Few things in life compare to a delicate and delicious pastry. It’s the perfect addition to your morning cup of coffee, the most quintessential dish to serve at brunch, and if you’re like us and need just a little something sweet at the end of each day, a pasty is always just sweet enough. While we love to make our own pastries, we have to admit, we take some shortcuts, the main one being we always use puff pastry because it makes the whole process that much easier and you can always count on it being delicious. Here are three of our favorite puff pastry, err, pastry recipes.
Strawberry Napoleon
Just in time for strawberry season, here is an easier version of the classic dessert that combines fresh strawberries, flaky pastry, and rich cream cheese. Check out this recipe from I Am Baker.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 2 packages (16 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (240 g) strawberry preserves
- 2 cups (332 g) fresh strawberries, washed, sliced
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lay one puff pastry sheet onto each lined baking sheet. Cut each sheet into 6 equal-sized rectangles for a total of 12 rectangles. Leave about ½-inch of space between each rectangle.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk until smooth. Brush the egg wash over the tops of the puff pastry rectangles, being careful not to get the egg wash on the cut edges. (This can prevent the pastries from puffing up.)
- Bake the pastry rectangles for 15-17 minutes, or until they puff up and turn golden brown.
- While the pastry is baking, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Allow the pastries to cool before assembling (5-10 minutes). Once cooled, separate the top layer from the bottom layer of each puff pastry.
- On the bottom half of each pastry rectangle, spread 1 tablespoon of strawberry preserves. Then, using a piping bag or plastic zip bag with the corner cut off, pipe 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling. Top with 5-6 slices of fresh strawberries.
- Place the top of the pastry over the sliced strawberries and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Repeat the process for the remaining pastries.
- Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Pastry Puffs
This one is for our chocolate lovers and all you need is three simple ingredients! Check out this recipe from Marcellina in Cucina.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry
- 1 cup dark (semisweet) chocolate chips or use your favorite chocolate
- 1 tablespoon powdered (icing) sugar
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen puff pastry sheets according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper.
- Lay one sheet of thawed puff pastry on a cutting board and cut the square into 6 rectangles approximately 3 inches by 5 inches (8cm x 12.5 cm).
- Scatter half of the chocolate chips over the pastry.
- From the short end, roll up each rectangle capturing the chocolate chips inside.
- Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate chips.
- Arrange rolled pastry on a prepared baking sheet with the seam on the bottom.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Sieve powdered sugar over pastries before serving.
Raspberry Cheese Danish
This is probably our favorite pastry ever to whip up. And don’t worry if raspberry isn’t your favorite, you can replace the raspberry jam with whichever flavor you like best. Check out this recipe from Simply Home Cooked.
Ingredients
- 2 puff pastry sheet
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 6 tbsp ricotta cheese
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
- 1 Egg + 1 tbsp water for egg wash
- Glaze:
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, and lemon juice with a handheld mixer.
- Place the thawed puff pastry out onto a sheet of floured parchment paper. Roll it out lengthwise about 2 inches.
- Cut the top corners off and begin cutting strips diagonally down the sides of the pastry. You should end up with about 10 strips on each side. Once you reach the bottom strip, cut off the remaining flaps.
- Place the filling in the middle third of each puff pastry sheet. Then pipe out an even layer of raspberry jam on top of the filling (1/4 cup per danish ).
- To make the braid, begin crossing over each strip, alternating between sides. Every time you pull a strip over to the opposite side, gently pinch it down. Before you cross over last strips, fold in the bottom middle flap.
- Brush both danishes with egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minute or until golden brown.
- Make the glaze by combining the milk and powdered sugar. Once the danish is completely cool, drizzle the glaze over it.