Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream Cheese are easy and look like a mouth-watering, million bucks! Buttery, flaky puff pastry with lemon zest infused cream cheese filling, all topped with juicy, fresh raspberries and baked to golden, flaky, juicy-berry perfection!
Fresh raspberries are a bright pop of sweet and tart. I love how they pair with lemon zest for the perfect flavor combination, kind of like another favorite, my Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake and Cranberry Orange Bread. Combine those berries with lemon cheesecake filling, a flaky pastry, and a cream cheese drizzle, and you have a warm, little bite of heaven!
Frozen puff pastry is delicate, light, flaky and composed of many buttery layers. It can be used in countless different sweet and savory ways. It’s possibly the perfect entertaining essential ingredient, especially around the holidays. Frozen puff pastry one of the few ingredients my snobby, foodie self finds worthy of buying pre-made as opposed to making from scratch.
What makes Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream Cheese so special?
- 10-15 minutes of preparation creates a bakery worthy treat.
- These Raspberry Tarts are perfect for dessert, breakfast, or brunch!
- Using frozen puff pastry makes this a simple and easy recipe.
- Make ahead directions below for easy entertaining!
- Did I mention Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream Cheese are easy and look like a mouth-watering, million bucks?
How to make Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream Cheese Drizzle
Begin my thawing the frozen puff pastry. I’ve used Pepperidge Farms numerous times and the taste and texture is very good.
Next, cream together cream cheese and sugar with lemon zest and vanilla. I use a Microplane Classic Zester/Grater for zesting the lemons. It’s actually one of my favorite kitchen tools.
Remove a little of the lemon cream cheese mixture to be used later as a drizzle and then add an egg to make the cheesecake used under the raspberries.
Cut six rectangles with a pizza slicer out of each sheet of puff pastry. Score an interior rectangle (So, a rectangle inside of a rectangle.) with a knife to delineate the outside crust and the inside area for the filling.
Brush the outer rectangle with an egg wash and fill the interior rectangle with a layer of the lemon cheesecake topped with six upside down, fresh raspberries.
Bake until golden. Mix the reserved cream cheese mixture with a little milk to get a perfect drizzling consistency. Garnish with lemon zest.
Can I use frozen raspberries?
I don’t recommend it. Previously frozen berries do not keep their shape well and also exude a large amount of water, possibly creating a mushy tart.
Can I make these Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts ahead of time?
Yes! Bake up to a day in advance, excluding the drizzle step, and store in an airtight container. Just before serving, toast them in the oven for 5 minutes and then drizzle with the icing and garnish with lemon zest. They will taste just as good as the first day.
Can I serve these at room temperature?
Yes, however I find they taste the best warm or recently out of the oven. The pastry is fresher in taste and texture.
Try a few other of my Berry Favorite Desserts and Bakery Treats!
- Blueberry Muffins with Streusel
- Cherry Pie with Easy Homemade Filling
- Orange Cranberry Pound Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
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Raspberry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 sheets pre-made (frozen) puff pastry ie Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
- 16 ounces raspberries, fresh
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed.
- 1 tablespoon raspberry or strawberry jam, softened/heated optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest for garnish
Lemon Cream Cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry sheets in the packaging at room temperature for 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small mixing bowl, cream together the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined.
- Remove 1/4 cup of the cream cheese (without the addition of the egg) mixture to use as a drizzle later.
- Add the egg to the lemon cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or use non-stick spray.
- Gently unfold each sheet of puff pastry. Use a fingertip to smooth the fold lines.
- Use a pizza slicer to cut along both of the fold lines creating 3 strips, and then cut once the other direction to create 6 rectangles from each sheet of puff pastry that are about 3" x 4"
- Score each pasty with a knife about a 1/2" from the outside edge, making a rectangle inside of a rectangle, but not all the way through the pastry.
- Whisk the other egg with 1 tablespoons of water and brush along the outer rectangle.
- Smooth about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture to the edges of the interior pastry rectangle.
- Very gently stir the fresh raspberries together with one tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Place 6 raspberries upside down on the cream cheese on each pastry.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool for 3-5 minutes.
- Mix the reserved 1/4 cup of cream cheese mixture with 1-2 tablespoons half and half, cream, or milk.
- Drizzle over the warm pastries and serve immediately. Garnish with lemon zest.
- Optional: For glistening berries, brush with heated jam or jelly.
Notes
Nutrition
Mother, Gardener, Book Devourer, and Food Obsessor. I love being inspired with fresh, seasonal ingredients and relish every opportunity to elevate my home cooking. Join me!
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