A box of frozen puff pastry makes the easiest, and most delicious homemade cream cheese Danish pastry! You won’t believe how fast and easy and delicious these are. Your family or brunch guests will think you slaved for hours making these. It’s our little secret!
It’s been many years since I made this Ina Garten recipe for a Cream Cheese Danish Pastry. My original photos were shot with my point-and-shoot camera, that preceded my learning how to use a DSLR camera.
A few days ago, I discovered a box of puff pastry dough buried deep into our freezer. I was going to use it to make Chicken Pot Pie, since I had leftover chicken from making my famous Instant Pot Farmhouse Chicken Soup. That idea fell by the wayside when we had an unusual heat wave for our part of the Coastal California.
Since I had thawed the puff pastry in our refrigerator, I needed to use it– or lose it! Aha! I’ll remake the Cream Cheese Danish recipe, from 2009, and shoot updated photos at the same time.
The night before, I made the cream cheese filling. Why? The filling doesn’t ooze out of the pastry, once it’s firmed up a bit. Ahem. Spoken from previous experience.
It takes about 5 minutes to make the filling. All you need is room temperature cream cheese, a little ricotta (or cottage) cheese, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Lemon zest is a good addition, but totally optional. Into the fridge it goes, overnight.
In the morning (while it’s still cool outside), I heated the oven to 400F. I’ve got the chilled cream cheese filling ready to go, my favorite French rolling pin and some Sparkling Sugar. (You could use powdered sugar, after the pastry cools, instead.)
Be sure to generously flour your workspace so that the puff pastry doesn’t stick. Roll out the pastry to approximately 10×10 inches. Cut into fourths.
I added a “plop” of cream cheese filling. How much is a “plop”? 2 tablespoons? The key is to keep the mound centered and not piled super high. This is totally optional: for the last four pastries, I added about 1 tablespoon of my homemade apricot-pineapple jam. Any kind of jam will do! Or, just leave the pastry with the cream cheese filling– all by itself.
I mixed a simple egg wash with a splash of water. I used a clean pastry brush to remove any excess flour and then I brushed a little on the first edge that I folded over. I brushed the remaining pastry with egg wash, and sprinkled with Sparkling Sugar.
Here’s a version with jam and cream cheese. I fit four pastries per baking sheet and baked them for about 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through. NOTE: While the first batch was baking, I made the last four and set the tray into the refrigerator to keep chilled (puff pastry likes that).
Whoa! Look how puffy these are! The puffiness is short-lived, though. The pastry will deflate as it cools. I’ve got a cup of coffee brewing as I select which pastry I need to test… purely for quality control!
TASTING NOTES: What’s not to love about buttery and tender puff pastry?! The Danish Pastry is slightly sweet, but not gooey sweet. Sure, you could add a glaze to this, but why? A dusting of powdered sugar would work, if you don’t have Sparkling Sugar. Yes, these are so simple to make and yet they taste like they came from a bakery. They are a decadent treat, but one that is worth every calorie bite. Once again, Ina Garten has a winning recipe!
This post was originally published in 2009, and updated with newer photos. The recipe is the same.
Ina Garten’s Easy Cream Cheese Danish
Equipment
- 2 pastry brushes one for the egg wash, and the other to brush off excess flour
- 2 Baking sheets
- 2 Parchment paper or Silicone baking mat
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 extra-large egg yolks at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 2 lemons; or substitute with 1 tsp vanilla
Pastry:
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry 1 box , defrosted
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water; for egg wash
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling (best prepared the night before for firmness):
- Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth.
- With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest (or vanilla extract) and mix until just combined. Don't whip! NOTE: Chill in the refrigerator in a covered container overnight. Otherwise the filling will be runny and will spread more than you'd like.
Make the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s a 10 by 10-inch square.
- Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares.
- Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together.
- Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar, if desired.
- Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan.
- Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.
- Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.
Notes
I love Ina! It seems that all her recipes are easy and tasty. This one is a must try!
I think these look great with everything oozing out. What a treat these would be in the morning with some dark roast coffee. I could be there in a few hours!!
Hope your work ease's up soon for you Deb.
I could be there in four hours! I will join you for coffee mid-morning! These look delicious!
Why have I never thought to make a cheese danish?
It looks so simple and darn delicious! I'm about to run in the kitchen and make the filling so i can have these in the morning. but I don't have puff pastry 🙁
BTW, I've missed you this week!
You have convinced me to try these. Totally convinced. I will buy puff pastry this week and serve these to my houseguests. Thanks for the inspiration. Like Monica, Ive missed you too.
That's it, huh? Beautiful! I always end up with a spare sheet of puff pastry that sits around for too long. Next time I will use this recipe, and it will be gone (in a good way)!
They all look gorgeous!
Beautiful! May I please have a raspberry? I don't care how it looks. 🙂
Dessy, these look really yummy!! I have no doubt if I'll try I'll love them!
This looks delicious and so easy! I love it.
I stumbled onto your blog through another blog, from another blog…(you probably know how that goes) and boy am I glad I did! After looking at several of your recipes, I think you're a keeper! lol. I look forward to seeing more 🙂
I've always loved cheese danishes! Even though the fruit ones don't look as pretty, I'm pretty sure they still rocked 🙂
Oh & one more thing .. I've got a few awards for you on me blog!
I cannot wait to make this, oh yum!
This recipe is amazing and so delicious. Now I want to make them for an up and coming baby shower brunch but I was wondering if I can make them ahead and freeze before cooking? And cook them only when needed?
OH! and BTW I love your blog….thanks.
Dear Anonymous,
I wish you had left me an email, so I hope you check back. I would make the cream cheese filling no more than three days ahead. To me, I haven't had the best results when freezing cream cheese, so I would simply thaw the puff pastry overnight, and make these the day of the shower. You could refrigerate them a bit, before baking them. They take minutes to put together, one you practice folding the puff pastry. They are awesome!
Thank you, thank you, thank you….I should have known that.
This BLOG thing is new to me so let me figure it out and I'll give you my email.
Oh these look yummy! They remind me of my Grandma. Whenever she would come and visit for the summer she would always have to go to the local bakery to buy their cream cheese pastries. She would buy one for herself and one for me. 🙂 Great memories. I'll definitely have to try these!
These look delicious. I think I'll have to try some soon as my family loves cheese danish occasionally. Thanks for including the link in your review over at Cookbooker.com I'm southerncooker over there
Glad I discovered your blog from there love it.
i started making cheese danish with puff pastry recently and they are delicious, and super easy. I do have a tip, if you don't mind. One I learned from an awesome local baker: add your jam/jelly after baking and after they have cooled down. And you can also add fresh fruit on top of the jam. love your blog, btw. Patty
What’s not to love about puffed pastry and cream cheese?! So good and easy!!
I always have ricotta on hand for dessert. I love it with my favorite jam or with fresh fruit or even with just honey. Now, you’re saying I can have it in puff pastry with cream cheese to boot? This is not good…not good at all. LOL
I feel your pain! Though, it’s worth an occasional indulgence.