Got a taste for a cheese danish but hate waiting in the Starbucks line? Try making a Copycat Cream Cheese Danish at home for a fraction of the cost! The best part is, you can customize the flavors and toppings to whatever you want!
These Cheese Danishes are the 3rd installment of my Fall miniseries, all dedicated to the beautiful puff pastry!
This is a really simple dish to make and the flavors are absolutely amazing... so much better than the store-bought version in my opinion. Make a batch (or two) of these pastries for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.98
- Total Cost (6 danishes): $5.87
- Those Other Guys: $3.45 per danish
Ingredients
- Frozen Puff Pastry Dough – A flaky, buttery puff pastry is going to be our vehicle for the cream cheese filling. I use the frozen kind from Pepperidge Farm and let it thaw on the counter for 20 or so minutes before cooking.
- Cream Cheese – Yeah, you can't have a cream cheese danish without cream cheese! I've used the full-fat and low-fat kind with great results. Be sure to let it sit out and get to room temperature before mixing.
- Powdered Sugar – Using powdered sugar allows the filling to remain silky smooth. I also sprinkle some powdered sugar on top at the end of baking!
- Egg Whites – To brush onto the edges of the puff pastry for a golden brown finish.
- Jam (optional) – I love to top half of the pastries with homemade strawberry jam! You can substitute for your favorite flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
Glazed Cheese Danishes: Mix together powdered sugar and milk until it makes a silky smooth glaze. Drizzle on top of completely cooled cheese danishes.
Chocolate Cheese Danishes: Add unsweetened cocoa powder to the cream cheese filling and whisk until completely combined. Bake as directed.
How to Make Cheese Danishes at Home
Step 1: Start by adding softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar to a bowl.
Step 2: Mix thoroughly until smooth. You can use a hand mixer, but I've gotten great results with just a spoon.
Step 3: Cut your puff pastry sheet into 6 equal rectangles. Using a fork, poke a border of holes around the edges of the smaller pastries. This helps avoid the edges from puffing up!
Step 4: Add a dollop of the filling to each pastry, then spread it out to the edges using a knife. Brush the edge of each pastry with egg whites, then bake until golden brown.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Start with room temperature ingredients. Many of the store-bought puff pastry brands are frozen. Make sure you set the puff pastry and cream cheese out on the counter to thaw and soften.
- Egg whites over a whole egg if you can. Using egg whites as opposed to an entire egg seems to stop the danishes from getting too golden brown. This is more cosmetic than anything - if you only have an egg for your egg wash don't worry about it!
- Bake on the bottom rack. To avoid your cream cheese filling from getting scorched on the top layer, I recommend baking these on the bottom rack of your oven.
- Let cool before adding toppings. Be sure to let your pastries cool completely before sprinkling powdered sugar or drizzling a glaze on top. If they're still hot, the decorations will melt.
Recipe FAQs
Honestly, it depends on how you want your final product. If you add the jam before baking, the moisture will be cooked out of the jam and it'll be more tacky with a deeper fruit flavor. To get the classic jam texture, you can also spread it on your pastry after they have baked and cooled. Either way will work!
I recommend storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Other Meal Ideas from my Puff Pastry Miniseries!
If you tried this Copycat Cream Cheese Danish Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Copycat Cream Cheese Danish
Equipment
- Chef's Knife
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Fork
- Pastry Brush
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
- Wire Rack optional - for cooling
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar plus more for decorating
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough thawed
- 1 teaspoon egg whites
- strawberry jam optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉.
- Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
- Cut the thawed puff pastry sheet into 6 even-sized rectangles.
- Using a fork, poke a border of holes around each raw pastry.This technique keeps the entire puff pastry from puffing up during baking! We only want the edges to puff, not the part with filling.
- Add the cream cheese filling to the middle of each pastry. Brush the edges of the pastries with egg whites.
- Finally, bake them on the bottom rack for 10-12 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and flaky.
- Let cool for at least 5 minutes, then top with an extra sprinkle of powdered sugar for decoration. You can also spread some jam on the tops of these once cooled. Enjoy!
Hayley says
I made a financial goal to avoid stopping for breakfast and coffee in the mornings and this recipe saved me! They taste even better than what I get at Starbucks. Will be making these often!
Shani W. says
I love to hear that Hayley! Thank you so much for your review.