The 7 Best Ideas For How To Use Up Your Leftover Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is one of those magical things that you can use for so many things, and it’s especially great for making something impressive with very little effort.

It’s also pretty fun to watch it puff up in the oven, like magic.

Unfortunately, when you’re baking with puff pastry you can’t always cut out exactly what you need right away—sometimes there are a few scraps left over (or maybe even an entire sheet of leftover dough).

Well, don’t worry! Here are some delicious recipes to use up those leftover pieces (and how long they’ll last):

7 ideas for leftover puff pastry

Mini quiches

Mini quiches are great as an appetizer or a side dish.

They can be made with almost any filling, from vegetables to meats and even cheese.

I have included some of my favorite fillings below if you’d like to try something new or make these mini quiches for the first time.

• Bacon, onion and cheese: Cut bacon into small chunks (about 1/4 inch long) and cook until crispy in a pan on medium heat.
• Add onions and cook until soft then remove from heat and mix in your favorite cheese (cheddar is classic).
• Spinach & feta: Cook spinach gently in butter until just wilted then add feta cheese crumbles and combine to form a paste-like consistency.
• Add salt & pepper if desired at this point as well as any other seasoning that sounds good!
• Mushroom & goat cheese combo: Sauté finely chopped mushrooms with garlic until browned then set aside while making your quiche crusts using the recipe above before adding them back into each individual pastry shell before baking them off again together with some fresh chives sprinkled over top after removing from oven just before serving!

Pumpkin hand pies

You’ll need some leftover puff pastry and pumpkin puree.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes, but don’t forget to poke holes in the center of each shape so the filling can bubble up through it as it cooks.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown on top!

For the filling, add pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.

Once the filling is thickened, remove from heat and stir in cream cheese until melted.

Pour into a piping bag, or if you don’t have one use a spoon to drizzle it into each center of your puff pastry shapes.

Spanakopita

Spanakopita is a spinach and cheese pie.

It’s delicious and easy to make, and can be served as part of a meal or snack.

You need:

• 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves (or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

To make the filling, saute the onions in butter until tender (about 5 minutes).

Add the spinach and cook until wilted (another 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Let cool slightly before adding eggs and herbs.

Mix well to combine all ingredients.

To assemble your spanakopita, lay out your defrosted puff pastry dough on a floured surface with one edge facing you; divide into three equal parts by making two cuts through it so that all three rectangles have equal widths but are not connected at any point; spread each rectangle with some filling leaving about 1 inch around each edge free from filling; fold over top to meet at center point then fold in half lengthwise which will result in four layers or six total layers if making large pastries instead of small ones like pictured.; pinch edges closed tightly together using fork prongs or by crimping with a fork.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown; serve warm with tzatziki sauce.

Lamb and Feta Burek Pie with Roasted Tomatoes

You could use a store-bought pie crust, or you could take the time to make your own.

Either way, this is a great recipe for leftover lamb and feta from last night’s dinner.

Using an oven-safe skillet or baking dish, roast some cherry tomatoes for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees F until they burst.

Let cool slightly before using as filling for the pie.

Prepare filling by combining 1/2 cup crumbled feta and 2 oz cooked ground lamb with 1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp milk or water; salt and pepper to taste (optional).

Mix well until combined.

Set aside while you prepare other components of burek pie:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., spray a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray; line bottom with pastry dough; spread filling on top of pastry dough leaving ¼ inch border around edges of pan; top with second sheeting of pastry dough sprayed lightly with cooking spray (so it doesn’t stick); press along sides of pan gently so sheets are tight against each other all around edge; trim excess dough hanging over rim if necessary after pressing down along sides so it doesn’t come off during baking process later on when removing from oven during last stage before serving time period begins…

bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt if desired.

Crème brûlée tarts

Crème brûlée is a rich custard made with cream and eggs.

The recipe dates back to the Middle Ages, but was popularized in the 1970s when it became a staple dessert at many restaurants.

The traditional method of making crème brûlée involves a bain-marie (water bath) where you slowly heat up the ramekins with water and place them in an oven heated to 200°F (93°C).

You then take them out after 10 minutes or so and let them cool before chilling them for several hours or overnight so that they set.

However, this technique isn’t ideal if you want to make multiple servings because it takes quite some time for each batch of custard to thicken properly before cooling down again afterwards.

In this case, baking your crème brûlée on top of freshly baked puff pastry will ensure an evenly cooked result without having to wait too long!

