strawberry cream cheese puff pastry hearts
@tamisteggell

Light & Sweet Strawberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Hearts

These little pastry hearts are the perfect Valentine’s Day sweet treats.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially on Valentine’s Day! A strawberry heart puff pastry lets the whole family in on the love, and is simple enough to whip up on a busy school morning.

Tami Steggell shares her recipe and technique.

 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Hearts

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (115g)
  • ¼ cup caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling (60g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 lemon zest
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg  (for egg wash)
  • 1 tablespoon milk whisked  (for egg wash)
  • Handful of fresh strawberries, sliced
  • Powdered sugar (for dusting)

METHOD

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, lemon zest, sugar until fully blended, then and vanilla extract and egg yolk, continue to beat until the mixture is creamy and well combined. Put mixture in a piping bag.

Note: If you don’t have piping bags at home.  No worries! Fill a zip lock baggie with the cream cheese mixture and snip the corner in place of a piping bag.

  1. Lay out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch square. Using a heart cookie cutter 5”/8cm size. Cut out approximately 8 hearts from two sheets of puff pastry.
  2. Transfer the puff pastry hearts onto the lined baking sheet. Use a smaller heart cutter 2.5”/6.5cm in size to create a slight indentation, being careful not to cut through. This will allow the pastry to rise along the outside edges. Tip: I use the dull side on the smaller heart to ensure I don’t cut through.
  3. Now egg wash the outside edges only, outside the lines of the smaller heart. Generously sprinkle with castor sugar along the outside edges.
  4. Pipe a layer of cream cheese mixture in the center of each puff pastry heart, following the inside indentation of the smaller heart only. Leave the outside borders free from cream cheese so they can rise.
  5. Place 2 strawberry slices onto the cream cheese mixture, following the pattern of the heart.
  6. Optional: Cut “strawberry leaves” with a fondant flower cutter with the remaining puff pastry. Cut the flower shape in half to create leaves, add the leaves to the top of every strawberry tart and egg wash.
  7. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffy.
  8. Allow the baked pastry hearts to cool on the baking sheet for few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Finally dust the pastries with powdered sugar before serving.

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20
Bake Time: 15
Total Time: 35


Find more recipes from Tami on Instagram, @bitemeindustries, or on her website, bitemeindustries.com.

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