Imagine a flaky, buttery pastry filled with luscious cream cheese and tangy lemon curd. This Lemon Cream Cheese Pastry is a sweet indulgence that is perfect for an easy breakfast or dessert.
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With just a few simple, store-bought ingredients, your family could be enjoying these wonderful pastries in about 30 minutes. Or, go the extra mile and make homemade puff pastry and lemon curd from scratch!
Some of our other favorite cream cheese treats are this Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Ring, this simple no-bake cream cheese mousse, and this simple orange cake with a cream cheese frosting.
Recipe Ingredients
- Puff Pastry Sheets - This recipe calls for store-bought puff pastry. Pepperidge Farms puff pastry is one of the most popular brands and can be found in the freezer section at the grocery store. Thaw before using.
- Cream Cheese - Softened to room temperature.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar for the cream cheese pastry filling.
- Vanilla - The vanilla is used for the pastry filling and the glaze.
- Egg and Water - The egg is mixed with the water to brush around the edges of the Danish. This will help make the beautiful golden brown color when they bake.
- Lemon Curd - Lemon curd is put on top of the cream cheese after the pastries have baked.
- Powdered Sugar and Heavy Cream - The powdered sugar and heavy cream make the glaze to drizzle on the baked pastries.
Variations
Some simple variations to this recipe would be to omit the lemon curd for a Cream Cheese Danish. Or, in place of the lemon curd, try you favorite fruit jam or even pie filling! Blueberry, Cherry, Apple, etc.
If you are looking for more lemon flavor, add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest to the cream cheese filling. Some fresh lemon juice can also be added if desired.
Step-by-step recipe directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
Step 1:
In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract.
Lay the two sheets of thawed puff pastry out flat on a clean work surface. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut each sheet into 6 rectangles, making 12 total rectangles.
Step 2:
Place the pastries onto one large or two medium prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
Use a paring knife to create a half-inch border around each of the pastries. Only cut about half-way into the dough. This helps the sides puff up while baking.
Then, use a fork to prick several holes into the center of the dough. This helps to keep the center from rising too much while baking.
Step 3:
Scoop the cream cheese mixture onto the pastries and spread out evenly over the center area, but not onto the ½-inch border.
Step 4:
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the egg wash onto the ½ inch border of each pastry.
Step 5:
Bake the pastries at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown.
Step 6:
While the pastries are still warm, add a dollop of lemon curd to the center of each pastry and spread out just enough to cover the cream cheese layer. Cool.
Step 7:
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Drizzle the frosting over the cooled pastries.
Step 8:
Remove the pastries from the baking sheet. Serve.
Recipe FAQ's
Not at all! With the use of store-bought lemon curd and puff pastry, these delicious treats can be ready in around 30 minutes.
Of course! Use your favorite jam or pie filling for a variety of flavors.
Yes, you can. Simply cut the puff pastry sheets into smaller pieces and adjust the amount of filling used to each pastry. Or, try a cookie cutter to make a favorite shape. Keep an eye on them when baking since they may not take as much time.
Other lemon recipes you might like
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Recipe
Lemon Cream Cheese Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 box 17.3 ounces Puff Pastry 2 sheets, thawed
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract divided
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 8 ounces Lemon Curd
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract.
- Lay the two sheets of thawed puff pastry out flat on a clean work surface. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut each sheet into 6 rectangles, making 12 total rectangles.
- Place the pastries onto one large or two medium baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
- Use a paring knife to create a ½ inch border around each of the pastries. Only cut about half-way into the dough. This helps the sides puff up while baking.
- Then, use a fork to prick several holes into the center of the dough. This helps to keep the center from rising too much while baking.
- Scoop the cream cheese mixture onto the pastries and spread out evenly over the center area, but not onto the ½-inch border.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the egg wash onto the ½ inch border of each pastry.
- Bake the pastries at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the pastries to a wire cooling rack.
- While the pastries are still warm, add a dollop of lemon curd to the center of each pastry and spread out just enough to cover the cream cheese layer. Cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Drizzle the frosting over the cooled pastries.
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