Plum cream cheese pastries

Ingredients:

 120ml cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to the package instructions
2-3 plums, pitted and sliced
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Method:

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup and the vanilla extract until completely smooth. Set aside.
  3. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and cut it into 6 rectangles. Place the rectangles on your parchment paper-line baking sheet and prick the surfaces all over with a fork. Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the rectangles and spread out, leaving a small border around the edge of each rectangle.
  4. Arrange the plum slices on top of the cream cheese mixture, overlapping them slightly (you’ll need 5-7 slices for each rectangle, depending on the size of your plums) and then sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
  5. Place in oven and bake for 22-24 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through. The pastries should be golden and puffed.
  6. Remove from oven and drizzle the pastries with the remaining maple syrup. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.