Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

These cream cheese puff pastries are made from scratch and bake up perfectly flakey with a tangy cream cheese filling.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed then spooned and leveled (260g)
• 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter - cut into 1 cm cubes, cold and straight from the fridge (280g)
• 1/2 cup water, ice cold (120g)
• 1 cup (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (226g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar - omit if making savory pastries (50g)
• 1 large egg yolk (20g)
• 1 tsp lemon juice (5g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste - omit if making savory pastries (5g)
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
• 1 Tbsp water (15g)
• 1/4 cup coarse sanding sugar (50g)
• 2 cups fruit (I like using canned pears, peaches, or berries)
• Food processor
• Rolling Pin
• 2 large baking sheets
• 2 silicone mats or parchment paper
• Pastry cutter
• Ruler

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Puff Pastry ---
2. 2The easiest and best way to make this dough is with a food processor fitted with a metal blade. If you're short on time, store-bought puff pastry dough can also be used (skip down to step 6).
3. 3Add 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp fine salt to the bowl, and 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) of cubed, cold butter into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse the mixture in one-second intervals until the butter is broken down into small, pea-sized bits (this usually takes me about 12 pulses). Don't pulse more than this, or you'll break the butter down too much, which can result in dense pastry dough.
4. 4Next, add 1/2 cup of ice-cold water and pulse a few more times. The goal is to mix the dough as little as possible until it just starts to come together. It will still be a bit crumbly, but that's ok!
5. 5Lightly flour your counter, rolling pin, and dough. Pour the mixture onto your counter and gently knead it a few times until it comes together. Then, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18 inches (30 x 45 cm).
6. 6Fold the dough in thirds like a letter (see the photo above), then fold it in half in the opposite direction. The dough should be in the shape of a square at this point. Then roll it out a bit to make it into a rectangle and cut it in half to make two roughly equal-sized portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.
7. 7Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C about 30 minutes before the dough is done chilling.
8. 8--- Cream Cheese Filling ---
9. 9While the dough is chilling, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment to beat 1 cup of cream cheese with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar (omit for savory pastries) for 2 minutes on medium speed.
10. 10Then mix 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (omit for savory pastries), and 1/4 tsp fine salt at medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
11. 11--- Rolling, Cutting, and Filling the Pastries ---
12. 12Remove one portion of the puff pastry dough from the fridge and unwrap it. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle that's roughly 8x12 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. You want the dough to be just slightly bigger than those dimensions so you can trim the sides to get nice, clean edges. It's super important that the dough is rolled to be 1/8 of an inch, or else it won't bake through in the center.
13. 13Then cut the rolled dough into 8 equal-sized squares or rectangles that are about 2x3 inches (you can cut these into any shape as long as they're all the same size). Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
14. 14Use a paring knife to score (partially cut) a smaller rectangle inside the pastry. Be careful not to cut all the way through. The lines should be about 1/2 inch or 1.5cm from the edge of the pastry.
15. 15Then pipe or spoon a couple of Tablespoons of cream cheese filling in the center of each rectangle.
16. 16You can bake these without any other toppings, but I like to add a bit of fruit (I usually use fresh berries or sliced canned pears) or ham & freshly grated gruyere.
17. 17Beat together 1 large egg and 1 Tbsp of water in a small bowl, then brush around the edges of the pastry. Top with coarse sanding sugar (omit for savory pastries).
18. 18Bake in the pre-heated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the edges have puffed up. If it seems like the pastry is over-browning or if your oven runs a bit hot, cover the pastries with foil for the last few minutes. Let the pastries cool on the pan for about 10 minutes, then enjoy.
19. 19While the first batch bakes, remove the remaining portion of the dough from the fridge and repeat steps 1-7.