Who wouldn’t want to wake up to these intriguing puff pastry parcels on Christmas morning?
Ingredients
For the strawberry cream cheese danish
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 1 egg — beaten
- 1⁄2 cup toasted sliced almonds
For the STRAWBERRY FILLING
- 500g strawberries — roughly chopped
- 1⁄4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- 250g cream cheese — softened
- 1⁄3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- --- For the VANILLA ICING ---
- 1 cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
For the strawberry cream cheese danish
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan bake). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- To make the Strawberry Filling, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes or until the strawberries start to break down.
- To make the Cream Cheese Filling, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whip until smooth.
- To make the parcels, lay the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet of pastry into four squares.
- Divide the Cream Cheese Filling evenly between the pastry squares, then do the same with the Strawberry Filling.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the corners of each pastry square with the beaten egg.
- Fold all four corners of each square towards the centre, pinching the seams together to enclose the filling. Brush all over with the beaten egg.
- Arrange on the prepared tray and bake for 20–30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the pastries cool, make the Vanilla Icing by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled pastries, sprinkle with the almonds and dust with a little extra icing sugar to serve.