These cute and easy puff pastry hearts are crispy, buttery, fruity, quick, and delicious! A perfect Valentine's treat for your loved ones. Flaky goodness, filled with lemon-zested cream cheese and topped with fresh strawberries.
Jump to RecipeWhy you will love this puff pastry hearts recipe
These are fast and delicious! Using pre-made puff pastries such as Pepperidge Farms, these come together in a flash. A great way to impress your loved ones on Valentine's, even if Valentine's lands mid week. Perfect for a special breakfast or an after-meal treat, or even on Mother’s Day to show you care.
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Ingredients Strawberry Puff Pastry Hearts
- Cream Cheese – to create the “Danish” cream
- Castor Sugar – fine baker's sugar. If you don’t have this or do not want to purchase some you can use regular granulated sugar. Or make your own by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor or blender.
- Vanilla Extract – I’m a purist, so I like pure vanilla extract.
- Lemon - you will be using zest of a half lemon.
- Eggs – You will need one yolk and one whole egg
- Puff Pastry – for this recipe you will need one package of puff pastry.
- Strawberries – about 5 medium large
- Powdered Sugar – for dusting
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PUFF PASTRY HEARTS
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, lemon zest, and sugar until fully blended, then vanilla extract and egg yolk, continue to beat until the mixture is creamy and well combined. Put the 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Now egg wash the outside edges only, outside the lines of the smaller heart. Generously sprinkle with castor sugar along the outside edges.
- 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.
Place 2 strawberry slices onto the cream cheese mixture, following the pattern of the heart.
- 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.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffy.
- Allow the baked pastry hearts to cool on the baking sheet for few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Finally dust the pastries with powdered sugar before serving.
Equipment for Strawberry Puff Pastry Hearts
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment
- Microplane Zester – to zest your lemon
- Small Wooden Rolling Pin
- Large and Medium Heart Shape Cookie Cutters, here are a few options: Metal 5 pc. Stainless Steel Cookie Cutters, or plastic 5 pc. Red Plastic Cookie Cutters
- Pastry Brush
- Small Whisk
- 4 pc. Daisy fondant Sunflower Fondant Cutter Flower Molds (optional)
History of Puff Pastry
Puff pastry originated in France, where it is called pâte feuilletée. It was invented in 1612 by Claudius Gele, a pastry cook apprentice. He wanted to bake an improved bread for his father who was sick and was on a diet of flour, butter and water. Claudius later moved and settled in Florence and worked for the brothers Mosca, who were thought to have invented the puff pastry. The modern French puff pastry was then developed and improved by the chef M. Feuillet, thus the name pâte feuilletée.
To this day, puff pastry is extremely important and comprises the basis for a many French pastries, from Croissants, Beef Wellington, Galette des rois, Jambons, Mille-feuille, Palmier, Savory Pies, Strudel, Tarte, Turnovers and so much more. Puff pastry is truly everywhere!
Read here for more references on puff pastry
Strawberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Hearts for Valetine's
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment
- Microplane Zester – to zest your lemon
- Small Wooden Rolling Pin
- Large/Medium Heart Shape Cookie Cutters here are a few options: Metal 5 pc. Stainless Steel Cookie Cutters, or plastic 5 pc. Red Plastic Cookie Cutters
- Pastry Brush
- Small Whisk
- 4 pc. Daisy fondant Sunflower Fondant Cutter Flower Molds optional
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese (115g) softened
- ¼ cup caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling (60g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ 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
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Now egg wash the outside edges only, outside the lines of the smaller heart. Generously sprinkle with castor sugar along the outside edges.
- 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.
- Place 2 strawberry slices onto the cream cheese mixture, following the pattern of the heart.
- 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.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffy.
- Allow the baked pastry hearts to cool on the baking sheet for few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Finally dust the pastries with powdered sugar before serving.
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