Fortunately there are other ways besides using a bain-marie like using either an electric mixer or hand whisked by hand until smooth without lumps; pouring into individual soufflé dishes instead; adding alcohol such as brandy or cognac; substituting whole milk with heavy cream; adding gelatin powder instead which helps give body while holding onto moisture but still allowing some separation between ingredients after cooking due to protein separation if over beaten during beating process.

Chocolate pie crust cookies

If you’re not familiar with this pastry, it’s basically a flaky chocolate cookie crust.

But if you can get your hands on a few sheets of puff pastry and a tub of Nutella or other nut-based spread, then you’ve just made one of the best desserts ever.

You can make something similar with any kind of pie filling (cherry filling? Yes!) but I prefer chocolate because it’s simple and tasty.

If anyone asks what to serve with these cookies, just tell them they don’t need anything else—they’re perfect all by themselves!

Cinnamon Sugar Puff Pastry Rolls – Aka Palmiers!

First, you need to make the cinnamon sugar.

This is super simple and can be done while the puff pastry is thawing.

All you have to do is mix together some white sugar, ground cinnamon and a bit of salt in a bowl.

Once that’s done, roll out your puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s 1/8″ thick or less (this makes for more delicate pastries).

Dip your rolling pin in flour each time before rolling out the dough so that it doesn’t stick.

You also want to keep flipping over your sheet pan during this process so that both sides of the dough are evenly rolled out without getting flattened by weights or anything else heavy on top of them! When they’re finished being rolled out into an even sheet about 1/8″ thick, cut them into squares using dental floss or another thin string-like material (I just used regular thread).

Lay each one down onto parchment paper lined baking sheets lined with wax paper and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture using a fine mesh strainer if possible–this helps prevent any clumps from forming as well as making sure all sides are covered!

Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit until golden brown–about 15 minutes depending upon how thickly rolled out yours may be; set aside once done cooling completely before glazing if desired.

Serve warm or cold alongside coffee cake muffins for breakfast tomorrow morning!

Can you save leftover puff pastry?

You can freeze it: This is one of the easiest ways to save leftover puff pastry.

Simply wrap the sheets in plastic and then place them in a freezer bag or airtight container, making sure they aren’t touching each other when they’re put away.

You can refrigerate it: Storing puff pastry at room temperature isn’t recommended because it will become stale quickly and lose its flakiness, but keeping it in the refrigerator will do no harm and may even help keep things fresher longer than freezing would (though this is still up for debate).

You can keep it in your pantry or flour cabinet: While this isn’t really recommended either since the dough will dry out over time and make storing difficult, many people have done so successfully without any major problems arising!

Just make sure never to leave pastries sitting out on countertops unattended for too long; this could lead them into becoming stale before you realize what’s happening!

How long does puff pastry last in the fridge?

Puff pastry is typically sold in 1 lb.

packages that contain 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry.

Once thawed, the dough should be used within 3 days or refrigerated for up to 1 month.

If you have leftover puff pastry, you can use it for other things like this recipe for Apple Pie Puff Pastry Squares or this one for Raspberry Puff Pastry Tartlets.

We recommend freezing excess pieces of puff pastry as soon as possible after cutting them using a method similar to how we suggest storing fresh bread (see above).

You’ll want to wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing them in an airtight container so they don’t stick together during storage.

Freezing will keep your unused slices from drying out and ensure that they won’t go bad too quickly once defrosted

How long is puff pastry good for once opened?

Puff pastry can last in the fridge for a week or two.

But if you want to keep it longer, make sure that you wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and then store it in a resealable bag.

Puff pastry will not freeze well because of its high butter content; however, if you want to make use of leftover pieces that have been opened and frozen, then thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before using them.

If you’re planning to use puff pastry for a recipe that calls for it to be rolled out, make sure that you thaw it first.

It will take several hours in the refrigerator or overnight in your kitchen if frozen.

The puff pastry should be thawed before you start working with it, and you can use the freezer as a substitute for the refrigerator.

Thaw your puff pastry at room temperature for about an hour or until it’s soft enough to roll out easily.

If you want to thaw frozen puff pastry quickly, place the wrapped package on a microwave-safe plate and heat it for about 30 seconds at full power.

Conclusion

With all the different recipes you can use your leftover puff pastry for, there’s really no need to waste it.

So next time you make something with puff pastry, save the wrappers and try one of these recipes!