Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

This Cream Cheese Puff Pastry is so easy to make and absolutely delicious! You can make it with any fruits, berries, jam or just the cream cheese filling.

This recipe is super versatile. I made a few different variations of it, using strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, jam, and some with just plain cream cheese filling.

This recipe is similar to a cream cheese danish, howewer not the same. The way this Cream Cheese Puff Pastry differs from a danish is that danish dough is yeast-leavened, while we are using puff pastry to make this recipe.

Puff pastry and danish dough are different, but easily mistaken for each other.

I used store-bought puff pastry for this recipe, but you can make your own. You can also make danish dough and use the filling and also the shaping techniques taught in this post.

Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Recipe

Let’s make this easy recipe for Cream Cheese Puff Pastries together.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Puff pastry: can be found in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store, or you can make your own.
• Cream cheese: full fat works best, but you can use lower fat, but the result will be a less rich filling.
• Granulated sugar: just a bit of sugar for sweetness, this pastry is not overly sweet.
• Egg yolk: makes the filling creamy.
• Lemon juice: gives a tangy taste to the pastry and also helps the filling obtain a firm consistency.
• Pure vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar: for the glaze or for sprinkling on top before serving
• Milk: to make the glaze

Puff Pastry Dough

First things first, make sure the puff pastry is thawed.

Remove it from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before using. You can also microwave the pastry wrapped in paper towel for 15 seconds on each side to speed up the thawing process.

Cream Cheese Filling Instructions

To make the cream cheese mixture, start by beating the sugar and softened cream cheese together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer, until fluffy and combined. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature.

Add the yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. And beat again until combined.

That’s how simple it is to make the filling.

You can fold some lemon zest or orange zest in the filling for a citrus twist.

The amount of filling made in the following recipe is enough to make 12 pastries, using up 2 pastry sheets.

Assemble the Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

Once the filling is done and the pastry dough is thawed, it’s time to assemble.

Cut the pastry sheet into 6 rectangles.

Place the rectangles on top of a baking tray lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.

Score a smaller rectangle in the center of the dough, but don’t cut all the way through.

Fill the center with a couple of tablespoons of filling.

Top with berries or leave it plain with the cream cheese filling.

Whisk the egg to make an egg wash. You can add a splash of milk to it if desired.

Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash, and sprinkle coarse sugar on top.

Bake the pastries in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and puffed up.

Let the pastries cool down for 10 minutes before serving.

To serve the pastries, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or drizzle a sugar glaze.

Making the glaze is super easy, just whisk powdered sugar and milk together.

Simply use a spoon to drizzle it over the cooled pastries.

What I love the most about these pastries is how you versatile they are, and how you can make them with any berries, fruits, or even just plain cream cheese if you wish.

I’ve made them with blackberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, blueberries, pitted cherries, even peaches.

Other options of toppings are: raspberry jam, Nutella, Biscoff, dulce de leche, lemon curd. Put a teaspoon of jam, or Nutella in the center, on top of the cream cheese filling right before baking.

Tips for making Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

• Don’t over fill the pastries with filling before baking, or the filling will leak out.
• When scoring the dough, make sure to not cut all the way through, but to cut enough so the sides of the pastry will have a chance to rise as they bake in the oven.
• Don’t bake the pastries below 375ºF. Make sure the oven is pre-heated before putting the pastries in. Otherwise, they may not rise properly.
• The pastries are best served fresh, but leftovers will be ok after a day in the fridge.
• You can place the baked pastries in the fridge, and re-heat them in a toaster oven or in a 350ºF oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
• The pastries can be assembled and frozen, and baked straight from the freezer. If freezing the assembled pastries, don’t brush the egg wash until you’re ready to bake.

These pastries are wonderful served for breakfast, brunch, for dessert, or afternoon tea time snack. They are delicious treats to be enjoyed at anytime! And I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t loved them!

These Cream Cheese Puff Pastries have a delicious cheesecake flavor, and you can customize it to your liking by adding anything you want to them.

If you like these Cream Cheese Puff Pastries, here are some other recipes you might like:

• Puff Pastry Pinwheels
• Boston Cream Puff Pastry
• Blueberry Puff Pastry
• Pecan Pie Pastry
• Mascarpone Puff Pastry
• Cherry Turnovers
• Key Lime Pie Puff Pastry

I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe, leave a comment below, or tag me on instagram if you make this recipe!

Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

Camila Hurst

This Cream Cheese Puff Pastry is so easy to make and absolutely delicious! You can make it with any fruits, berries, jam or just the cream cheese filling.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 21 minutes mins

Total Time 51 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 pastries

Calories 230 kcal

Ingredients

  

Puff Pastry

• 2 sheets puff pastry

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz. cream cheese softened 226 grams
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 grams
• 1 large yolk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

To assemble

• berries, jam, or any fruits

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup coarse sugar

To serve

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 62.5 grams
• 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

 

Puff Pastry

• Thaw the puff pastry sheet. You can let it sit at room temperature for 30 min to 1 hour until softened. Or wrap each sheet in paper towels and microwave for 15 seconds on each side. It’s ready to be used when you can easily unfold it.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

Cream Cheese Filling

• In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat again until combined.
To assemble

To assemble

• Unfold each pastry sheet.
• 
  Cut each into 6 rectangles.
• Place the rectangles on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.
• 
  Score a smaller rectangle on the center of the pastry using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter. But don’t cut all the way through.
• 
  Pipe or spoon a couple of tablespoons of filling in the center of the pastry.
• Top with berries, or a teaspoon of jam, or leave the cream cheese filling by itself.

Egg wash

• Whisk the egg to form the egg wash. Brush on top of the pastry around the edges. Top with coarse sugar.

Baking

• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and puffed.
• If you under bake, the center of the pastry will be raw, which is why I recommend baking this pastry at 375 and not 400 Fahrenheit, and baking for longer this way the center has a chance to cook.
• Let the pastry cool down for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Glaze

• Mix the powdered sugar and milk until it has a thick but runny consistency. If the glaze is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. And if the glaze is not dripping, add a little bit more milk, about 1/2 tsp at a time. A little liquid goes a long way, just make sure to whisk well.
• Leave the glaze covered, or it will form a crust. If you don’t drizzle it over the pastries immediately after making the glaze, it will start to get thicker and you may have to add a splash of milk to get it to the proper consistency again.

To serve

• You can drizzle the glaze over the pastries using a spoon. Scoop a bit of glaze with a spoon and simply move the spoon side to side on top of the pastry as the glaze drips.
• Instead of the glaze, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the pastry and serve.

Storage

• You can store the pastry in the fridge for up to 2 days. To re-heat, place in a toaster oven for a few minutes, or in the 350ºF oven for 5 to 10 minutes until warm on the inside.

Notes

Lemon juice: Don’t skip the lemon juice. The filling won’t taste like lemon. The lemon simply helps with the tanginess of the filling, and also helps it become creamy by acting with the cream cheese to coagulate. I highly recommend you don’t skip the lemon juice.

Lemon zest: If you do want this filling to taste like lemon, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to it.

Berries: You can use raspberries, blueberries, just make sure they are small. To use larger berries such as strawberries, either chop the berries, or make the pastries larger.

Make ahead: You can assemble these Cream Cheese Puff Pastries ahead of time, and then freeze them to bake later. When freezing the pastries, don’t brush the egg wash on top until you are ready to bake. Then, when you are ready to bake, remove them from the freezer and place them on top of a sheet pan, brush the egg wash on top, and bake in the pre-heated oven until puffed and golden brown.

Keyword pastry, puff pastry