This buttery, flaky, vanilla-scented Cheese Danish recipe is so ridiculously delicious that Beth hasn’t stopped talking about it since I made it for her. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes because this breakfast pastry is a total breeze to put together, is ready in under a half hour, and is incredibly budget-friendly. P.S. I’m going to show you how to make this easy Cheese Danish at home for a third of what you’d pay at the fancy bakery. (Seriously. They sell them for $18 for a half dozen on Gold Belly.)
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Easy Cheese Danish
This is one of those recipes I use all of the time, so I stockpile the ingredients because when it comes to dessert, I stay ready. Once you make it, you will stockpile them too. TRUST.
This easy Cheese Danish is perfect for brunch or a quick after-dinner dessert and will score all of the compliments at the potluck or work party. (Pro Tip: Whip up a quick batch of Cheese Danish when a loved one has a bad day and get ready to collect All. Of. The. Hugs.)
Cheese Danish
Servings 6 danishIngredients
Cheese Danish
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened ($2.19)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar ($0.11)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.58)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.01)
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed ($2.75)
- 1 egg, yolk and white separated ($0.09)
Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar ($0.16)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract ($0.15)
- 2 Tbsp milk ($0.03)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your oven's rack in the center and preheat it to 400°F. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, egg yolk, and salt until smooth and light in texture.
- Unfold the sheet of puff pastry, dust off excess flour, and place it on the baking sheet. Cut down the seams of the folds so you have three equal-sized strips. Cut the strips into halves.
- Use a fork to perforate around the sides of each puff pastry rectangle, leaving a half-inch border. This prevents the puff pastry from rising in the middle.
- Add 2 heaping tablespoons of your cream cheese mixture to each square. Spread evenly, making sure to leave the borders clean.
- Beat the egg white until frothy. Dip a pastry brush into the beaten egg white and trace lightly along the borders. This will give the puff pastry a glossy finish and golden color.
- Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes then rotate the baking sheet, front to back. Continue to bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the borders of the puff pastry have risen and are golden brown. Use a spatula to remove the pastries from the sheet pan and cool on a rack.
- In a separate bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Cool the Cheese Danish before adding the icing so it doesn't melt into the pastry. Finally, drizzle over cooled Cheese Danish and watch your loved ones gobble them down! Optional: drizzle with 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam thinned with 1 teaspoon of water.
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Equipment
- Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Wire Cooling Racks
- Baking Sheet
Notes
- Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge for an hour or two, or it will crack when you try to cut it. Don’t thaw it at room temperature, as the butter will melt into the dough, and you won’t get the flaky finish puff pastry is known for.
- Add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the filling to boost flavor
- Mix a tablespoon of melted butter into the icing to add flavor and an even more velvety finish.
Nutrition
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How to Make Cheese Danish Step-by-Step Photos
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your oven’s rack in the center and preheat it to 400°F. Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg yolk, and 1 pinch of salt until smooth and light in texture.
Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry, dust off excess flour, and place it on the baking sheet. Then, cut down the seams of the folds so you have three equal-sized strips. Cut the strips into halves. Do not pull your knife through the dough, as it will make it lose its shape. Just press down.
Use a fork to perforate around the sides of each puff pastry rectangle, leaving a half-inch border. This prevents the puff pastry from rising in the middle.
Add two heaping tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture to each square. Then, spread the mixture evenly, making sure to leave the borders clean.
Beat 1 egg white until frothy. Then, dip a pastry brush (in a pinch, just use your finger) into the beaten egg white and trace lightly along the borders. This will give the puff pastry a glossy finish and golden color.
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet, front to back. Continue to bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the borders of the puff pastry have risen and are golden brown. Next, use a spatula to remove the pastries from the sheet pan and cool on a rack.
Then, in a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk. Finally, drizzle over cooled Cheese Danish.
It’s optional, but I love to drizzle the Cheese Danish with 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam thinned with 1 teaspoon of water. Now all you have left to do is chow down and collect compliments!
You can easily double this recipe to use both sheets of puff pastry that come in the package (especially if you’re serving the Cheese Danish for brunch because they will go fast!). You can also use the second sheet of puff pastry to make our Easy Quiche Lorraine or Spinach Pie!
How To Store Cheese Danish
Cool the Cheese Danish completely and then store in an airtight container with wax or parchment paper between layers and over the top surface. Store in the fridge for up to seven days or in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge before serving or reheat in a 350°F oven, until warm, about 5 minutes.
If you do not have puff pastry you can use tube croissants. Don’t unroll the croissants, cut the roll i. Six thick slices. Make a well in the middle for the cream cheese and bake as the tube suggests.
Amazing. Best cheese danish I’ve ever eaten.
These were so easy and unbelievably good! I used the refrigerated puff pastry and was able to cut in 8 and had plenty of the cream cheese filling! Will be making again in the very near future!
I was hoping not to see this recipe again! The last time I made them, I devoured most of them. A good time for me but not for others. This time, for my penance, Three couples will get two each. Thanks again!
I’m. Hungry
My boyfriend and I made these today as breakfast meal prep and they’re amazing! We added lemon curd on top of them before putting them in the oven and it made them even better! The crust was perfectly golden brown but if I were to make them again, i’d bake them for maybe 13 minutes instead of 15 so that they won’t get too dark in the toaster when I heat them up for breakfast!
Thank you!!! These were a hit and so easy to make very low effort. Right up my alley 😊
Wonderful recipe! All my friends enjoyed it!
8 oz cream cheese is now $4.98 and a box of puff pastry (2 pcs) $6.99. But the recipe is divine.
I made these per the recipe. They are delicious. I will make them again.
Are they freeze-able after baking?
Hmmm. We haven’t tried it, but I think it should work!
Danish dough and Puff Pastry dough are completely different.
Thank you! Just wanted to leave 5 stars for you. A really quick and easy reference that I needed 😊 they turned out great. The filling was the right amount for two sheets for me – but I also baked a compote on top, so depending on how much filling you want it could still work for a single sheet.
One trick that works great for the over spill – start with a little less filling, after the pastry starts to puff at the edges in the oven pull it out and add the rest of the filling so it’s contained and then finish baking. Helpful if you like a lot of filling. Cooling on a wire wrack also prevents the bottoms from getting soft.
I used the Trader Joe’s all-butter puff pastry (available around the winter holidays). The filling made enough for both sheets of pastry; if I’d only thawed one, I’d have had a lot left over.
I added dark chocolate chips on top of the cream cheese mixture to mimic my favorite pastry from a local french bakery, and skipped the icing. They were delicious! Once rhubarb is in season, I’ll try dotting them with some rhubarb compote (my other favorite variety from that bakery).
Tried exactly as written. Very yummy but i would do these tweaks for our family’s taste next time. Increase sugar throughout in cream cheese mixture and drizzle.Reduce cream cheese mixture to 2/3 of the said amount as i had to throw away few tbsps. As ovens are different keep a close watch mine was done in 13 mins total.
If you followed the recipe and can bake, these turn out perfect. Divine!
These danishes baked up nicely! I wanted to lower the carbs so I substituted a monkfruit erythritol powdered sweetener and added 1 t lemon juice to filling… I skipped the icing but will top with some of my homemade sugar free strawberry preserves!