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A Classic Cheese Danish is a timeless breakfast pastry that is perfect at any time of the year or day. It’s great right out of the oven or at room temp!
Cheese Danishes are simple to make and can be adapted for your family’s taste.
This Danish recipe is very easily doubled or tripled and takes little additional effort, so it is a great choice for larger get togethers or for planning ahead for a quick breakfast treat on the go.
Before you jump to the recipe, here are a few questions you may have about this tasty breakfast pastry recipe.
WHAT TYPE OF CHEESE IS IN A DANISH?
Typically, cream cheese is the type of cheese in a Danish.
ARE DANISHES ACTUALLY DANISH?
A Danish pastry translated in Danish means “Viennese bread”. However, Danishes aren’t actually a true Danish pastry.
If you are planning a brunch for your family, a few other recipes that will work really well is our Breakfast Frittata. This savory dish will be a nice compliment to the sweetness of the pastries. Of course, you will also need a beverage to wash down all of the delicious food you are enjoying at brunch. This Virgin Mimosa would work quite well with the brunch menu.
If you have ever wondered “How do you make cheese Danish from scratch?” Then you’ve come to the right place!
Classic Cheese Danishes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes
Makes 8 breakfast sized pastries
DOugh:
1 package of refrigerated puff pastry dough (I personally really like this one: http://wewalka.us/product/puff-pastry )
Filling:
8oz of cream cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Optional:
Light egg wash
OR
What I did here was water down a little bit of apricot jam and brush that on. This has become one of my new favorite tricks that adds a tiny hint of sweetness without too much sugar or heaviness.
Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 8 even pieces
*Use a sharp knife or cookie cutter to cut almost all the way through the pastry dough. You want to make sure there is still enough room all the way around the filling for the sides of the pastry to rise.
By cutting a bit of the dough beforehand you help this process along AND help keep most if not all of the filling right in the middle vs running off the sides. I used an Easter egg shaped cookie cutter for these.
*I have made these with both slightly spacing the pastries out a bit and with just leaving them touching and it does not make a difference in how this exact dough used preforms or on their final size.
You can mix the filling by hand or with a stand mixer. I like to use the paddle attachment with the spatula edge, similar to this one. Just make sure its the right one for your make and model.
Cream everything together and then evenly divide and spoon it into the centers of each pastry.
Brush with the egg or apricot wash.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. The pastries are done when they are golden brown and the filling has puffed up just as nicely as the pastry.
Allow the pastries to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or plate.
You can enjoy these right out of the oven and or you can let them chill in the fridge, I personally like them room temperature.
Store uneaten pastries in the fridge for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
To thaw, simply remove from the freezer the night before or let rest on the counter for about an hour.
There is simply no right time to enjoy these Classic Cheese Danishes!
Classic Cheese Danish
This Danish recipe is very easily doubled or tripled and takes little additional effort, so it is a great choice for larger get togethers or for planning ahead for a quick breakfast treat on the go.
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 1 package of refrigerated puff pastry dough
- Filling:
- 8oz of cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Optional:
Light egg washORWhat I did here was water down a little bit of apricot jam and brush that on. This has become one of my new favorite tricks that adds a tiny hint of sweetness without too much sugar or heaviness.
Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Line a baking sheet with parchment paperRoll out the puff pastry and cut into 8 even pieces
*Use a sharp knife or cookie cutter to cut almost all the way through the pastry dough. You want to make sure there is still enough room all the way around the filling for the sides of the pastry to rise. By cutting a bit of the dough beforehand you help this process along AND help keep most if not all of the filling right in the middle vs running off the sides. I used an Easter egg shaped cookie cutter for these.
*I have made these with both slightly spacing the pastries out a bit and with just leaving them touching and it does not make a difference in how this exact dough used preforms or on their final size.
You can mix the filling by hand or with a stand mixer. I like to use the paddle attachment with the spatula edge, similar to this one. Just make sure its the right one for your make and model.
Cream everything together and then evenly divide and spoon it into the centers of each pastry.
Brush with the egg or apricot wash.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. The pastries are done when they are golden brown and the filling has puffed up just as nicely as the pastry.
Allow the pastries to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or plate.
You can enjoy these right out of the oven and or you can let them chill in the fridge, I personally like them room temperature.
Store uneaten pastries in the fridge for 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
To thaw, simply remove from the freezer the night before or let rest on the counter for about an hour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 217mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g
Mandy says
That looks sooooooo good! I will definitely be trying these soon!