Cheese Danish

4.73 from 22 votes

This buttery, flaky, and budget-friendly Cheese Danish recipe is ridiculously easy to make and can be on your table in under a half hour.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: European

Total Cost: ($6.07 recipe / $1.01 serving)

Servings: danish

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your oven's rack in the center and preheat it to 400°F. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, egg yolk, and salt until smooth and light in texture.
Unfold the sheet of puff pastry, dust off excess flour, and place it on the baking sheet. Cut down the seams of the folds so you have three equal-sized strips. Cut the strips into halves.
Use a fork to perforate around the sides of each puff pastry rectangle, leaving a half-inch border. This prevents the puff pastry from rising in the middle.
Add 2 heaping tablespoons of your cream cheese mixture to each square. Spread evenly, making sure to leave the borders clean.
Beat the egg white until frothy. Dip a pastry brush into the beaten egg white and trace lightly along the borders. This will give the puff pastry a glossy finish and golden color.
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes then rotate the baking sheet, front to back. Continue to bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the borders of the puff pastry have risen and are golden brown. Use a spatula to remove the pastries from the sheet pan and cool on a rack.
In a separate bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Cool the Cheese Danish before adding the icing so it doesn't melt into the pastry.
Finally, drizzle over cooled Cheese Danish and watch your loved ones gobble them down! Optional: drizzle with 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam thinned with 1 teaspoon of water.

Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge for an hour or two, or it will crack when you try to cut it. Don't thaw it at room temperature, as the butter will melt into the dough, and you won't get the flaky finish puff pastry is known for.
Add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the filling to boost flavor
Mix a tablespoon of melted butter into the icing to add flavor and an even more velvety finish.