Honey Walnut and Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Swirls

Hehehe okay, funny story, I actually made these little guys for Christmas. I was originally thinking of doing a savoury cream cheese puff pastry as an appetiser for the holidays, but by the time I got into the kitchen I changed my mind completely and went sweet instead. And honestly, you could still serve these as a starter at a Christmas dinner too, not everyone wants only savoury bites on the table, right? Who doesn’t want a little something sweet during the holidays!

Now that I’m sharing this in the middle of summer though, I have to say, these rolls work just as well, maybe even better, on a hot day. They are light, crispy, not overly heavy, and you can eat two or three without feeling like you need a nap afterward. Think of them less as a “Christmas dessert” and more as a quick, crisp little treat you can whip up any time you want something sweet without turning on the oven for an hour.

The recipe itself is super simple and versatile to make, and even the shape of the rolls with all those little pastry layers creates a really nice texture, and honestly, who doesn’t love cream cheese, walnuts and honey together, that’s always a win. On the notes, I’ll give you a few sweet and savoury alternatives, because this is such an easy recipe to put together and the results speak for themselves, so let’s get to it!

Honey Walnut and Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Swirls

Servings: 12
Time: 50mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Ohh ohhh these are some fancy creamy and crispy pastries hehehehe, well sometimes you just need something tasty to go with the top hat and monocle! ;D

Ingredients

Puff Pastry – 1 Rectangular Roll (+/- 275g)
Cream Cheese – 200g
Walnuts – 100g
Sugar – 60g
Honey – 30ml

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (390ºF or the temperature recommended on the puff pastry packaging) and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roughly chop the walnuts.

In a bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar, whip well until creamy, taste and add more sugar to taste if you prefer it sweeter.

Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator, unroll it and generously spread the sweet cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle with the walnuts (save some to sprinkle on top at the end) and finally drizzle with honey (this won’t mix with the cream, so after baking you’ll have hints of honey on each pastry).

Then roll up the pastry and cut into rolls. Arrange them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle each one with more walnuts, repeat until you have no more pastry. Bake for about 18 minutes (or until the pastry is golden brown).

And that’s it! Remove from the oven, let cool, and they’re ready to serve. They’re good warm or cold the next day, enjoy! 😀

Notes & Tips: The original idea was to use feta cheese, spinach and garlic (a classic Greek combination), or maybe cheddar with sauteed mushrooms, or shredded chicken with mozzarella and caramelized onion, or mozzarella and pepperoni, they all sound good.

For sweet versions, chocolate and nuts is always easy and delicious, apple, cinnamon and sugar is a classic, nutella and banana works too, or another classic Italian combo, ricotta (or even mascarpone), sugar and lemon. Use roughly the same quantities as this recipe and it’ll turn out great.

A couple of extra notes from me, I didn’t brush these with whisked egg, but that might be a good idea if you want them extra golden. You could also brush them with a bit of jam or sugar syrup after baking if you want them shinier, the way pastry shops do it.

Work with the puff pastry while it’s still cold, it’s much easier to roll and slice cleanly, and if it starts getting soft, just pop it back in the fridge for ten minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut the rolls so you don’t squash the layers.

Don’t overfill them either, a thin, even layer of cream cheese keeps them from leaking out too much in the oven. If you want a firmer filling that holds its shape better in the summer heat, chill the assembled roll for 15 minutes before slicing.

This recipe for Honey Walnut and Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Swirls was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Folhados de Queijo Creme Doce com Nozes e Mel foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.