I adore these gooey cherry cheese turnovers for several reasons: they’re basically a hybrid of two of my favourite desserts (cherry cheesecake and cherry pie), they can be pulled together in a heartbeat, and they reappear as breakfast the next morning with no rationalizing required.
In fact, with my first bite I felt a wave of nostalgia because they reminded me of (a much more delicious version of) the breakfast toaster pastries my sister and I adored when were kids – the ones that came with tiny packets of frosting to squeeze over top. Â Do you remember those?
Just a handful of ingredients are needed: a box of frozen puff pastry, store-bought cherry pie filling, and some softened Canadian cheese made with Canadian milk- either Mascarpone or Cream Cheese.
Both cheese options are delicious – I prefer the subtle, milky flavour of Mascarpone, but Cream Cheese is also great (a bit more tangy) and is perhaps more likely to be in your fridge already.
If you’re finding it hard to spread the cheese on the soft pastry dough, don’t fret – just drop it by little 1/2-teaspoonfuls instead, it’ll melt and spread out inside the turnover as it bakes.
Extra icing and turnovers can be refrigerated until ready to serve, just reheat turnovers in a low oven and bring icing back to room temperature and whisk with a fork before drizzling. They are really best served warm – well worth the effort to reheat.
You can also prepare turnovers in advance and refrigerate unbaked for a day or two. They make an impressive addition to a holiday brunch menu without having to wake up extra early.
Even with a houseful of family visiting, I thought we’d have a few extras to freeze, but they disappeared lightening-fast.
Next time I might make them half the size for mini hand-held individual desserts (although I doubt that’ll help them last any longer!).
Cherry Cheese Turnovers with Almond Icing
Ingredients
For Turnovers
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry one 400-500 g box, thawed overnight in refrigerator, then brought to room temperature
- 1 cup Canadian Mascarpone or Cream Cheese at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups store-bought cherry pie filling
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
For Almond Icing
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tbsp milk or cream
- â…› tsp pure almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º.
- Flour a clean work surface and roll first sheet of puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Â Cut into 4 equal squares. Spread 2 tbsp Mascarpone or Cream Cheese onto one half of each square, then top with a heaping 2 tbsp cherry pie filling. Â Fold pastry over the filling to make triangles. Â Press the edges together firmly to seal, then crimp between fingers or press with a fork as desired.
- Using a sharp knife, make two small slits in tops of turnovers (these steam vents will prevent the seal from breaking during baking). Â Brush tops with the egg wash and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Â Bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Â Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
