Peach Cream Cheese Tarts
It doesn’t take much to make these Peach Cream Cheese Tarts…ripe peaches, puff pastry, cream cheese…but, boy do they look incredible! Looks like you spent hours making them! But the reality is so much better: in 30 minutes, you have a stunning dessert that honors the beautiful ripe fruit of the summer!
I love these little heart-shaped treats. You don’t need to make them heart-shaped (but why wouldn’t you?); you can make squares or circles, too. And, you can use other fruits that grab your eye. Nectarines, plums, apricots all make wonderful substitutions. Can’t beat that for versatility!
Begin by thawing and cutting the puff pastry into heart shapes. I love these cookie cutters as the hearts are more rounded than a traditional heart shape. But, any heart shape will work.
Poke holes in the dough with a fork, leaving a 1/2-inch border un-poked and making sure not to poke completely through the dough.
Mix the cream cheese and sugar together and spread about a tablespoon of the mixture on one half of the heart and another tablespoon on the other half. Be sure to leave the same 1/2-inch border without any cream cheese.
Layer slices of peach over the cream cheese layer and then dab some egg wash on the exposed parts of the puff pastry. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the egg wash and pop them into the oven.
Bake the tarts until the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove them from the oven and brush on some apricot jam, if you like. It gives the fruit a shiny look!
I like to let the tarts cool down prior to eating. Spread the love with these pretty and delicious treats!
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Peach Cream Cheese Tarts
Makes: 8 4-inch tarts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry dough,
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2-3 ripe, but firm, peaches (nectarines and plums work well, too)
- 1 egg and water for “egg wash”
- Coarse sugar such as Demerara or Turbinado to sprinkle on top of the tarts
- 1/4 cup peach or apricot marmalade (optional)
Instructions
Put puff pastry sheet on counter to thaw. Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a small bowl mix the cream cheese with the 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Slice peaches in about 1/8-inch wedges. You need 6 wedges of peaches per tart.
Open puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface. If you feel it a bit sticky, rub it with a bit of flour. Cut thawed puff pastry. You can use a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter or just cut it in small squares. Arrange puff pastry pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 1/2-inch of space between them.
With a fork, prick the center of each piece of puff pastry, leaving about 1/2-inch 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. Place tarts in the freezer for 7 minutes to set everything up.
For the egg wash, beat vigorously an egg and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of water or milk, or use only milk. With a pastry brush, cover the exposed border of the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle some coarse sugar over the pastry. Try to not let the sugar fall over the peaches as much as possible.
Place baking sheet in the oven. Wait 1 minute and then decrease oven temperature to 400°F. 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, brush a bit of marmalade over the fruit, if desired.
Let them cool down a bit more before eating.
Recipe by Dev Amadeo
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