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Ina Garten's Easy Cream Cheese Danish

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 this is. Your family or brunch guests will think you slaved for hours, making these. It's our little secret!
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword Easy Cheese Danish
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Overnight puff pastry thaw 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 35 minutes
Servings 8 pastries
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

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

Recipe source: very slightly adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network