Cream Cheese Pastry Bites

These cream cheese bites comes together with minimal ingredients (and effort, yay!) in about a half hour. Perfect for brunch or as a dessert, and customizable with whatever fruit is in season!

Makes 12 bites

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

• Zest of one lemon

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed

• 1 egg, for brushing

• Raspberries or fruit of choice

• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

-Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions and leave cream cheese out at room temperature prior to these steps.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

• In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy and transfer to a tipped pastry bag (optional: if not using pastry bag, simply spoon cream cheese mixture onto pastry)

• On a flour surface, use a rolling pin to smooth puff pastry. Cut into 6 shapes of your choice and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

• Portion cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry, top with fruit. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges with egg whites and sprinkle with sugar.

• Bake for 20-25 minutes and enjoy!