Cream Cheese Danish
About This Cream Cheese Danish
Cream cheese danish are one of the most beloved breakfast pastries, combining flaky, buttery puff pastry with tangy-sweet cream cheese filling and a simple glaze that adds just the right amount of sweetness. While they look like they came from a fancy European bakery, these danish are surprisingly easy to make at home, especially when you start with store-bought puff pastry which eliminates hours of laminating dough.
What Makes This Cream Cheese Danish Special
The cream cheese filling is made by beating cream cheese with sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth and creamy, creating a filling that is rich but not too sweet, with that characteristic slight tang that balances perfectly with the buttery pastry. These danish are perfect for weekend brunch, holiday mornings, or anytime you want to serve something special that looks and tastes impressive but does not require professional pastry skills.
Key Techniques for Success
The beauty of this recipe is its versatility - once you master the basic technique, you can customize with different fillings like fruit preserves, lemon curd, or even chocolate.
Perfect for Every Occasion
Fresh from the oven and still warm, with the glaze just set, these danish are absolutely irresistible.
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 sheets) Frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 225g (8 oz) Cream cheese, softened
- 60g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) Granulated sugar
- 1 Large egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Lemon zest
- 1 Egg for wash
- 120g (1 cup) Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Milk
- for topping Fruit preserves (optional)
Quick Info
- Total Time:
- 38 min
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Servings:
- 8
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
For filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Beat until creamy and fluffy.
- 3
Unfold puff pastry sheets on lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet into 4 squares for total of 8 squares.
- 4
Make cuts from each corner toward center, stopping 1 inch from center, creating 4 triangular flaps per square.
- 5
Place about 2 tablespoons cream cheese filling in center of each square.
- 6
Fold alternating flaps over filling toward center, creating pinwheel shape. Press gently to seal.
- 7
Place danish on prepared baking sheet spacing 2 inches apart. Beat egg with 1 tbsp water and brush edges of pastry.
- 8
Add small dollop of fruit preserves on top of cream cheese if using.
- 9
Bake 16-20 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
- 10
Cool 10 minutes. Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm danish.
Pro Tips
- •Make sure cream cheese is very soft for smooth filling
- •Work with cold puff pastry - if it gets warm, refrigerate
- •Seal flaps well to prevent filling from leaking
- •Do not overfill or filling will bubble out during baking
- •Danish are best eaten same day but keep for 2 days
- •Reheat in 350°F oven for 5 minutes to crisp pastry
Variations
Try blueberry filling with lemon curd. Use strawberry preserves and fresh berries. Make chocolate danish with Nutella. Add almond extract to filling. Top with sliced almonds.
