Homemade Fruit Strudels

Confession: I am a jam addict. That’s right – I said jam addict; No exaggeration.

What can I say? I go all in with jam. I don’t just like jam – I loveee jam.

Given the opportunity, I will pretty much put jam on everything and anything; Toast, banana bread, muffins, scones… Heck just hand me a spoon, with a great big jar of that fruity goodness, and I’ll be the happiest camper there ever was.

Seriously though, if you were to open my pantry right now, you would find at least 20 un-opened jars of jam. They are all different flavours, and they are all from a whole whack of different places, that I collect during my travels.

Most people collect T-shirts or post cards or pins when they travel – I on the other hand, collect jam. Lots and lots of jam…. like more jam than any human being would ever be able to consume, but I just can’t help myself.

When it comes to jam, I’m like a moth to a flame – just think of the moth as me and the flame as a jammery of any kind. And once I step into a jammery… it’s game over. I never leave a jammery without at least five or six new jars of varying varieties.

Blueberry jam, pear jam, raspberry jam, peach jam, cherry jam, apple jam, apricot jam… you name it, my pantry is stocked with it.

Cole thinks my relationship with jars of jam is like Winnie the Pooh’s relationship with his jar of honey. In fact I think, he thinks I’m basically a jam hoarder and need to seek professional help.

However, on mornings such as these when I decide to put all of my many different jam flavours to use… I think that’s when he starts to understand the method to my madness.

Case in point… these homemade Toaster Strudels… {minus the toaster}.

When I told Cole that I was going to make a whole bunch of homemade Toaster Strudels using all of our different jam flavours, his eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas Day.

I wasn’t the slightest surprised by his excitement. As a child, Toaster Strudels were like the ultimate treat in our household. Not just because they were like a one time a year occurrence in our house, {because of my mum’s commitment to oatmeal and all bran cereal}; but also because they were flakey pastries stuff full of fruity, jam-like filling…. and you all know how I feel about jam.

So it was pretty much destined for me to one day recreate this childhood food crush in delicious, homemade fashion one day…. and that day finally came this past Saturday – AKA, the day my life was forever changed.

I stuffed my strudels with as much jam as I could possibly squeeze between two layers of puff pastry, baked them to crisp, flaky perfection in the oven, and then drizzled them with a simple vanilla glaze because… well, because it just had to be done.

These homemade Toaster Strudels {minus the toaster} turned out even more delicious than I could have imagined – so if you love Toaster Strudels… you are going to love these.

Made with just two simple ingredients of store-bought puff pastry, and a jar of delicious jam – they were so, incredibly simple to make, that I might just have to make them a weekend breakfast tradition in our house.

Scratch that – from this point on, these will definitely be a weekend tradition in our house, and I strongly suggest you consider this tradition for your family. Here is the recipe lovelies, and I hope you enjoy <3

Homemade Fruit Strudels

Makes: 8 Strudels

Things you need…

Fruit Strudels
1 pckg puff pastry dough
1 jar of your favourite jam {I used a few different flavours; blueberry, raspberry and pear}

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 tsp cream
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp coarse sugar for sprinkling

Simple Glaze
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp cream {+ more if needed}
A few drops of vanilla

How to make…
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, cream and a pinch of sugar to make your egg wash. Set aside until ready to use.

Lightly flour a cool work surface, and roll out your puff pastry dough into a rectangle that is about 6″ wide and 16″ long or to about 1/4 inch thickness. **{See note}

**Note: Depending on how your store-bought puff pastry is packaged, it may already come rolled out or in two separate squares for you to roll, so just do you best to roll it into a rectangular shape that is about 1/4 inch thickness. 

Once your dough has been rolled out, cut it in half length-wise to make two long strips. Next, cut each strip into 8 equal parts, so that you end up with 16 little puff pastry dough cuts.

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush around the edges of each of the puff pastry squares with the egg wash you prepared earlier – this will help to bind the edges together when you assemble your strudels.

Spoon about 1.5 tbsp of your preferred jam onto half of the puff pastry squares. I used a few different jams –{blueberry, raspberry and pear} – so you could do the same or just make them all the same flavour. Spread the jam a bit, leaving about 1/2 inch border around each piece of puff pastry.

Next, take the remaining puff pastry cuts and fit them over top of the jam covered puff pastry. Gently press the edges together with your fingers, and then seal them further using a fork to ensure they are closed tight.

Once all of your strudels are assembled, place them on your prepared baking sheet and set in the fridge for 15 minutes or so just so the dough can rest a bit before they hit the oven. This step isn’t 100% necessary, but it just ensures a nice flakey puff pastry, and your strudels will hold their shape a bit better too.

Once your strudels are chilled, remove them from the fridge and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and place in the center rack of your oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown in colour.

Set on a rack to cool while you make your glaze.

Simple Glaze

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together icing sugar, warm water and vanilla until smooth. If your glaze is a bit too thick, add a few more drops of water, or if it is too thin, add a couple more tbsp of icing sugar.

Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over your warm strudels and serve warm.

Mhmmmm enjoy these simple, yet delicious little devils.

Happy Baking friends <3

KP xoxo