Cherry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

📝 Ingredients

• 1 box frozen puff pastry
• 2 1/4 cups fresh cherries, (halved, pitted)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup +3 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 8 oz cream cheese, (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Powdered sugar
• Chocolate wafer, (melted)
• Cool Whip
• Whole fresh cherries

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. 2--- For The Homemade Cherry Filling ---
3. 3In a small sauce pan add cherries, sugar, water and lemon juice.
4. 4Cook over low/medium heat and bring to a boil.
5. 5Let cherries boil for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. 6Mix 3 tablespoons of water with corn starch and add to pan.
7. 7Once cherry mixture has thickened, remove from heat and let cool.
8. 8--- For The Cream Cheese Filling ---
9. 9Beat cream cheese for 2 minutes, then add sugar and beat until combined.
10. 10Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
11. 11--- Baking The Puff Pastry ---
12. 12Cut the pastry into 3 strips and then cut each strip into four with a total of 12 pieces.
13. 13Place each piece on the prepared baking sheets and bake in the oven for 17 minutes.
14. 14While the puff pastry is baking, mix equal parts of the cherry filling with equal parts of the cream cheese mixture together.
15. 15After the puff pastries bake, remove the baking sheet from oven, and once pastries have cooled, carefully separate one pastry at a time into 3 layers.
16. 16Add a little cherry cheese mixture to the bottom layer, then put the middle pastry layer back on, add a little cherry cheese mixture and then place the top pastry back on.
17. 17Continue until all pastries have been filled.
18. 18Sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with melted chocolate, add a spoonful of cool whip topping and top with a cherry, then enjoy!