Cream Cheese Filling for Pastry
This Cream Cheese Filling for Pastries is easy to make and can be used in so many pastries.
Servings 1 cup
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened (226 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large yolk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For pastries
- 2 sheets store-bought puff pastry thawed, or use this homemade recipe
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk read notes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat again until combined.
- The filling is ready to be used in pastries.
- You can fill puff pastry dough with the filling, or pie crust, or even crescent roll dough, or bread dough.
- This filling will bake to a creamy consistency.
- It can be used for danish, baked pastries, and many more options.
- I use this filling for these Blueberry Pastries, Strawberry Puff Pastry, and Puff Pastry Pinwheels.
Cream Cheese Puff Pastry
- Pre-heat the oven to 390ºF.
- Whisk the egg with milk to use for the egg wash.
- Make sure the puff pastry sheet is thawed. Cut each pastry sheet into 6 rectangles.
- Cut a smaller rectangle in the center of one of the pieces. Brush a bit of egg wash around the edges of the bottom rectangle which should be whole, and place the rectangle that had the center cut out right on top.
- Fill the inside with the cream cheese filling, top with berries if desired.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and top with coarse sugar.
- Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle powdered sugar on top, and serve.
Notes
Homemade Puff Pastry: Try this recipe!
Lemon juice: Don't skip the lemon juice. The filling won't taste like lemon. The lemon simply helps with the tanginess of the filling, and also helps it become creamy by acting with the cream cheese to coagulate. I highly recommend you don't skip the lemon juice.
Lemon zest: If you do want this filling to taste like lemon, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to it.
Cream Cheese Puff Pastry: this is simply a serving idea, this Cream Cheese Filling will be perfect for Danish pastries, hand pies made out of pie dough, or even crescent roll desserts.
Egg wash: You can use just a whisked egg, or just milk as the wash for the pastries before baking. Or you can mix egg and milk together.
How to use this recipe:
- Blueberry Puff Pastry
- Strawberry Puff Pastry
- Puff Pastry Pinwheels