Easy Strawberry Strudels: Flaky Puff Pastry Dessert for Any Occasion
Indulge in the irresistible delight of homemade strawberry strudels, crafted effortlessly with just three simple ingredients and store-bought puff pastry. These delectable treats promise perfect flaky, sugary, and crispy tops encasing a luscious, vibrant jam filling. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a beginner, this recipe makes creating a stunning dessert incredibly accessible and rewarding.
Just yesterday morning, a powerful craving for these delightful pastries struck me. They’re a staple in my Aunt’s kitchen, often filled with a delightful combination of strawberry and chocolate chips. However, with no chocolate chips on hand, I decided to embrace a classic, simple version. The result was so utterly captivating that my husband devoured the first batch almost entirely, leaving me with just one solitary strudel for a photoshoot! And honestly, who could blame him? Just imagine that inviting flaky, golden-brown exterior giving way to a rich, fruity interior – a truly perfect bite. While strawberry is a timeless choice, feel free to explore other flavors of preserves like apricot, blueberry, or raspberry. For another equally delightful option, be sure to check out this Mini Apple Strudel Recipe.
Table of contents
- How to make easy strawberry strudel recipe with puff pastry?
- Key ingredients
- Why is my strudel soggy?
- Why did my filling leak out of the puff pastry?
- Variations for mini strudels
- Tips and techniques for mini strawberry strudel bites
- Storage
- More Easy Strawberry Desserts
- Recipe
How to Make Easy Strawberry Strudel Recipe with Puff Pastry?
Creating these delightful strawberry strudels is surprisingly straightforward, thanks to the convenience of store-bought puff pastry. Follow these simple steps for a perfect batch every time:
- Prepare the Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk one egg with a tablespoon of water until well combined. This mixture will be brushed on the strudels before baking to give them that beautiful golden sheen and crispy texture. Set it aside for later use.
- Cut Pastry Sheets: Unroll your store-bought puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface or parchment paper. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice the pastry into small rectangle strips. For mini strudels, aim for strips approximately 2-3 inches wide and 5-6 inches long. Consistency in size helps ensure even baking.
- Add Preserves: Carefully place about 1 tablespoon of your chosen thick strawberry preserve (or jam) in the center of each pastry strip. Be mindful not to overfill, as this can lead to leakage during baking. Leave a border around the edges for sealing.
- Fold and Seal Pastry: Gently fold one side of the pastry strip over the filling, meeting the opposite side. Press the edges firmly together to create a secure seal. You can use a fork to crimp the edges for an extra decorative touch and to prevent the filling from escaping. Once sealed, carefully flip the strudel seam-side down onto a cookie tray lined with parchment paper. This helps maintain its shape and prevents sticking.
- Slice Tops for Venting: Using a sharp knife, make 3-4 shallow slits on the top of each strudel. These small cuts are crucial as they allow steam to escape during baking, preventing the pastry from bursting and ensuring a beautifully puffed and flaky result.
- Brush with Egg Wash and Sugar: Generously brush the tops of all the prepared strudels with the egg wash you made earlier. This step is key for achieving that golden-brown color and a lovely sheen. For an added crunch and sparkle, sprinkle some coarse sanding sugar over the egg-washed tops.
- Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the cookie tray in a preheated oven (usually 400°F or 200°C, but check your pastry package instructions) and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the strudels are visibly puffy, beautifully golden brown, and delightfully crispy. Allow them to cool slightly before serving to fully enjoy their flaky goodness!
Key Ingredients for Easy Strawberry Strudels
One of the best aspects of this recipe is its simplicity, relying on just a few high-quality ingredients to deliver maximum flavor and texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need:
- Puff Pastry: The hero of this recipe, store-bought puff pastry is an absolute game-changer. It eliminates hours of labor, providing consistently flaky layers without the hassle of making dough from scratch. Look for good quality, all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor, though standard varieties work perfectly well. Ensure it’s thawed according to package directions before use.
- Strawberry Preserves: The heart of your strudel! Opt for a high-quality, thick strawberry preserve. The thickness is crucial to prevent it from bubbling out and creating a sticky mess during baking. While any fruit preserve works, a good strawberry preserve offers a delightful balance of sweetness and tartness that pairs wonderfully with the rich pastry. If using jam, make sure it’s a thick-set variety.
- Egg: A single egg is used to create an egg wash, which is essential for achieving that gorgeous golden-brown color and a slight crispness on the strudel’s surface. Mixed with a little water, it helps the pastry brown evenly and gives it an appealing sheen.
