Description
Delight in these Strawberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries featuring flaky puff pastry filled with a creamy blend of cream cheese and strawberry jam, topped with fresh diced strawberries and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. Perfect for a sweet 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
Topping
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Thaw and Preheat: Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions. Halfway through thawing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it's ready for baking.
- Prepare Filling: In a small bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix the softened cream cheese, strawberry jam, and optional red food coloring. Press the mixture along the bottom and sides of the bowl to smooth out any lumps, creating a creamy blend. Refrigerate until ready to use or flash chill in the freezer if time is short.
- Cut Pastry Shapes: Roll out the thawed puff pastry sheet and use a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many hearts as possible, placing shapes close together for efficiency.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place the heart-shaped pastry pieces on a baking sheet lined with silicone liner or parchment paper, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart to allow for rising.
- Score Inner Hearts: Using a sharp paring knife, lightly score a smaller heart inside each pastry heart, about 1/3 inch from the edge, being careful not to cut all the way through the dough to create a border.
- Add Filling and Strawberries: Place 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each heart and gently spread it outward without covering the 1/3-inch edge border. Top with diced strawberries, again leaving the border clear.
- Egg Wash: Brush the 1/3-inch edges of each pastry heart with the egg and water mixture to help achieve a golden brown finish.
- Bake: Bake the pastries in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the puff pastry is cooked through.
- Cool and Serve: Let the pastries cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, lightly dust them with powdered sugar. Serve fresh the day they are prepared for the best texture and flavor.
Notes
- To save time, cut out 6 rectangular pieces instead of hearts and slice the strawberries. Increase to 3 oz cream cheese, 2 1/2 Tbsp jam, and 1 cup strawberries to cover the larger surface area.
- Use beet powder as a natural red food coloring alternative for a healthier option.
- Ensure the cream cheese mixture is well chilled to prevent it from running into the pastry during baking.
- If puff pastry sticks after cutting, dust lightly with flour before cutting shapes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pastry
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
