Strawberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastries

An Easy Breakfast Pastries Recipe

Let’s be honest, what’s the real reason we all love the holidays? I think many of us could say it’s all about the food! Holidays only come about 10 times a year so it’s fun to have a day of splurging with delicious treats like so. Though these may appear just fit for Valentines day this heart shaped, tender and flaky puff pastry breakfast is sure to put a smile on anyones face any day of the year! They are great for making in the summer when all the fresh fruit is in season too. And since these begin with store-bought puff pastry they are easy to prepare. And who could resist that cream cheese strawberry combo?

A Lightly Sweetened Treat

As a side note, just so you aren’t expecting a really sweet dessert, know that these are more mildly sweet than some of the typical pastries and pies you may be used to (just be sure not to use a low-sugar jam here or they won’t have enough sweetness). I like them this way though as it leaves room for the flavor of the strawberries to shine, it also make it reminiscent of cheesecake which isn’t overly sweet either. If you do however want them sweeter, add some granulated sugar to the cream cheese mixture and dust with extra powdered sugar when finished.

Ingredients Needed for Breakfast Pastries

Puff pastry – just the kind you’ll find in the freezer isle works great. Cream cheese – preferably stick with the full fat stuff here. Strawberry jam – just the bottled stuff you get on the shelf is what I used here. Food coloring or beet powder (optional) – this just tints the cream cheese a light pink, not a must. Fresh strawberries – use sweet strawberries for best results. Egg – this is used to make an egg wash for a pretty golden brown exterior. In a pinch you could omit it. Powdered sugar – this is added as a final garnish and for a hint of extra sweetness.

How to Make These Fun Breakfast Pastries

Here’s a breakdown of the simple steps you’ll follow:

Thaw pastry, preheat oven. While puff pastry is thawing, mix together cream cheese, jam and food coloring. Refrigerate. Cut pastry into heart shapes using a cookie cutter. Score a heart shape inside the cut hearts. Spread cream cheese to score mark. Add strawberries over cream cheese layer. Brush edges with egg wash. Bake. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Tip Saving Tips

Really these aren’t so much time consuming as it is steps, like and waiting for pastry to thaw, cutting out and scoring the dough etc. If you want to save time you could just cut out 6 rectangles and slices the strawberries (vs dicing them into little pieces) which will go a little faster than the hearts. Or better yet, make them well worth your time and just double up the recipe. If doing so just start thawing one pastry about 15 minutes after the other since you don’t want to fully thaw it to room temp before baking.

Can I Make These in Advance?

They can be made hours in advance but for best results serve these the day they are prepared.

Can I Use Another Type of Fruit?

Yes you could also make these with another type of fruit like raspberries or blueberries. Just don’t use a fruit that’s overly wet or it could make these soggy.