Cream Cheese Danishes
Layers of flaky puff pastry folded around a simple creamy filling makes these cream cheese Danishes a wonderful indulgence for any time of day.
Did you know that cream cheese Danishes are actually really easy to make at home? No need to run to the bakery or a fancy buffet spread!
All you need is puff pastry, cream cheese, and handful of other basic ingredients, and a little more than 30 minutes to make these danishes.
And I promise that first bite of flaky buttery pastry with rich and creamy filling will make a believer out of you— homemade is better than store-bought!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Puff pastry— you can use store-bought, but I encourage you to try making your own. I have a full tutorial here!
- Cream cheese
- Egg yolks
- Lemon zest
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Egg wash (beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
How to Make Cream Cheese Danishes
1. Prepare filling. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt and mix until combined.
2. Roll and cut puff pastry. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to an approximate 18-inch square. Trim edges and cut into 9 even squares.
3. Assemble Danishes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each square and spread diagonally. Brush 2 opposing corners with egg wash and fold them together over the filling, pressing to seal. Brush the rest of the puff pastry with more egg wash.
4. Bake. Bake Danishes in a 400°F oven until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.
5. Enjoy. Dust with powdered sugar (optional) and enjoy immediately! Danishes are best the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Tips for These Danishes
- If using frozen puff pastry, thaw before using. Place in the fridge overnight, or let it rest on the counter for 30-60 minutes.
- For a smooth filling, the cream cheese and egg yolks need to be at room temperature.
- If your forgot to pull your cream cheese out of the fridge early, see my tips to quickly soften cream cheese.
- Danishes come in many shapes! This is just one suggestion, and here’s a demonstration of a few more ideas.
- If the two top corners are not sealed well, they’ll pop apart during baking (see photo on the right, above). They’ll still taste delicious but won’t look as perfect. Make sure to use plenty of egg wash and really press them together to seal.
- Cream cheese Danishes can be prepared ahead of time and frozen before baking. Store in a single layer on a sheet pan or in a ziplock bag for several weeks. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes of baking time if needed.
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This recipe was originally published September 2015.
Cream Cheese Danishes
Ingredients
For the Danish:
- 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry , store-bought or make your own
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water , egg wash
- Powdered sugar , for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in large bowl with hand-held mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add egg yolks, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix until just incorporated.
- On floured surface, roll puff pastry into an approximate 18-inch square. Cut into 9 squares.
- Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling into center of each square. Brush two opposing corners with egg wash, then fold over the filling in the center, pressing gently to seal. Brush rest of the puff pastry with egg wash.
- Bake until puffed and golden, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
- Danishes are best the day they are made but will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Disclosure: This recipe was made with Real® Butter in partnership with the American Butter Institute. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands and campaigns I believe in, which make it easier for me to bring you new and creative content. All opinions are always my own. To see all of the recipes I have created for Go Bold with Butter, click here.
I remember my mom eating cheese danishes when I was a kid, but I was like – no, I’m not eating soft cheese for breakfast! Oh, how wrong I was! Now I love danishes, and I always feel very proper eating them – just like my mama!
Reminds me of my sister’s wedding. My Mom and Aunt made little pastries for in between the wedding and the reception. They made hundreds of little pinwheel puff pastries. Then caterer found out about their plan and said they could not do that before his dinner. Anyway they froze them and we ate them for a very long time. Thank you for the memories! These look delicious.
These danishes speak right to my heart! Simple, but delicious. Homemade puff pastry is on my list of things to try, I might just have to give it a go this weekend!