Confession time; I, a trained pastry chef, do not make my own puff pastry. I mean, it’s a real labour of love, not to mention time, energy, and patience. And with some really high-quality frozen puff pastry available in grocery stores these days, my question is, why would anyone go through the effort when it’s unnecessary? I’d completely understand if you’re looking for a reduction in processed foods in your diet, or you don’t have access to quality frozen puff. Otherwise, let’s be honest here; even classically trained chefs are using the commercial product, especially when you can’t really make puff pastry from scratch any cheaper than you can buy it. And if you really want to stay away from preservatives, ask local bakeries if they sell or are willing to sell you a roll of their store-made puff pastry; I’ve done this many times and while usually a bit pricier than the grocery store package, you usually get a lot more and it’s often fresh-made that day.

But if your only option is the grocery store, frozen puff pastry is quick and easy to use, reasonably priced, and incredibly versatile; I have a savoury recipe I’ll be posting soon (delicious Garlic Cheddar Spirals), and let me tell you, they were delicious…I may or may not have eaten most of them… *shrug*

I sort of made up this recipe on the spot, considering what I had on hand at the moment. Each pastry consisted of chocolate chips, a sweetened cream cheese, and fresh raspberries. It’s completely substitutable for whatever flavours you prefer or have handy, and if you have access to vegan puff pastry, you can use vegan ingredients.

For ideas on how to design your pastry shapes, check out this YouTube video for ideas.

Puff Pastry Chocolate Cream Cheese Bites

YIELD: 16-24 pieces | PREP: 20 mins | BAKE: 20-25 mins

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: hand blender, baking sheet, parchment paper, sharp knife

• ½ pkg cream cheese, room temperature (full fat for best flavour)
• 1 tsp/5mL pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp/5mL lemon juice
• 1 tbsp/15g granulated sugar
• ½ pkg (1 sheet) frozen puff pastry, defrosted and chilled
• Bench flour (small container of AP flour for dusting work surface to prevent sticking)
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp/15mL cream or water
• ¼ cup/42g chocolate chips
• 12-24 fresh raspberries
• 2 tbsp/15g turbinado or sanding sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice, and granulated sugar; beat until fluffy. Set aside.
3. Roll out chilled pastry on lightly floured work surface until roughly rectangular, and cut out squares to your desired size.
4. Brush each square with egg wash; use about ¼-½ tsp cream cheese filling (depending on size of square) to each square (watch YouTube video linked above for 4 easy puff pastry shapes ideas), and sprinkle each pastry with turbinado sugar.
5. Place each filled pastry on baking sheet; bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, rotating tray halfway through.
6. Remove pastries from baking sheet and cool on cooling rack for a few minutes before serving. Can be eaten hot or cold.