Easy Cream Cheese Danish
July 12, 2024
Yes, these sweet little Danishes are easy-peasy and come together in under a half hour but they’re also the platonic ideal of a Danish — a 10 out of 10 on the breakfast goodies scale! The secret? We use frozen puff pastry. It bakes up golden brown and super flaky and tastes amazing with the light, fluffy cream cheese filling and a generous dollop of jam. In the test kitchen, we used blueberry jam, but you can use your favorite. (Why choose? Feel free to mix and match!)
Tip: We like to use a pastry bag to pipe the cream cheese filling onto the Danish because it’s tidy and precise. If you don’t have one, you can use a Ziploc bag. Add the filling, seal it up, cut the tip off one corner and pipe!
SERVINGS
8
PREP TIME
15 min
COOK TIME
13 min
Ingredients
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8ounces cream cheese, room temperature
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1 1/4cups confectioners' sugar, divided
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1large egg + 1 egg yolk, divided
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1teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
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All-purpose flour, for dusting
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2sheets (17.25 ounces) puff pastry dough, thawed
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8teaspoons L&B jam (pick your favorite flavor!)
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2tablespoons whole milk
Special equipment:
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1large disposable pastry bag
Directions
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1
Heat oven to 400 F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
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2
In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, the egg yolk, a pinch of salt and ½ tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Transfer the cream cheese to a pastry bag and set aside.
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3
In a small bowl, beat the egg. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the sheets of puff pastry dough and lay flat. Cut each sheet into 4 squares. Using a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour.
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4
Brush the corners of each square with the beaten egg. Fold the corners into the center of the square and press down gently. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheets.
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5
Cut the tip off the pastry bag to create a ½-inch hole. Pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling onto the center of each Danish and top the cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of jam.
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6
Gently brush the top and sides of the Danish with the beaten egg. Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the sheets and continue to bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pastries are puffed and golden brown. Let cool slightly.
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7
Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, milk, the remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
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8
Drizzle the glaze over the Danishes. Serve warm or at room temperature. The Danishes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Recipe adapted from: NYT