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Creamy Cheese Cruffins: Flaky Pastry Muffin Hybrids

A creamy cheese cruffin cut in half showing the flaky layers and rich filling, drizzled with white icing.
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Follow this step-by-step guide to make homemade cruffins, which combine the flakiness of a croissant with the shape of a muffin, filled with a rich, creamy cheese center.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 package (14.1 ounces) all-butter puff pastry, thawed
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
  • 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Dough: Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface. You need to create long strips for rolling. Cut each sheet lengthwise into four equal strips, resulting in eight strips total.
  2. Create the Rolls: Take one strip of pastry. Starting at one end, tightly roll the strip lengthwise, similar to rolling a jelly roll. Once rolled, gently coil the strip into a spiral shape, pressing the end onto the side of the roll to secure it.
  3. Shape the Cruffins: Gently press each coiled pastry spiral into the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin. Do not pack them down completely; allow them room to expand.
  4. Prepare the Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until just combined. Do not overmix.
  5. Chill: Place the muffin tin with the shaped pastries into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This helps the butter in the pastry firm up before baking.
  6. Preheat and Fill: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Remove the chilled cruffins from the refrigerator. Gently spoon about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each pastry spiral.
  7. Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the beaten egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush the tops and exposed sides of the pastries lightly with the egg wash.
  8. Bake: Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the pastries are golden brown and fully cooked through. The filling should be set.
  9. Cool: Let the cruffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Finish: Once cooled, whisk the heavy cream and powdered sugar together until slightly thickened. Drizzle this light glaze over the tops of the finished creamy cheese cruffins before serving.

Notes

  • For extra flakiness, chill the rolled pastry strips for 15 minutes before cutting them into strips.
  • If you want a richer filling, substitute half the cream cheese with mascarpone cheese.
  • To prevent the tops from browning too quickly, loosely tent the tin with foil halfway through the baking time.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingzenith.com/creamy-cheese-cruffins-recipe/