We like making food to send with Michael when he works at the clinic. These were fun to make with my daughter Lindsay, and according to Michael, they were were a big hit at the office. These pictures were taken after making 12 pastries out of the two pastry sheets, but we made them a second time and cut each one of those in half to yield 24 pastries, which is definitely the way to go. That way, there’s less dry pastry that lacks the lemon curd and berry goodness, and twice the number of people get to partake! Win-win! These are perfect to make if you’re having people over for brunch or delaying homeschool for the morning in place of some mother-daughter kitchen bonding!

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry sheets, box frozen (thawed according to package instructions)
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup lemon curd, found either by the jellies or pie fillings
• assortment of fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries
• powdered sugar
• optional: extra lemon zest

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the both sheets of dough to make 12 small rectangles. (This is easy because as you unfold it it’s already in thirds.) You can easily leave them as 12 rectangles, but we preferred smaller pastries. We cut those in half for a total of 24 squares. Lay the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Use a knife to draw a smaller square within the pastry dough that resembles a picture frame. Use a fork to punch a bunch of holes in the middle square. This will allow the edges to puff up and surround the filling. (See picture above.)
• In a bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg and beat until combined. Divide the cheesecake mixture among the 24 pastries, leaving space around the edges where you scored the dough. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastries are a light golden brown. Let cool completely.
• Divide the lemon curd among the cooled pastries. Top with your desired fresh berries then dust with powdered sugar before serving. We used a fine mesh strainer to dust the powdered sugar. If desired, sprinkle with extra lemon zest for a nice pop of flavor. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Recipe by Shawn from https://iwashyoudry.com/lemon-berry-cheesecake-puff-pastries/