- Sanding Sugar (Optional, but Recommended): While technically optional, sanding sugar adds a wonderful textural element and a touch of sparkle to your strudels. Unlike granulated sugar, its larger crystals hold their shape and don’t melt completely during baking, providing a delightful crunch with every bite.
Why is My Strudel Soggy?
A soggy strudel is often a sign of under-baking. Puff pastry relies on proper heat and time to expand and crisp up into its characteristic flaky layers. If your strudels come out soft or damp rather than golden and firm, they simply need more time in the oven. Continue baking them, watching closely, until they achieve that beautiful golden-brown color and feel wonderfully crispy to the touch. The internal temperature of the oven also plays a role; ensure it’s accurately preheated before placing the strudels inside.
Why Did My Filling Leak Out of the Puff Pastry?
Leaking filling is a common issue with pastry-based desserts, but easily remedied. The primary culprits are usually too much preserve in the pastry or inadequate sealing around the edges. When adding the jam, remember that a little goes a long way; stick to the recommended 1 tablespoon per strip to avoid overfilling. Secondly, ensure you press the edges of the puff pastry firmly together after folding to create a tight seal. Crimping with a fork can help secure the edges further. Don’t worry if a little filling escapes – it often caramelizes into a delicious sticky edge, and the strudels will still taste fantastic!
Creative Variations for Mini Strudels
While classic strawberry strudels are always a hit, these mini puff pastry treats are incredibly versatile and can be customized with various fillings and toppings to suit any taste or occasion. Get creative with these delicious ideas:
Drizzle Glaze on Top: Once your strudels have cooled slightly, a simple glaze can elevate them to a new level. Consider a classic Powdered Sugar Glaze {Vanilla Cake Glaze} for a touch of sweetness, or a zesty Lemon Glaze For Cake {Lemon Drizzle Icing} to add a bright, tangy contrast to the fruit filling. A chocolate glaze would also be a fantastic option!
Drizzle Melted White Chocolate: For an elegant touch, melt some high-quality white chocolate chips or a bar and drizzle it artistically over the cooled strudels. The creamy sweetness of white chocolate complements the strawberry beautifully, adding a lovely visual appeal and extra flavor.
Other Filling Options: The possibilities are endless when it comes to fillings! Explore different flavors and textures to create your unique strudel experience.
- Cream Cheese: Mix softened cream cheese with a little sugar and vanilla for a creamy, tangy filling.
- Nutella: A dollop of chocolate-hazelnut spread is always a crowd-pleaser, especially with kids.
- Peanut Butter: For a comforting and hearty option, peanut butter combined with jam creates a classic flavor profile.
- Poppy Seeds: A traditional strudel filling, ground poppy seeds mixed with sugar, milk, and sometimes raisins offer a unique texture and flavor.
- Chopped Nuts: Add a delightful crunch by incorporating finely chopped or sliced almonds, pecans, or walnuts into your fruit preserves, or even as a standalone filling with a touch of sugar and cinnamon.
Use a Different Preserve: Don’t limit yourself to strawberry! This recipe is fantastic with virtually any fruit preserve. Experiment with plum, apricot, peach, apple, blueberry, or cherry preserves to discover new favorites. Each fruit brings its own unique flavor profile and color to the strudel.
Make a Large Strudel: Instead of crafting individual mini strudels, you can easily adapt this recipe to make one large, impressive strudel. Simply follow the same folding and sealing steps using an entire pastry sheet (or two joined together), then slice it into individual servings after baking and cooling. This is perfect for serving a crowd or as a centerpiece dessert.
Tips and Techniques for Perfect Mini Strawberry Strudel Bites
Achieving bakery-quality strudels at home is easy with these helpful tips and techniques. Paying attention to these small details will ensure your strudels are flaky, flavorful, and beautiful every time:
Avoid Homemade Jams (for this recipe): While I have an amazingly easy homemade strawberry jam recipe that I adore, I highly recommend sticking to a high-quality store-bought strawberry preserve for these strudels. Homemade jams, while delicious, often have a thinner consistency. This can cause them to ooze out excessively during baking, leading to a sticky, unattractive, and harder-to-clean mess on your baking sheet. Thick preserves are designed to hold their shape better under heat.
Sanding Sugar Topping is Optional, but Highly Recommended: While you can certainly skip it, sprinkling sanding sugar on top of your strudels before baking adds a truly special touch. The larger crystals of sanding sugar don’t melt entirely during baking, resulting in a wonderfully crispy, crunchy texture and a sparkling, attractive finish that elevates the overall experience. It’s worth the extra step for that professional look and delightful bite.
