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My brother said the cream cheese danish was the only reason he ever went to the bakery with my mother on Saturday mornings. He would press his nose to the glass and point at the same square pastry every time, flaky and golden with a soft white cheese center and a drizzle of glaze over the top. The day my mother made them at home, he stopped going to the bakery at all. He ate his first one standing at the counter, the way he always had, and said hers were better because they were still warm.
She used store-bought puff pastry and said there was no shame in it. The pastry is easy. The filling is where most homemade danishes go wrong: it runs off the pastry in the oven, spreads across the baking sheet and leaves a flat, empty square behind. The fix is simple. Use full-fat brick cream cheese, bind it with an egg yolk instead of a whole egg, and fold the corners in to make a little wall. Here is how to keep the cheese filling from running off the pastry in the oven, and how to get the corners tall and crisp.
Why this cream cheese danish works
- Egg yolk, not the whole egg. The yolk sets the filling thick and creamy. The white thins it out and makes it run.
- Brick cream cheese. The firm kind wrapped in foil holds its shape. Cream cheese from a tub is softer and spreads in the heat.
- A squeeze of lemon. A little juice and zest make the filling taste bright and fresh, like the bakery’s, instead of just sweet.
- Folded corners. Folding the corners toward the middle makes a raised edge that holds the filling in place while the pastry puffs.
- Cold pastry into a hot oven. Chilling the shaped danishes before baking makes the layers puff high and crisp.
Ingredients
Makes 8 square danishes from two sheets of puff pastry. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the pastry
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (about 17 ounces, 490g total), thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for the egg wash
For the cream cheese filling
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened (225g)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (65g)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
For the glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (90g)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Let the cream cheese soften on the counter for an hour so the filling beats smooth without lumps. Keep the puff pastry cold until the moment you cut it.
How to make cream cheese danish
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Make the filling. Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar with a mixer or a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour until just combined. The filling should be thick, like frosting. Chill it while you cut the pastry.
- Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured counter and roll it gently into a 10 inch square. Cut it into four 5 inch squares. Repeat with the second sheet.
- Set the squares on the baking sheets. With a fork, prick a 2 inch circle in the middle of each square. This keeps the center from puffing up and pushing the filling out.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each square, on the pricked part.
- Fold each corner in toward the center so the tips just touch the edge of the filling, and press them down gently. The filling should sit in a little nest with the corners around it.
- Brush the pastry, not the filling, with the egg wash.
- Chill the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the pastry is cold again.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling is set and just lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool the danishes on the sheet for 10 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla into a thick glaze and drizzle it in thin lines over the warm pastries.
Tips that make the difference
- If the filling looks loose after mixing, chill it for 20 minutes before spooning. Cold filling holds its shape in the oven.
- Do not overfill. Two tablespoons is the right amount for a 5 inch square; more will spill over the corners.
- Bake on the middle rack. Too close to the bottom and the pastry burns underneath before it is cooked through.
- If the pastry gets soft and sticky while you work, put it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Variations
- Cherry cheese danish. Add a teaspoon of cherry pie filling on top of the cheese before baking.
- Blueberry. Press four or five fresh blueberries into the filling of each danish.
- Raspberry swirl. Swirl half a teaspoon of raspberry jam into each spoonful of filling.
- Almond. Scatter sliced almonds over the egg-washed corners before baking.
Storage and make-ahead
Danishes are best the day they are baked.
Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, because of the cheese filling.
Warm them in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 6 minutes to crisp the pastry again. The microwave makes it soft.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my cream cheese filling run out in the oven?
The filling was too thin or the pastry center puffed up and pushed it out. Use brick cream cheese and only the egg yolk, chill the filling, and prick the center of each square with a fork.
Can I use cream cheese from a tub?
It works, but it is softer and spreads more. Add an extra tablespoon of flour and chill the filling for 30 minutes.
Can I make them ahead?
Shape them, cover the baking sheet and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. Bake them straight from the refrigerator in the morning, adding a minute or two.
Can I freeze them?
Freeze the shaped, unbaked danishes on the sheet, then pack them in a bag. Bake from frozen, adding 5 to 6 minutes.
Bake them on a Saturday morning, leave them on the counter to cool, and see how long it takes somebody to eat one standing up.
Cream Cheese Danish (Bakery Style with Puff Pastry, a Filling That Stays Put)
Bakery-style cream cheese danish made with store-bought puff pastry, a thick lemony cream cheese filling bound with an egg yolk, folded corners and a thin vanilla glaze. Flaky, golden and ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (about 17 ounces, 490g total), thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for the egg wash
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Make the filling. Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar with a mixer or a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour until just combined. The filling should be thick, like frosting. Chill it while you cut the pastry.
- Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured counter and roll it gently into a 10 inch square. Cut it into four 5 inch squares. Repeat with the second sheet.
- Set the squares on the baking sheets. With a fork, prick a 2 inch circle in the middle of each square. This keeps the center from puffing up and pushing the filling out.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each square, on the pricked part.
- Fold each corner in toward the center so the tips just touch the edge of the filling, and press them down gently. The filling should sit in a little nest with the corners around it.
- Brush the pastry, not the filling, with the egg wash.
- Chill the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the pastry is cold again.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling is set and just lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool the danishes on the sheet for 10 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla into a thick glaze and drizzle it in thin lines over the warm pastries.
