Cheesy Cranberry Puff Pastry Mini Cups

FOR CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• 175 g Full fat Cream Cheese, softened 
• 3-4 tbsp Icing sugar/powdered sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

FOR CRANBERRY SAUCE

• 100 g (1 cup) Cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tbsp Orange juice
• A pinch of salt

FOR PUFF PASTRY MINI CUPS

• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting
• 1 Egg +1 tsp milk = egg wash
• 12 hole Mini tart tin

CRANBERRY SAUCE

1. Start by making simple sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Let it simmer until the sugar is dissolved completely. Now add cranberries, orange juice, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Let it cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Slightly crush the cranberries with a wooden spoon and stir occasionally.
2. Remove from the heat, and let it cool completely. It will look slightly thin but thicken up as it cools down. Transfer to an airtight container and pop in the fridge until needed.
3. You can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

1. Prepare the sweet cream cheese filling by mixing cream cheese (softened to room temperature), icing sugar/powdered sugar (sifted), lemon juice, a pinch of salt and vanilla extract. Mix them together until smooth and fluffy. 
2. Pop in the fridge to chill. You can also make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

PUFF PASTRY MINI CUPS

1. Take a 12-hole mini tart tin and grease each hole with oil or butter and set aside.
2. Unroll the puff pastry sheet and cut out circles, using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Now take a small bottle cap and make an impression of a circle in the centre of each big cut-out circle. Use a fork to poke holes in the middle circle. Brush with egg wash (whisk together 1 egg + 1 tsp milk). Place in each hole of the tart pan. Slightly press down in the middle. Reroll any scrap and repeat until all pastry dough is used. Cover tightly the unused pastry dough with plastic wrap & keep in the fridge until needed. Reroll it between two pieces of baking paper and lightly sprinkle the flour if it is sticky.
3. Bake at 160C/320F in a fan oven (for conventional oven at 180C/356F) for 15 minutes or until pastry cups are puffed and deep golden in colour.
4. Let them cool slightly then press down the middle part of each cup, using the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Fill the piping bag with cream cheese filling, snip the tip of the bag and fill the middle part of each pastry cup with it. Top it with cranberry sauce then sprinkle some icing sugar. Serve warm or chill them in the fridge before serving.