dough.
- Add Filling and Strawberries: Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each heart and spread outward, leaving the 1/3-inch border clear. Top the cream cheese layer with diced strawberries, again leaving the border free.
- Apply Egg Wash Edges: Brush the exposed 1/3-inch edges of each heart with the egg and water mixture using your fingertip to help create a golden crust when baked.
- Bake Pastries: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and the puff pastry is cooked through.
- Cool and Finish: Remove pastries from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, dust each pastry with powdered sugar. Serve the pastries the same day they are prepared for best freshness.
Notes
- To save time, cut 6 rectangles instead of hearts, slice strawberries thinly, and adjust the filling to 3 oz cream cheese, 2 1/2 Tbsp jam, and 1 cup strawberries to cover the larger surface area.
- For best results, ensure the cream cheese mixture is chilled and not runny before adding it to the pastry to prevent sogginess.
- Use powdered sugar sparingly for a light, sweet finish without overpowering the pastry flavor.
- If you don’t have a heart-shaped cutter, use any preferred shape or cut squares/rectangles with a knife and adjust filling portions accordingly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pastry
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 130 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
