Easy Cheese Danish Recipe (Video)
This is an Easy Cheese Danish recipe with a flaky pastry base and creamy cream cheese filling that tastes like cheesecake! Drizzled with homemade glaze, it's way better than the Costco Danish pastry, making it a popular dessert!
Equipment
- 1 electric hand mixer
- 2 large baking sheets, (lined with parchment paper)
- 1 rolling pin and Pizza cutter
- 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon, (for cheese filling)
Ingredients
Cheese Danish Ingredients:
- 17.3 oz Pkg of Frozen puff pastry, (2 sheets, thawed)
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, (softened)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, (sifted)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, (divided)
Ingredients for Powdered Sugar Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 7 tsp water
Instructions
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Meanwhile, roll out puff pastry sheets to 10" by 15" rectangles. Then, cut each sheet into 15 one-inch strips using a pizza cutter.
- Take one strip of dough, holding down one end; take the other end and swirl the strip to make a spiral.
- Then wrap the spiral around clockwise to form a round shape. Attach another strip of dough to the end and repeat, pinching the seam below the dough to form a "nest" shape.
- Place swirled puff pastry dough onto the prepared pans, then flatten the center of each twisted "nest" using your hands to make indents for the filling. Set aside.
- Make the Cream Cheese Filling: In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then add one egg yolk and powdered sugar (reserving the white for the egg wash) and beat until creamy.
- Make the Egg Wash: In a small bowl, mix one egg, the reserved egg white, and water. Brush the Danishes with the egg wash.
- Fill each center with a tablespoon of the Cream Cheese filling. Reserve leftover cheese filling for retouching after baking. (See notes).
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and flaky.
- Make the powdered sugar glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar and water until smooth. Drizzle over cheese danishes.
Notes
- We found that baking at a lower oven temperature of 380°F omitted the need to cover the filling when baking. So feel free to add a heaping tablespoon of filling without reapplying afterwards.
- If baking at a higher oven temperature of 400°F, fill the cheese Danishes with one tablespoon of filling and cover the filling part with parchment paper during baking. Once baked, fill in any brown spots with the remaining cheese filling while still hot for white silky cheese tops, as the cheese tends to brown easily.
- For shiny Danishes, mix together one part granulated sugar with two parts hot water straight out of the oven for extra shine. This creates that shiny crust you see in Bakery pastries.
- I've experimented and sprinkled coarse organic cane sugar over the Danishes after applying the egg wash with delicious results! It adds a little more sweetness and crunch from the sugar.
- To make mini Danishes, swirl one strip of dough and make an indent, then fill with one heaping teaspoon. Bake as directed (about 20 minutes).
Nutrition Facts
Easy Cheese Danish Recipe (Video)
Serving Size
1 Danish
Amount per Serving
Calories
316
% Daily Value*
Fat
18
g
28
%
Saturated Fat
6
g
38
%
Trans Fat
0.002
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
9
g
Cholesterol
37
mg
12
%
Sodium
136
mg
6
%
Potassium
48
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
35
g
12
%
Fiber
0.5
g
2
%
Sugar
20
g
22
%
Protein
4
g
8
%
Vitamin A
235
IU
5
%
Calcium
21
mg
2
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