Always Line Baking Pans with Parchment Paper: This simple step is a game-changer for easy cleanup and preventing sticking. Puff pastry can sometimes release a little butter or sugar, which can stick to an unlined pan. Parchment paper ensures your strudels lift off effortlessly, leaving your baking sheet clean and ready for the next batch.
Understanding Sanding Sugar vs. Granulated Sugar: Sanding sugar is a decorative sugar with larger, coarser crystals. Its primary advantage in baking, especially for toppings like this, is that it retains its shape and doesn’t melt significantly when exposed to heat, providing a lovely textural crunch. Granulated sugar, on the other hand, has much finer crystals that will melt and dissolve into the pastry during baking, resulting in a less distinct crunchy topping.
Place the Seam Side Down on the Pan: After you’ve folded and sealed your strudels, always place them seam-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet. This technique serves two purposes: it helps to keep the seam from opening up during the puffing action of the pastry in the oven, and it ensures a much neater, more aesthetically pleasing baked strudel.
Tastes Best When Served Immediately (or Warm): While these strudels are delightful at room temperature, they truly shine when served warm, either straight out of the oven or after cooling for about 20-30 minutes. The pastry is at its flakiest and most crisp at this point, and the filling is perfectly warm and gooey. Over time, the moisture from the filling can start to soften the pastry, making them slightly less crispy.
How to Cut Pastry Sheets Evenly: For uniform strudels, unroll your thawed pastry sheets onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Use a sharp knife or a ruler and pizza cutter to cut them into consistent rectangle strips. As a general guide, strips that are approximately 2-3 inches wide and 5-6 inches long work well for individual servings. Precision isn’t strictly necessary, but it helps with even baking and presentation.
You Must Cut Slits in the Top of the Puff Pastry: This step is non-negotiable for successful puff pastry baking. The small slits act as vents, allowing steam to escape from the pastry as it bakes. Without these vents, the steam can build up pressure, causing the pastry to puff unevenly, burst, or become misshapen. They also contribute to that classic strudel look.
Storage Tips for Strawberry Strudels
To enjoy your delicious strawberry strudels at their best, proper storage is key. While they are undoubtedly most delicious fresh from the oven, here’s how to store any leftovers:
Room Temperature: Once completely cooled, store your strudels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. This helps maintain their freshness and prevents them from drying out. While they might lose a little of their initial crispness, they will still be wonderfully flavorful.
Refrigerate: While not strictly necessary for such a short shelf life, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for 2-3 days if you prefer. However, be aware that refrigeration tends to make puff pastry softer and can accelerate the process of the pastry becoming slightly sticky and soggy due to moisture from the filling. They definitely taste best when served freshly baked and warm out of the oven.
Freeze: Unfortunately, these mini strudels do not freeze well after baking. The delicate, flaky texture of puff pastry tends to degrade significantly upon thawing, becoming soggy and losing its desirable crispness. For best results, it’s recommended to bake and enjoy them within a couple of days of preparation.
More Easy Strawberry Desserts to Love
- Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes {From Scratch}
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake {Cake Mix}
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes (Mini)
- Strawberry Cookies {Fresh Strawberries}
- Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes {Valentine’s Day Cupcakes)
- Strawberry Icebox Cake {No Bake}
Recipe
Easy Strawberry Strudels
Abeer Rizvi
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Ingredients
- 1 package Puff pastry sheets 2 Sheets, 17.3 oz package
- 1 cup Strawberry preserve Should be thick, Can use thick jam too
- 1 Egg + 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
- ½ cup Sanding sugar Optional but highly recommended
Instructions
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Beat the egg and water in a small bowl to make the egg wash. Keep this aside for now.
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Unroll your pastry sheets and cut them into small rectangle strips. Mine were about 2-3 inches wide and 5-6 inches long. These are approximate since I didn’t use a ruler to measure them.
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Place 1 tablespoon of thick strawberry preserve in the center of the pastry strip.
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Fold one side of the strip on top of the filling and then fold the other side of the strip. Press gently so that both ends stick together. Then, flip this strudel onto a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper.
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Gently, use a sharp knife to make 3-4 cuts on top of each strudel so that steam can easily escape while baking.
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In a small bowl, beat the egg and water to make the egg wash.
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Brush the top of each strudel with egg wash and sprinkle some sanding sugar.
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Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the strudels are puffy and golden brown. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of mini strudels, you can also make one big strawberry strudel. Just follow the same steps but don’t cut the puff pastry into smaller strips.
- You can fill these strudels with any flavor of preserves you like as well as chocolate chips, peanut butter and even Nutella.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.