This Apple Almond Puff Pastry is filled with creamy almond-flavored cream cheese, tender cinnamon apples and crunchy almonds, all wrapped in golden, flaky puff pastry. It’s an easy apple dessert that looks impressive but comes together with simple, store-bought ingredients.
The combination of warm cinnamon apples, almond cream cheese and buttery puff pastry makes this one of my favorite recipes for fall. Serve it warm for brunch, as a holiday dessert or anytime you have a few apples that need to be used.
Easy Apple Puff Pastry Dessert
One of the best things about this puff pastry apple tart is how easy it is to make. Instead of making pastry dough or a complicated filling from scratch, I use refrigerated puff pastry and whipped cream cheese.
The apples only need about 10 minutes on the stove before everything gets layered onto the pastry, rolled up and baked. This is one of my favorite puff pastry recipes for the fall.
You get a beautiful golden pastry without spending hours in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Almond Puff Pastry
- Quick and easy: Store-bought puff pastry eliminates the need to make dough from scratch.
- Simple ingredients: Everything you need is easy to find at the grocery store.
- Creamy filling: Whipped cream cheese creates a rich, creamy filling without having to make pastry cream.
- Warm cinnamon apples: The apples cook in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until tender.
- Great for entertaining: Serve it for a Sunday brunch, fall gathering, Thanksgiving or holiday dessert.
- Looks impressive: It has all the flavor and appearance of a bakery-style pastry with much less work.
The Story Behind This Apple Pastry
You can’t think about fall without apples. One of my favorite traditions is going apple picking with my youngest daughter. We spend hours walking through rows of apple trees looking for the perfectly ripe and juicy ones.
I first made this recipe after coming home from apple picking with buckets of apples and wondering what I was going to do with all of them.
The result was this Cinnamon Apple Almond Cream Puff Pastry, and now it’s one of those recipes everyone looks forward to each fall.
Ingredients
You’ll only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy apple puff pastry:
- 1 (14-ounce) package puff pastry (won’t work with a pie crust)
- 1½ cups (12 oz cream cheese) whipped cream cheese
- 1 cup ground or finely chopped almonds
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups finely chopped tart apples
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for serving
How to Make Apple Almond Puff Pastry
1. Prepare the oven and pastry
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the puff pastry from the package and set it aside according to the package directions.
2. Cook the cinnamon apples
Add the chopped apples, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter to a small skillet.
Cook over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and tender but still hold their shape.
Remove the apples from the heat and allow them to cool slightly.
3. Make the almond cream cheese filling
In a small bowl, combine the whipped cream cheese, granulated sugar and almond extract. Mix until smooth and well combined.
4. Assemble the puff pastry
Unroll the puff pastry and spread the almond cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges.
Spoon the cinnamon apples evenly over the cream cheese layer, then sprinkle the almonds over the apples.
5. Roll the pastry
Starting with one of the long sides, gently roll the puff pastry up like you would a cinnamon roll.
Place it seam-side down on a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet.
6. Bake
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and brush it over the top of the pastry.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the puff pastry is fully baked and a deep golden brown.
7. Cool and serve
Remove the pastry from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.
Add the finishing touch – dust generously with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
What Apples Are Best for Apple Puff Pastry?
Apples that hold their shape when cooked work best for this recipe. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Braeburn are all good choices.
Granny Smith apples give the pastry a slightly tart flavor that balances the sweet cream cheese filling, while Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples make it a little sweeter.
Can I Make Apple Almond Puff Pastry Ahead of Time?
Yes. This pastry can be baked ahead of time and reheated before serving. Puff pastry is best when it’s warm and crisp, so reheating it in the oven rather than the microwave gives you the best texture.
How to Store Apple Almond Puff Pastry
Because this pastry contains cream cheese, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To reheat, place the pastry in a 400°F oven for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through and the outside becomes crisp again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make any Variations:
Other fruits like berries and peaches have too much water, so I only reccomend apples.
Can I use store-bought puff pastry for apple pastry?
Yes. Store-bought puff pastry is an easy shortcut for making apple pastries at home. It bakes into crisp, flaky layers without having to make pastry dough from scratch.
Do I need to cook the apples before putting them in puff pastry?
For this recipe, yes. Cooking the apples briefly with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar softens them and creates the cinnamon apple filling before the pastry goes into the oven.
Can I make this without almonds?
Yes. You can leave out the almonds if you prefer. If you’re avoiding almonds because of an allergy, also omit the almond extract and substitute vanilla extract.
Is Apple Almond Puff Pastry a breakfast or dessert?
It can be either! Serve it alongside coffee for brunch or dust it with powdered sugar and serve it warm as an easy fall dessert.
Apple Almond Cream Puff Pastry with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 -14 oz Puff Pastry pastry
- 1.5 cups whipped cream cheese
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups finely chopped apples
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees
- Remove the puff pastry sheet from the package and set aside
- Add the apples, cinnamon, 2 tbsp brown sugar, and butter to a small pan and cook over low to medium heat until the apples become soft and tender. Be sure not to cook too long or they will burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool
- In a small bowl, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and almond extract and mix together
- Unroll the puff pastry and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across the puff pastry dough.
- Layer the apples on top of the cream cheese and then sprinkle the chopped almonds over the top of the apples.
- Take the longer side of the puff pastry and gently roll it up like a cinnamon roll.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter and brush over the top of the pastry
- Place puff pastry onto a well-greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and cool for 15 minutes
- Dust with powdered sugar
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