This post and recipe was created for #AppleWeek! I was sent products by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine. #ad
This Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Braid is like a cross between an apple danish and a strudel! Delicious, irresistible, and wrapped in light and flaky pastry.
Happy Wednesday, friends! #AppleWeek continues today with another round of delicious apple recipes and fabulous prizes to win. The treat I have for you today is super easy, delicious, and it looks super impressive to boot! This Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Braid is made of 3 simple components - a brown sugar + vegan cream cheese spread, caramelized cooked Envy apples, and frozen puff pastry. Combine these together, and you have absolute fall magic! My husband isn't a dessert guy at all and he pretty much ate the whole thing by himself so you KNOW it' something special!
Sponsor spotlight for today is on Envy Apples and Zyliss! You guys may remember Envy apples from last year... I made these vegan apple pie cinnamon rolls with them! Zyliss is new, and they sent us a knife and an apple corer to play with (same as what is part of the grand prize). I have to confess I was SUPER impressed with how well the knife cuts, and I have been reaching for it almost every day when cooking! It worked perfectly to chop up all the apples for the puff pastry braid filling 🙂
This apple cream cheese puff pastry braid is seriously so easy to make but tastes like a fancy treat! It reminds me of a cross between an apple strudel and a danish, and that flaky puff pastry just has me weak in the knees. YUM! If you are a visual learner, I actually gave a full play-by-play on my Instagram stories the other week when I made it - you can find it in my Highlights if you want to give it a peek.
Wednesday #AppleWeek Recipes:
- Apple Celeriac Salad by Caroline's Cooking
- Apple Coffee Cake Muffins by Blogghetti
- Apple Cream Puffs by Jolene's Recipe Journal
- Apple Crisp in a Mug by An Affair from the Heart
- Apple Muffins by Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Apple Oatmeal Cutout Cookies by The Monday Box
- Applesauce Cake Tassies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Chocolate Covered Apple Slices by Books n' Cooks
- Apple Gouda Crostini by Snacks and Sips
- Country Fried Apples by Tip Garden
- Creamy Caramel Apple Icebox Cake by Cooking With Carlee
- Crispy Hot Cider Tea-Brined Chicken Thighs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Crunchy Dried Cherry Applesauce Cake Bars by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken by Palatable Pastime
- Hot Apple Cider Tea Bread by Our Good Life
- Moroccan Apple and Sweet Potato Beef Stew by Savory Moments
- Spiced Applesauce Cookies by Who Needs A Cape?
- Vegan Apple Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Braid by The Baking Fairy
I hope you guys will give this vegan apple cream cheese puff pastry braid a try! It is absolutely scrumptious and such a crowd pleaser!
Be sure to check out Monday's post for my Vegan Apple Almond Pancakes recipe!
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- *for the apple layer*
- 1 cup diced Envy apples
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter (you can also use coconut oil)
- 2 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
- *for the cream cheese layer*
- 3 oz vegan cream cheese (my favorite brand is GoVeggie)
- 2 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Taylor & Colledge vanilla paste
- *for finishing*
- nondairy milk and sanding sugar
- First, set your frozen puff pastry sheet out to thaw so it is easier to handle.
- Next, prepare the apple filling. Dice the apples, and place in a small nonstick pot with the vegan butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon/apple pie spice.
- Turn heat on to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and cooked through, and the juices have thickened and caramelized. Set aside for now.
- To make the cream cheese portion, simply mix the cream cheese with the brown sugar and vanilla paste in a small bowl.
- Now, it is time to assemble! Lay your sheet of puff pastry out on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone pan liner.
- Lightly sprinkle flour over the puff pastry, and roll it out a bit using a rolling pin. Generally puff pastry sheets are square - you want to stretch yours out into a rectangle.
- Now it is time to trim the pastry so grab your Zyliss knife! Cut small tabs at the top and bottom of the rectangle, the width that the braid will be. Made this about ⅓ of the total width of the pastry.
- On the sides, cut 1" diagonal fringes. These will then be overlapped to make the "braid" effect on top. You will have some extra pastry at the top and bottom - discard or save for snacking!
- Now, grab your cream cheese mix and spread it all over the middle portion of the puff pastry. Top with the cooled off apple filling.
- Fold the top and bottom "notches" onto the filling, then fold each strip towards the center, overlapping and creating a braid effect.
- Brush nondairy milk over the whole thing, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Now - VERY IMPORTANT - place the braid in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Transfer the braid directly from fridge to oven, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
- Let cool slightly before slicing and enjoying!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
The puff pastry here looks absolutely perfect! It's almost too pretty to eat.
Cindy Kerschner says
I love the braid! Your crust looks so tender and flaky!
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck says
You can never go wrong with apples and puff pastry!!!
Jan Thomas says
You're killing me with the pretty braid work! The flavors sound just scrumptious!!!
Carlee says
What a beautiful braid! I would feel slightly bad cutting into it, but I'd have to do it to get a bite!
Terri Steffes says
This looks and sounds delicious. I like the way you cut the braid.
Lisa Kerhin says
Fancy enough to make for company but perfect enough to enjoy after dinner any night. I love that filling!
Wendy Klik says
Glad I got my computer up and running so I could see this amazing recipe.
Sue Lau says
This looks delish- very much like strudel which is a favorite of mine.
Cindy says
That braid has me hooked! This looks so tender and flaky!
Camilla M. Mann says
I definitely don't feel talented enough to make this! But I will try. Thanks for sharing, Valentina.
Robin Viani says
What puff pastry was used for this? Puff pastry is not vegan as it’s made with butter. I haven’t seen a vegan puff pastry available.
valentina says
Hi Robin! I am not sure where you live, but I am in the US and usually buy Pepperidge Farms puff pastry in the frozen section. It is not marketed as vegan, but it is made with shortening and does not contain butter or other animal products. If you live outside the US then I am not sure what your options are!
Linda says
That looks beautiful but where are you getting vegan puff pastry? Puff pastry is literally 50% butter. If there is vegan puff pastry what is the brand name?
valentina says
Hi Linda! I live in the US and I usually buy the Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry. It is made with vegetable oil rather than butter, so it is "accidentally" vegan 🙂 I am not sure about availability of vegan puff pastry in other areas. Hope that helps!