Peach Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Tarts
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For easy, peachy days
This Peach Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Tart recipe is so ridiculously easy, I can see you making it every time you want to make something cute and super delicious for breakfast in no time! It uses frozen puff pastry dough sheets and each tart has a sweet cream cheese filling. I used juicy fresh peaches for that peaches-n-creme feel, but you can use apricots, nectarines or even plums. It doesn't require for you to spend hours in the kitchen or lots of ingredients. This is a recipe that will never let you down.
When I crossed paths with some sweet juicy fresh peaches I thought immediately about making this recipe. I know the vibrant peach color will sweeten the soul and brighten anything. Maybe that’s why I made these heart-shaped, to share love and all the goodness of these mini peach cream cheese puff pastry tarts to everyone around me.
These are my lazy version of a cheese Danish, a pastry I love so much since forever. My favorite were pineapple! By using puff pastry sheets I know I will have mini peach cream cheese tarts with a super flaky and buttery crust, which is exactly what you want in any tart.
I made these tarts shiny by spreading peach marmalade on top after baked, adding more juiciness and sweetness in each bite. You can omit this of course but this extra thing makes these peach tarts even greater.
How to prepare frozen puff pastry sheet
When working with frozen puff pastry dough, you should always take into consideration the time it takes for the dough to thaw. It will depend on your home’s temperature of course, but this can take from 15 to 30 minutes. I like to start working with it as soon as it’s malleable but feels somewhat cold to the touch. It won’t tear when handling it. Prepare the ingredients while the dough is thawing because the dough should not wait too long after this sweet point.
Another thing I like to do is to rub just a tad of flour on top of the puff pastry dough to dry out any stickiness, making it less prone to absorb liquids and therefore ending up crispy and flaky.
Making Peach Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Tarts
As mentioned, start by taking the frozen puff pastry dough out of the freezer to thaw.
In the meantime, you can make the sweet cream cheese filling. Heat the cream cheese in medium level in the microwave so it’s soft and spreadable before adding the sugar. I only used 2 tablespoons but you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons more if desired.
Next, slice the peaches in wedges of about ⅛” of thickness. Too thin and they will burn; too thick and they won’t cook properly.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking tray. Trust me, this will make your life easier because you are going to make the tarts there. No need to be moving things around.
Start working the puff pastry by opening it over the parchment. If it has sticky areas, run a very light layer of flour.
Use a cookie cutter to make hearts or use any other shape. You can also cut squares of puff pastry.
With a fork you will poke shallow holes in the surface, leaving untouched a border of about ½”. In the poked area, spread some sweet cream cheese. Arrange peach slices on top.
If dough has become too warm, it’s a good idea to place the baking tray in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. This is not ultra necessary but it always helps the dough in keeping its shape.
Brush the exposed dough with an “egg wash” that doesn't necessarily has to be with an egg; you can use milk as well. Also, don’t forget to sprinkle a good amount of a coarse grain sugar on top of the “wash”.
Most puff pastry recipes and even box instructions call for heating the oven to 400°, but I have always gotten flakier results with a 425° oven. You can bake at 425° all the time or preheat oven at 425° and decrease to 400° when the tarts are in. Don’t worry, you won’t mess this up! Just keep an eye on them to prevent the edges from burning.
What you’ll need
My heart shaped cookie cutters. I love these cutters because they make a curlier heart shape than other cutter.
A sturdy baking tray. This one here has been with me for a long time!
A natural bristle pastry brush like the one I have.
Of course pre-cut parchment paper, your life will be easier with them.
3 recipes I think you’ll love if you’re loving this one:
Asparagus and Cheese Puff Pastry Tart
Prosciutto, Arugula and Fig Spread Pizza
Mango Crostata with Sweetened Cream Cheese
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Can’t wait for you to make these! I love them so much!
Don’t forget to take a pic and and tag me in Instagram (@devamadeo), Facebook (@DevAmadeo), and now on Threads (@devamadeo) when you bake these tarts.
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Peach Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Tart
Ingredients
◯ Puff pastry sheet - 1 - 10” x 15” or 2 square
◯ Cream Cheese - ½ box, 113g, 4 oz.
◯ Natural granulated sugar - 2 TBSP, 6g
◯ Peaches (you may use plums or nectarines as well) - 2 (3 to be safe)
◯ Egg or water for “egg wash”
◯ Coarse grain sugar such as Demerara or Turbinado to sprinkle on top of the tarts
◯ Peach or apricot marmalade (optional)
Details
Yield: 8 heart shaped 4” tarts
Total time: 30 minutes
Active time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Equipment: baking sheet, heart shaped cookie cutter, pastry brush
Steps:
Put puff pastry sheet to thaw. Preheat oven to 425°.
In a small bowl mix the ½ box/113g of cream cheese with the 2 tablespoons/6 grams of sugar.
Slice peaches in about ⅛” wedges. You need 6 wedges of peaches per tart.
Open puff pastry sheet over a parchment paper on a baking tray. If you feel it a bit sticky, rub it with a bit of flour.
Cut thawed puff pastry. You can use a heart shaped cookie cutter or just cut it in small squares. Arrange pieces, leaving about ½” of space between them.
With a fork, prick the center of each piece of puff pastry, leaving about ½” border untouched. Be careful not to pierce the dough all the way down.
Spread about a tablespoon of the cream cheese-sugar mixture over the pricked area. Arrange peach slices on top, 3 on each side if doing the heart shaped tarts.
(If possible, place tarts in the freezer for 7 minutes to set everything up.)
For the egg wash, beat vigorously an egg and mix it with ½ teaspoon of water or milk, or use only milk. With a pastry brush cover the exposed border of the dough. Sprinkle over the egg wash some Demerara or Turbinado sugar. Try to not let the sugar fall over the peaches as much as possible.
Place tray in the oven. Wait 1 minute and then decrease oven temperature to 400°. Bake for 15 minutes, until borders are pretty puffed and golden brown and any visible cream cheese looks set.
Keep an eye on them after the first 10 minutes, each puff pastry brand is different and could take 5 minutes less or 5 minutes more to bake. Look for the visual cues and make sure peaches don't get burned.
Remove from baking tray and place tarts in a cooling rack. While still warm but that you can handle them, brush a bit of marmalade if desired.
Let them cool down a bit more before eating.
