Let’s Make Puff Pastry Hearts for Valentine’s Day!
Okay, honest moment: I’m never more popular in my own house than when I make these Valentine’s Day Puff Pastry Hearts. I stumbled onto this idea after a not-so-romantic February years ago, when I realised I had two sheets of pastry stuck in my freezer, just begging for a purpose (and, trust me, they’d been there a while; there may or may not have been a dinosaur magnet holding them in). Now, every year I whip up these hearts for my lot and there’s always this feeding-frenzy vibe, like seagulls on chips. Is it the jam? The flaky pastry? The love (or maybe the icing sugar)? Who knows! But hey, it’s now a thing in our house, and honestly, that’s the best kind of tradition.
Why I Keep Coming Back To This One
I make this when I want something festive but for the love of all that’s holy don’t want to spend hours fussing. My family goes wild for these, especially my daughter who claims “they taste like happiness” (her words, I swear). They’re fast, they’re fun, and if you’re lucky, you’ll have more than three left by the end of the evening. Oh, and they look way more impressive than they actually are. Don’t get me wrong—first time I tried to cut hearts, they looked a bit, um, like blobs, but who cares? They taste just as good. Actually, I think they get better the messier they are.
Here’s What You’ll Need (And What You Can Swap!)
- 1 package puff pastry (the frozen stuff is grand, seriously—but my gran swears by that one brand, Jus-Rol, though the supermarket’s own is fine too; no one’s ever noticed...)
- 4 tablespoon strawberry jam (raspberry works; if I’m out, I’ve even grabbed some apricot, and it wasn’t half bad!)
- 1 egg, beaten (to glue the edges—you could use milk if you want, though it’s a touch less golden)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (not essential, but it does hide the odd blemish!)
- Pinch of flour (for rolling, or more like just ‘smearing’ really—you know what I mean)
Optional (but fun if you have them): a handful of chocolate chips, or a teaspoon of vanilla essence mixed into the jam. And, if you want to go rogue, try orange marmalade. I did once. My husband frowned, but he ate all of them. Go figure.
How To Make The Hearts (Wobbles Welcome)
- Let the pastry thaw until it’s relaxed enough to roll—don’t try to force it or you’ll end up with a weird patchy dough (been there, done that).
- Dust a bit of flour on your worktop and roll out one sheet gently, just a bit thinner. About the width of, say, two stacked pound coins?
- Use a heart-shaped cutter (or, honestly, just cut out hearts by hand with a knife; I did that once, and nobody guessed! They all said, “it has character.”)
- Lay half the hearts on a baking tray lined with parchment. Try not to eat raw pastry – it’s not as good as you hope, trust me.
- Spoon about a teaspoon of jam in the centre of each heart. Not too much or it’ll escape in the oven. This is where I usually sneak a taste – I mean, quality control, right?
- Brush the edges with the beaten egg (or milk). Top each with another heart and gently press edges together; pinch with a fork if you’re worried about leakage, though mine always find a way to ooze.
- Brush the tops with more egg. Make a teeny slit in each to let out steam. (Or, you’ll get jam volcanoes – impressive, but messy.)
- Bake at 200°C (about 400°F) for 12-15 minutes, or until gold and puffy. Don’t worry if the jam bubbles out. That’s part of the charm.
- Cool for five minutes on the tray (or until you can just about pick one up without burning your fingers if you’re impatient – I always am.) Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes From My Honestly Imperfect Kitchen
- If you overfill with jam, you get more of a jam pond than a heart. Not bad, just a bit oozier than planned.
- Sometimes I forget the egg wash and only remember when they’re halfway through baking. They’re still delicious, just paler.
- If you’re using homemade jam, it might be runnier than shop stuff—so maybe add less (or just embrace the puddle!)
Things I’ve Tried (and Not All of Them Worked)
- I once tried Nutella instead of jam; way too runny! Tastes great, but you might need to freeze dollops first if you go that route.
- Peanut butter and jelly together—surprisingly fab, but messier to seal. Use a thick peanut butter, not the really oily fancy stuff.
- If you want them savoury, ham and cheese work, but my lot prefer the sweet, and who am I to argue?
What You Need To Make This (Or Don’t)
- Heart cookie cutter—although, as I said, you can wing it with a knife. It’ll be quirky, if not perfect.
- Rolling pin. If you don’t have one, a clean glass bottle does the job. No shame, mate.
- Parchment paper—a bit of butter on the tray works too, but cleanup’s a pain.
- Baking tray.
Or just get really creative. I used to use the side of a mug as a cookie cutter when I was a student. Worked fine. Everything tastes better when you’re hungry, right?
How To Store These (If You Can Resist)
In my home, these never last a full day. But for science—if you need to store, just pop them in an airtight tin. They’re best the same day, but I think there’s a charm to the slightly chewier, day-old version with tea. Don’t refrigerate unless you like slightly soggy pastry (been there, not a fan).
Favourite Ways To Serve (And Some Silliness)
We dust with loads of powdered sugar, slice a couple of strawberries on the side, and sometimes squirt too much whipped cream, because, well, why not? If you want to get fancy, drizzle some melted chocolate, but honestly, warm with a mug of coffee is my guilty treat. My daughter even dunks hers in hot chocolate. Odd? Maybe. Delicious? Definitely.
Pro Tips That Came With A Price
- Take your time sealing those edges; I once tried rushing this step and spent most of clean-up scrubbing burnt jam off the oven floor. Learn form (see what I did there?) my mistake!
- Actually, let the pastries cool a little before dusting with sugar; it’s prettier and less ‘melty’ all over the place. (I rarely wait, but if you’re going for aesthetics, that’s the way.)
Your Questions, Answered By a Real Person (Me)
- Can you freeze these hearts? I wouldn’t, honestly; the pastry goes a bit odd. If you do, reheat in the oven, not the microwave!
- I don’t have a heart cutter! Don’t stress, just cut around a paper heart or freestyle it. Rustic is ‘in’ (I hope).
- Can I use homemade jam? Yep, but it might run more. Just go easier on quantity or, honestly, enjoy the sticky edges.
- Do these work as gifts? Absolutely – as long as you don’t mind the gift box getting a bit—how do I say—jammy.
- Milk wash or egg wash? Both work! Egg gives more golden crunch, but sometimes I’m out or can’t be bothered to beat an egg.
So there you go. If you try these, let me know if your hearts came out more like hearts or more like squished potatoes—either way, they’ll be gorgeous and taste of love, or at least of jam and pastry, which for a February day is good enough for me! Happy Valentine’s Day, mate.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
- ⅓ cup strawberry jam
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for dusting)
Instructions
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1Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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2Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry sheet to smooth the seams.
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3Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out an even number of hearts from the pastry.
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4Place half of the hearts on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam onto the center of each.
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5Brush the edges with beaten egg, place a second heart on top, and press edges to seal. Brush tops with remaining egg.
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6Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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