If you like a dessert that’s “not too sweet” you will LOVE these Berries & Cream Puff Pastry Bites. With a filling akin to a sweetened mascarpone and a super-flaky base, you can’t go wrong.

It’s Memorial Day weekend and I wanted to give y’all a super-easy dessert that you can make on the fly, to bring to a cookout or gathering. You may know that I’m a BIG FAN of puff pastry desserts, mostly because you can make some seemingly “fancy” dishes with not a ton of effort. This combo of vegan cream cheese and vanilla yogurt made a lightly sweetened, mascarpone-like cream and I’m pretty in love with it!


A big plus for me is that I was able to use up some of the blackberries that I’ve been harvesting from my garden for the last week or so, for these! Of course, you can use whatever combination of berries you prefer; raspberries and strawberries would be a wonderful addition. I do recommend using fresh berries, as frozen can leak a lot of liquid and potentially make these pastries soggy. And no one wants a soggy pastry!

Substitutions + Tips:
- Puff pastry – It’s actually quite easy to find vegan puff pastry! Pepperidge Farm’s puff pastry sheets are vegan by default, and Aussie Bakery is another option that you can get at most natural food grocers.
- Vegan cream cheese – I’ve used Tofutti and Violife non-dairy cream cheese in these – both on the thicker side – and I love how the texture turned out. If the cream cheese was thinner I don’t think this would be as successful.
- Vegan vanilla yogurt – I chose this over plain yogurt to lessen the amount of ingredients and make the filling more dynamic. But, if you only have plain on hand you can just add 1 teaspoon of vanilla + 1 tablespoon maple syrup to it.
- Agave nectar – I combine this with non-dairy milk to help it adhere to the pastry, but you can also use maple syrup.
- Coarse sugar – I typically use turbinado sugar for pastry topping, but cane sugar can be used in a pinch, it will caramelize more quickly though.
- Don’t rush – yes, I know I said these could be made in not much time, but that doesn’t mean you need to rush through the important parts. Let the pastry get cool enough to handle before cutting the inner shape into it, not only for your safety, but also because the pastry will be firmer for cutting.

Berries and Cream Puff Pastry Bites

If you like a dessert that's "not too sweet" you will LOVE these Berries & Cream Puff Pastry Bites. With a filling akin to a sweetened mascarpone and a super-flaky base, you can't go wrong.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet (8.6 ounces/245 g) thawed vegan puff pastry
- Flour for dusting
- 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar, plus more for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons coarse sugar, like turbinado
- 7 ounces (200 g) vegan cream cheese, softened or room temp
- 5 ounces (150 g) vanilla non-dairy yogurt
- 3/4 cup (113 g) fresh berries, I used blue and blackberries
- Optional, mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C or gas mark 6), and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour and lay out your puff pastry. Roll it out with a rolling pin until roughly 12x12-inches (30x30-cm), and cut the sheet into 16 squares.
- Place the squares on the parchment/baking sheet, and use a 2-inch (5-cm) round cutter or small glass to lightly press a circle into the center of each square, this will give you a frame. Combine milk and agave nectar then brush a light coat of the mixture on each "frame" of the squares, then sprinkle sugar in the same area.
- Bake on the rack just below the middle shelf, for 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are browned - but not burnt - and they have risen significantly. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and wait 5-7 minutes.
- While the puff is cooling, vigorously whisk together the cream cheese and yogurt, you may need a stand mixer if you struggle with mobility, but I did use a hand whisk. Once mixer is smooth, use the back of a measuring spoon to punch a hole in the top of each pastry square, then spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into each one.
- Top each cream center with a couple of berries, then lightly drizzle agave nectar over the top. Garnish with mint leaves if desired - though not necessary - and serve within 2 hours. If making far ahead of time, bake off the puff and leave whole, mix the filling and refrigerate filling until ready to assemble (puff can be stored at room temp for a couple of days).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Amount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
