Apple Cinnamon Pastry
This apple cinnamon pastry recipe is loaded with a homemade apple filling, a sweet cream cheese layer, and baked in puff pastry dough until flaky perfection, then drizzle with glaze.
Servings: 9 Pastries
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, diced small (about 2-3 cups)
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon water
Glaze Drizzle
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 box puff pastry sheets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Apple Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water, apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pastry
- Cut each pastry sheet into 8 strips.
- Take two strips of puff pastry and pinch the ends together to create one long strip.
- Twist the strip until it forms a braided piece.
- Place one end of the long, twisted strip down onto the parchment paper and wrap the dough around it, starting in the center and creating a pinwheel base.
Cream Cheese Mixture
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat for 2 more minutes.
- Add a heaping spoonful of cream cheese mixture to the center of each pastry followed by a spoonful of apple filling.
Egg Wash
- In a small bowl, whisk egg and water together until combined.
- Brush egg wash over each pastry.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Glaze Drizzle
- Once the pastries have cooled, mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla together.
- Drizzle each pastry with glaze.
Notes
- Add your diced apples to a bowl with a little lemon juice and give them a toss as you work to keep them from browning.
- It's important to bring the filling mixture to a boil over medium heat. This helps reduce the chances of the filling scorching. Don't try to rush it by using high heat!
- Fully soften your cream cheese to get a rich, luxurious filling texture free of any little lumps.
- Press the end of your strip down onto the parchment paper so it sticks a bit. This helps keep it in place as you wrap your pinwheels.