You guys, spring is in the air.
May has been SO CRAZY BUSY! There have been Mother’s Day celebrations, patio sun-sessions, and long nights planning summer travels (which is super exciting – and I still need to know ALL YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS! But more on that later :)). Despite being so busy, I’m loving all the spring – everywhere!
I’m especially loving the spring brunches that seem to be popping up left and right. One of my best friends is coming to Minneapple (Minneapolis for those of you non-Midwesterners) for her last hoorah before moving to the Big Apple (NYC !!!) AND to celebrate her birthday! Naturally, and given the season, we’re having a girls’ brunch with lots of sangria, mimosas, and tasty treats to celebrate!
For some major brunch inspiration while I planned the menu, I was super inspired by Pepperidge Farm’s® Puff Pastry Springtime Favorites Pinterest Board. Y’all know how much I’ve been loving the super easy brunch recipes made with Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry, right? I mean, hiii Asparagus Pea Tart and Blueberry Lemon Pastries. Puff Pastry and I have a long-standing relationship and it’s not ending anytime soon (or um, ever). So let’s get to today’s recipe because I’m SO EXCITED for Raspberry Lemon Mascarpone Pastries!
These are seriously the most scrumptious little treats for a girls’ day brunch! They’re so elegant looking without any fuss – which means you’ll seriously be winning at brunch life. You’ll get to sleep in a little bit longer because you won’t have to majorly prep, and your friends will be uber impressed… #winning!
Puff Pastry is so easy to work with and the result is a flaky, yummilicious crust for your pastries and tarts. You do need to thaw out the Puff Pastry Sheets for about 40 minutes before working with it. My ultimate tip: shower as it thaws and you will be the multi-tasking queen (or crawl back into bed, no judgement here).
Once the dough is thawed enough (you still want it cold) it’s so easy to work with. If the thought of working with any kind of dough makes you say “oh no,” rest assured you have nothing to worry about. Even first timers can make a beautiful spring brunch pastry with Puff Pastry Sheets! For jaw-dropping Raspberry Lemon Mascarpone Pastries, you’ll roll out the thawed dough just a bit, so the square provides more surface area to cut out your pastries.
Moving on to cutting your circles…and then the *semi* tricky part.
As you can see, I use two different sized prep bowls to create my circles in the dough. I’ve also used biscuit cutters while making this recipe, although mine are kind of too small and I wanted way more pastry than they could offer. See recipe below for measurement details.
You’ll want to create a second circle in the middle of each pastry, only cutting HALFWAY through the dough! This will allow the entire puff pastry to still rise, but you’ll be able to squish down the middle more easily once it’s cooled, in order to create that golden brown crust and an area for the creamy mascarpone filling.
SPEAKING OF… oh this mascarpone filling. It’s creamy, it’s dreamy, it’s lemony, and it’s EVERYTHING with ripe raspberries. And with mint – hold the phone.
What’s mascarpone you ask? It’s the cream cheese of Italy. Go ahead, wipe up the drool… do you really need to know any more info after that? When I say dreamy and creamy I mean dreamy and creamy. It has a fairly mild taste, and is a double or triple cream…basically it’s just really thick cream. And we can’t go wrong with that.
I absolutely love the fresh flavors spring brings, especially after all the comfort food of winter. I’m all about fresh mint, lemon, and berries galore. Fresh mint definitely adds a “wow” factor to these pastries; my favorite way to garnish is to cut the mint into thin strips and make sure every bite has a little bit of the WOW in it. And you can’t forget the honey drizzle… oh, la, la!
What’s your favorite way to celebrate spring?! Find more inspiration for Puff Pastry dessert recipes, and appetizer recipes, then report back! I’d LOVE to know how your recipes turn out! I sense many more brunches in your near future…
PrintRaspberry Lemon Mascarpone Pastries
Light, flaky Puff Pastry Sheets filled with creamy mascarpone and lemon zest, topped with ripe raspberries and fresh mint – THE recipe for spring brunch!
- Prep Time: 50 mins (40 inactive)
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
- Yield: 8 pastries
- Category: Brunch
Ingredients
- 2 Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets
- 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water, whisked (for egg wash)
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (~1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pints raspberries
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup fresh mint, for garnish
Instructions
- Remove Puff Pastry Sheets from freezer and thaw for 40 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Lightly flour your work area; unfold Puff Pastry Sheet, removing parchment paper. Roll out sheet into a 12×12 inch square. Cut out 4 5-inch circles in the dough (I cut around a prep bowl). In the middle of each pastry, use a pairing knife to score a smaller circle (approximately 3 inches) – only cut the dough halfway through. Repeat with second Puff Pastry Sheet. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. *If your dough has warmed up considerably during this process, place in fridge for 10 minutes before baking. Egg wash the outer ring of each pastry. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, mix together mascarpone, lemon zest, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Once pastries have cooled, gently push down the inner circle. Spread mascarpone in the center hole. Optional: sprinkle chopped mint on top of mascarpone layer. Cover mascarpone with fresh raspberries and garnish with fresh mint.
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