For Valentine’s, I’ve got the perfect, most delicious treat. These Nutella filled heart puff pastries are simple to make, only require 4 ingredients and are perfect for any kids party. Decorate them however you like with sprinkles and coloured sugars.
I love baking with puff pastry as you can do so many things with it and it’s super easy to work with, well the frozen stuff is at least. I’ve never ventured into making homemade puff pastry but watching the Great British Bake Off constantly does inspire me to want to try..someday! Haven’t quite gotten there yet partially because the frozen stuff works great and is so convenient.
The heart puff pastries are great for anyone to enjoy but are particularly cute for a kids party or school. Fill them whatever you like and you can even get the kids involved with cutting the shapes and decorating.
Working with Puff Pastry
The easiest way to make these is to work with a slightly chilled pastry dough. If your pastry is warm, it’s harder to cut with the cookie cutters and it may not bake as nicely as butter can leak out.
If you’re using frozen puff pastry, take it out of the freezer about 2 hours prior to rolling it. It should still feel cold to the touch but not frozen. Roll it into a 12in x 12in square using a rolling pin or wine bottle if you don’t have one! Then proceed to cut your shapes as close to each other as you can.
You can take the scraps and reroll it as well. Just don’t work the dough too much or you can start to develop the gluten creating a tough pastry. I rerolled mine twice and had no issues.
Filling the Heart Puff Pastries
I filled these with Nutella and it was absolutely delicious but you can fill them with whatever you like. Just ensure you leave about a 2cm border around the heart so you have dough to pinch together and your filling doesn’t leak out.
I recommend putting about 1 Tbsp of filling in each one so it doesn’t explode or leak while baking.
Another important step is to paint an egg wash on the border you’ve left. This makes the pastry much easier to pinch together and helps ensure it stays closed while baking. If you don’t have any kind of pastry brush or BBQ sauce type brush, I’ve used my kids paint brushes from the dollar store before. Just make sure to wash them first!
Decoration
For these heart pastries I chose to keep the design pretty simple. Mainly, because I’m not great at decorating but also because I love how they turned out with just the simple coloured sugars. Feel free to decorate how you like with other kinds of sprinkles or just dusting icing sugar on top.
Leftover Pastry
If you don’t want to waste any pastry, roll out the scraps like before into a square or rectangle. Cut it in half with a pizza cutter, knife, etc. Fill with Nutella the same way you would the hearts, with a border, and then egg wash the perimeter. Layer the other half on top and egg wash it. Then bake it. Voila, an extra delicious pastry and no waste.
Baking Tips
- Don’t overwork the dough or it can become tough. Just gently roll it out.
- If your dough is sticking to everything, sprinkle some flour on your rolling pin and work surface.
- Don’t overfill the pastries. The filling will explode out ruining your shape or leak.
- I highly recommend using the egg wash to seal the pastries and on top so you get that beautiful golden colour.
- Working with cold dough is much easier and will result in a better bake. If you feel your dough is getting too warm, pop it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Valentine’s Day Recipes
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Fudgy Brownies
Black Forest Overnight Oats
Strawberry Butterscotch Cookies
Double Chocolate Cookies
Today’s song is in honour of Valentine’s Day, although maybe not the most romantic song. Mainly it’s just a song that I love. Here’s Love the One You’re With by Stephen Stills. Happy Baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Nutella Filled Heart Puff Pastries
Ingredients
- 1 pck (450g) frozen puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
- 16 tbsp (240g) Nutella
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp milk
Optional Toppings
- Sprinkles or icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ and line a baking pan. In a small bowl, combine the egg and milk, whisk together well. Set aside.
- Sprinkle a little flour over your counter and on your rolling pin. Roll the first sheet of pastry into a 12in x 12in square. (*See notes) With a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut as many shapes as you can. You can take the scraps and reroll a couple of times to get a couple more shapes. Just ensure you don't overwork the pastry or it will get tough.
- Lay the cut out hearts on the pan and dollop about 1 tbsp of Nutella into the middle. Spread it around leaving a 1 inch or 2cm border to prevent leakage. Do this to each heart Remember, you need 2 hearts per pastry so try to get an even number.
- Once you've filled them all, using a pastry brush or paint brush, paint a little egg wash around the border you've left. Then take another heart cutout and lay it on top, ensuring you line them up. Using your fingers, pinch the edges together all around. Make sure they're aren't any gaps or the filling can leak.
- Do this to each one and then paint a little more egg wash over the top of each pastry. Top with sprinkles or coloured sugar here if you want. Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes or until golden in colour. Continue this until you've used up all your pastry, including the second sheet of pastry. You may end up with a few scraps leftover at the end. (**See notes)
- Eat warm or let fully cool and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days and enjoy!
