Cottage Cheese Buns with Blackcurrant Jam

These cottage cheese buns are made with puff pastry, a soft cottage cheese filling, and a thin layer of blackcurrant jam. They look a little fancy once shaped, but the process is surprisingly simple.

The combination is especially good: creamy cottage cheese, sweet-tart blackcurrant jam, a little fresh lemon zest, and crisp, flaky pastry.

Serve these jam-filled cottage cheese buns slightly warm or completely cooled, with a little powdered sugar on top.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Made with ready-made puff pastry
• Crisp and flaky on the outside
• Soft cottage cheese filling inside
• Sweet and slightly tart from the blackcurrant jam
• Beautiful shape without complicated pastry techniques
• Easy to change with your favorite jam
  
  These cottage cheese buns are especially lovely if you enjoy simple cottage cheese baking. For another recipe combining cottage cheese with blackcurrants, try my Blackcurrant Cottage Cheese Crumble Cake

Ingredients You’ll Need

Puff pastry – I use one sheet of yeast-free puff pastry. Keep it cold until you’re ready to work with it, as cold pastry is much easier to shape.

Cottage cheese – use soft cottage cheese for the filling. If yours is grainy, blend it first until smoother.

Powdered sugar – one tablespoon gives the filling a light sweetness. You can add a little more if you prefer sweeter cottage cheese pastry buns.

Blackcurrant jam – its slightly tart flavor works beautifully with the creamy filling. You can also use another thick berry jam.

Lemon zest – adds a fresh citrus note that balances the sweet cottage cheese filling and tart blackcurrant jam.

Egg yolk and milk – for brushing the buns before baking to give the pastry a golden finish.

Powdered sugar – optional, but lovely for dusting the baked buns.

Blackcurrant jam works beautifully here, but you can easily change the filling depending on the season. If you have fresh apricots, my Apricot Cottage Cheese Crumble is another easy cottage cheese dessert to try.

How to Make Cottage Cheese Buns

1. Make the cottage cheese filling

Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and mix it with the powdered sugar. If the cottage cheese has a grainy texture, blend it first until soft and creamy.

2. Roll out the puff pastry

Divide the puff pastry into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll each piece into a similar-sized rectangle.

Try to keep both rectangles roughly the same size, as one will form the base and the other will cover the cottage cheese and blackcurrant filling.

Don’t roll the pastry too thin — you want to keep enough thickness to get those crisp, flaky layers as the buns bake.

3. Add the jam

Spread a thin layer of blackcurrant jam over the pastry, leaving a small border around the edges. Sprinkle the lemon zest evenly over the jam.

You don’t need much jam here. A thin layer gives the cottage cheese buns plenty of berry flavor without making them difficult to shape.

4. Add the cottage cheese

Spread the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the jam. It doesn’t need to look perfectly smooth — just try to keep the layer fairly even.

5. Cover with puff pastry

Place another layer of pastry over the cottage cheese filling and gently press it down.

Cut the filled pastry into long, even strips.

6. Twist and shape

Take one strip and gently twist it several times to expose the layers of pastry, cottage cheese, and blackcurrant jam.

Coil the twisted strip around itself to form a round bun, tucking the end underneath or against the side.

Repeat with the remaining strips.

7. Brush and bake

Transfer the shaped buns to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Mix the egg yolk with a little milk and brush it over the pastry.

Bake until the cottage cheese buns are puffed, flaky, and golden brown.

Let them cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Keep the Puff Pastry Cold

Cold pastry is the secret to getting those beautiful flaky layers.

If the puff pastry becomes very soft while you’re spreading the filling or shaping the buns, place it in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes before continuing.

Tip: Work fairly quickly once the pastry is out of the refrigerator. Warm puff pastry becomes sticky and harder to twist, while chilled pastry keeps its shape much better in the oven.

Tips for the Best Cottage Cheese Buns

Use thick jam. A very runny jam can leak out while you’re twisting and baking the buns.

Don’t add too much filling. It may be tempting, but a thin, even layer makes the pastry much easier to shape.

Blend grainy cottage cheese. The filling should be soft enough to spread over the pastry.

Don’t worry if they aren’t identical. The twisted shape is quite forgiving, and the buns look beautiful once the puff pastry expands in the oven.

Let them cool before adding powdered sugar. Otherwise, the sugar will simply melt into the warm pastry.

If you love the combination of berries, cottage cheese and citrus, you may also like this Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pie with Lemon Cream Sauce

Can I Use Another Jam?

Absolutely. Blackcurrant gives these jam-filled cottage cheese buns a lovely tart berry flavor, but the basic recipe works with many other fillings.

Try raspberry, strawberry, cherry, blueberry, or apricot jam. Just choose a fairly thick jam rather than a runny fruit sauce.

Can I Make These with Ricotta?

Yes. If cottage cheese isn’t readily available where you live, well-drained ricotta is a good alternative. The texture and flavor will be slightly different, but it works well with puff pastry and berry jam.

How to Serve

These cottage cheese pastry buns are delicious slightly warm, when the pastry is still crisp and the center is tender. They’re also good at room temperature.

Finish them with a light dusting of powdered sugar and serve with tea or coffee for an easy breakfast, brunch, or afternoon treat.

Looking for another easy cottage cheese bake? These Cottage Cheese Scones are a simple option for breakfast or an afternoon snack.