Add a sweet and tasty touch to breakfast with a homemade Cream Cheese Danish! Dress up puff pastry with cream cheese then pop it in the oven!
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Add a sweet and tasty touch to your next breakfast with a homemade Cream Cheese Danish! Simply start with a puff pastry, dress it up a bit, then pop it in the oven! It’s the perfect companion for your coffee, bacon and eggs. The simple vanilla drizzle also makes this one a yummy dessert! Your family will love this warm treat that’s super-delicious and ready in minutes!
WHY WE LOVE THIS CREAM CHEESE DANISH RECIPE
- Great as breakfast or dessert
- Quick and easy to make
- Perfect for brunch
- Simple homemade icing recipe
- Prepped quickly in just 15 minutes
- Delicious homemade pastry
Ingredients
- Puff pastry sheets
- Cream cheese
- Maple syrup
- Plain yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Egg
- Confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- Milk
HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE DANISH
There are only 6 steps to making this homemade Danish. I absolutely love this easy breakfast recipe and how quickly it can be put together!
- Beat together cream cheese, syrup, yogurt, vanilla, lemon juice, and salad until smooth.
- Carefully unfold the puff pastry into four equal squares.
Pro-tip: I don’t recommend letting your puff pastry sit out at room temperature for too long. Typically the box instructions will advise 40 minutes to thaw. I prefer to let it thaw until it easily unfolds, but before it becomes too warm and soggy. If that happens to you, sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the puff pastry, or let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes.
- Brush beaten egg onto the edges of each square.
- Fold down each corner.
- Spoon the cream cheese filling into the center of the pastry.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.
- To make the vanilla drizzle: Mix the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla and drizzle over the top of the cooled danish.
Pro-tip: A great way to drizzle the pastries with icing is by putting the icing into a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a small hole cut from the corner. You could also just use a spoon or fork as well.
VARIATIONS / OPTIONS / ADD-INS
- MAPLE SYRUP: The maple syrup can be substituted with honey, agave, or granulated or brown sugar.
- YOGURT: For additional sweetness, feel free to use vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt.
- LEMON JUICE: the lemon juice can be replaced with lime juice. You can use fresh juice or juice from concentrate
- EGG: The egg acts as a binding agent for the puff pastry, and also helps to add color to each pastry.
- MILK: You can use 2% or whole milk for the icing. You can also use cream or evaporated milk.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- Nutella French Toast Roll-Ups
- Dutch Baby Pancakes
- Homemade McMuffins
- Air Fryer French Toast Sticks
- French Toast Muffins
Cream Cheese Danish
Serves — 12
Add a sweet and tasty touch to breakfast with a homemade Cream Cheese Danish! Dress up puff pastry with cream cheese then pop it in the oven!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Danish:
- 1½ boxes puff pastry sheets (17.3) ounce boxes – 3 sheets total
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup maple syrup or more to taste
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten until smooth
Icing:
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk cream or evaporated milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Thaw puff pastry by following package instructions. Don’t let sit for longer than instructed on the box (typically around 40 minutes).
- While puff pastry is thawing, prepare cream cheese filling by beating the softened cream cheese, maple syrup, yogurt, vanilla, lemon juice and salt together until smooth. Set aside.
- Once the puff pastry has thawed, carefully unfold the puff pastry and cut into 4 equal squares.
- Brush the beaten egg on to the edges of each puff pastry square and fold down each corner and egg wash the tops of the corner (each edge does not have to reach the center).
- Spoon 2 Tablespoons (I used a 2” cookie scoop for this step) of cream cheese filling into the center of the puff pastry.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden and puffed. Do not overbake. Put the danishes on a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Mix confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla until it is a good consistency for drizzling, adding more confectioner’s sugar or milk if needed.
- Put the icing inside of a piping bag or Ziplock bag with a small hole cut from the corner, and drizzle the icing over the cooled dessert, optional. You can also use a spoon or fork for this step.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 32IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
