If you need an easy but delicious breakfast idea, you will love this cheese danish recipe! It has a flaky buttery crust, a creamy center, and the perfect sweet glaze on top. It’s perfect for holidays like Christmas morning but is easy enough to pull off for a regular weekend morning.
Similar to what you can get at a bakery but at a fraction of the price, these danishes are surprisingly easy to make. Everyone will think you spent forever on them when in reality, it only took you a few minutes to prep. Make these alongside my easy French toast casserole or pancake recipe to really impress your guests at brunch.
This cheese Danish is made from store-bought puff pastry and a filling of cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. It’s easy and perfect for Hanukkah and Christmas and Easter and weekends and, okay, any time.
How to Make Cheese Danish
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the homemade puff pastry into a 16×8-inch rectangle.
2. Cut the puff pastry in half lengthwise and then into quarters crosswise, creating 8 (4-inch) squares.
3. Brush the edges of the squares lightly with the beaten egg white.
4. Fold each corner in about 1 inch towards the center and gently press to adhere. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Brush any exposed pastry with egg white.
5. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium-low speed until well combined.
6. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into the center of each pastry. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating at the halfway mark.
7. While the pastries cool, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
8. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cheese danish before serving.
Can I make these ahead of time?
These danishes keep very well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to store them in an airtight container so the filling doesn’t take on any flavors from the refrigerator. When ready to eat, warm them in the oven or microwave.
EASY Cheese Danish Recipe
FAQ
What is the filling in a cheese Danish made of?
What is a cheese Danish from Starbucks made of?
What kind of cheese is Danish?
What does a cheese Danish taste like?
What is a cheese Danish?
Cheese danishes are a pastry made with a yeasted “viennoiserie” dough. That means the dough has added ingredients, like sugar, milk, and eggs. It is also folded in a way not unlike a croissant, so you have a lot of lovely layers once you bit into it. The dough is then filled with a lightly sweetened cream cheese and baked.
How do you fill a Danish with cream cheese?
In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract until well blended. Place in a piping bag. Pipe about 2 tablespoons of filling into the dent at the center of each square. Cover the danishes with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place until puffed, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
How do you make a cheese Danish pastry?
The cheese filling is a smooth mixture made with vanilla extract, cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice. It is then scooped into the middle of the pastry and baked until gooey and warm. Optionally, cheese danishes can also be topped with a sugar glaze or a sprinkle of nuts.
Can you make cheese Danish from scratch?
This is a cheese danish from scratch — including the dough. Many recipes online will have you using store-bought puff pastry or crescent rolls from a tube (and there is nothing wrong with that!), but taking your time to make this danish dough really pays off. It gets perfectly crispy on the outside and warm, flaky, but still chewy on the inside.