It’s hard to explain how easy these are to make, but I might start off by saying that they are not entirely made from scratch—I use puff pastry from the freezer section of my grocery store 😀

If you can find (and afford) Dufour Puff Pastry, use that. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets also work, and they are readily available. The Indian Market near me sells Kawan Puff Pastry 4″ Squares which are very easy to use. Costco Business Center also sells puff pastry squares, but in a huge box 😉 And I’m guessing here, but the box seems too wide to fit in a home freezer, and the squares are 5″ not 4″—a bit big for this particular recipe.

Do yourself a favor—don’t buy or use any dough in a foil covered, cardboard pop-can, such as Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or their new Puff Pastry Roll-out Dough 🙁

Make these Danish to suit your flavor profile, and use what you have on-hand. I recently made an apricot, blueberry, then apple version of this recipe—next time, I’m going to try pear, peach, and raspberry versions! Make these your own! Use jam, use fresh fruit, frozen fruit, or dried fruit. Basically, make the cream cheese layer, and then top with whatever fruit you have on hand—within reason, of course! No watermelon! No lime slices :D) I don’t suggest using fresh strawberries because they turn an unappetizing grayish-reddish color, and release far too much liquid. Blackberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, apples, pears, mango, pineapple, rhubarb, and cherries are all good possibilities. If you are all out of fruit, use jam! Just spread it on the dough first, before adding the cream cheese filling. If you have any on hand, lemon curd would be great!

I previously posted Ina Garten’s Cream Cheese Danish, way back in 2010! This recipe is based on that one, the only changes being the filling has been simplified, and fruit has been added 🙂

Fruity Cream Cheese Danish

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature—don’t sluff on this one, the cream cheese must be soft!
1/3 cup (1.2 ounces/33 grams) sugar
2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of one lemon
Optional finish/decoration): egg wash—1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk or water, raw sugar, or powdered sugar (I forgot to dust with powdered sugar! Oops)
1 box puff pastry, defrosted, but cold

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
With an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar together.
Reduce speed to low and stir in egg yolks, vanilla, salt and lemon zest.
Unfold pastry sheets (if using) and cut into 8 square-ish-rectangles, OR lay precut 4×4″ pastry squares onto parchment-covered baking sheet.
Brush each edge (only the edges) of pastry sheet with egg wash—you will have most of it left over.
Scoop a tablespoon full on the cream cheese mixture into the middle of each square, and then, using a pastry knife, smooth it to an even layer down the middle of the pastry—see photo above.
- NOTE: if using jam as a flavoring agent, spread a small amount of jam on the pastry first, then add the cream cheese filling on top of the jam.
Now comes the fun part—flavor and fruit!
Apricot-before layering on the cream cheese, spread a small amount of apricot jam over the pastry. Then add 1 Tablespoon cream cheese filling and spread to mostly cover the jam, letting a little peak out over the end. Top with 1 or 2 dried apricots, cut in half or chopped
Blueberry-top cream cheese layer with approximately 10-12 fresh or frozen blueberries
Apple-chop about ½ of a tart apple, then sprinkle with cinnamon, then add on top of the cheese filling.
Fold two opposing corners together over filling and firmly squeeze together so they stick. Now, brush the folded outer dough with the egg wash.
Refrigerate entire sheet, as is, for 15-20 minutes to re-chill the puff pastry
Remove pastry sheet from refrigerator and place in preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown, watch carefully!
Let cool to room temperature and sprinkle with powdered or raw sugar, if desired.