Cream Cheese Danish

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Delicate puff pastry filled with a cream cheese filling and topped with a light, sweet drizzle. Cream cheese danish is perfect for serving for breakfast, brunch or dessert. and is perfect for the holidays!

I’ve been on a puff pastry trend lately. I’ve been making my easy puff pastry and then I’ve been using the puff pastry to make all sorts of yummy treats. These cream cheese danishes are my latest!

Prior to these danishes I also made puff pastry baked eggs, cheese straws and of course my favorite chicken pot pie! Talk about delicious! One of the things I love best about all these recipes, besides being delicious, is they look so impressive, but they really aren’t very difficult to make.

Key ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and measurements can be found below. Just scroll to the bottom!

• Puff pastry – Make your own, I use a quick puff pastry recipe, or buy at the store. I’ve made it both ways and both are amazing.
• Cream cheese – You want to real stuff here. Don’t substitute a low fat version. Make certain cream cheese is at room temperature, otherwise it will be difficult to get it creamy
• Powdered sugar – Added to the cream cheese and used for the glaze that’s drizzled on after baking
• Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed is best
• Vanilla – Pure extract!

Variations

• Berries – I used frozen berries, straight from the freezer. No need to thaw. Just add a few of your favorites right in the center of the cream cheese mixture. You can also use fresh berries. Some favorites include blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries
• Jam – Add a dollop of jam right in the center of the cream cheese. I’ve used both apricot jam and raspberry jam and they both were a hit!
• Pie Filling – Sweeten things up a bit more by adding a dollop of prepared pie filling right in the center of the danish! Try using apple pie filling or cherry pie filling. Use ones you’ve made or use store bought.

Step by step instructions

• Mix cream cheese until smooth. Add egg yolk, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
• Roll out the puff pastry dough and slice into 3×3″ pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Brush the top of each square with egg white
• Add a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture to the center of the puff pastry squares
• Add a few berries, if desired
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes

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• Remove from oven and allow danish to cool on baking sheet
• Mix glaze and drizzle over danishes

My tips

• Don’t worry about cutting the puff pastry into perfectly even squares
• Make certain oven is fully preheated before baking
• If using berries, fresh or frozen work fine. No need to defrost frozen berries.
• Serve the same day, or once fully cooled store in an airtight container in a single layer
• Don’t skip the glaze. It’s what makes these danishes seem like they are from your favorite bakery.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be certain to check out all my breakfast recipes!