Cherry Cheese Danish

What brunch table is complete without some good Danishes.  These Cherry Cheese Danish pastries certainly fit the bill.  These rolls are made with puff pastry, sweetened cream cheese, and homemade cherry filling.

The puff pastry dough is flaky, crispy and slightly caramelized on the edges.  The filling has a homemade cheesecake like taste.  The cherry filling adds the perfect balance of flavors.  To top it off, they are drizzled with icing.

Ingredients:

The Cherry Filling:

• Recipe for Cherry Pie Filling From Frozen Cherries, or a 21 ounce can More Fruit Cherry Filling and Topping.  Note: If making your own topping, you can do this a day or two ahead.

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

This portion can also be prepared a day or two ahead.

• 1 (8 ounce) block for cream cheese.  For best results, use the regular, full fat type.
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar.  Since we are not using flour, the powdered sugar will provide some stability since it contains corn starch.
• 1 egg yolk.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

For the Dough:

• 2 sheets Puff Pastry dough.
• 1 egg, beaten.
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar.
• 2 teaspoons of flour for the wooden board.

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar.
• 3 teaspoons milk.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

How to make homemade Cherry Cheese Danish:

Cherry Filling:

• You can skip this step if you are using store bought Cherry Pie Filling.  For the homemade version I made, check out my recipe for Cherry Pie Filling from Frozen Cherries.

To make the Cream Cheese Filling:

• Combine the cream cheese, egg yolk, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Beat (with a hand held mixer or whisk) until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Dough:

• Take the puff pastry out of the freezer about 40 minutes before you are ready to use it.  Ideally, it should still be cold to the touch but flexible enough to work with.

• Unfold the each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured wooden board.  If the dough is broken where it was folded, use your hand to push it back together and a few drops of water as your glue.

This puff pastry sheet is broken at the seams but can be easily fixed.

• Cut each of the 2 puff pastry sheets into 4 squares.  Prick each square with a knife or fork.  You will have 8 squares.

• Fold the edges of each square inward.

• Then, fold the surrounding edges slightly inward.  You want to create a little nest for the filling.

• Brush some of the egg wash (the beaten whole egg) on each of the pastries, paying special attention to the edges.  Sprinkle some granulated sugar on the edges.  This will caramelize when baking.

• Add a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese filling in the center.

• Top that with a generous tablespoon of the cherry filling.

• Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 22 to 23 minutes, or until golden and puffy on the edges.  Oven temperatures vary for check after about 20 minutes.

To Prepare the Glaze:

• In a small dish, combine the powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract.  Stir until smooth.
• Once the Cherry Cheese Danishes come to room temperature, drizzle some of the graze on each roll.

Enjoy!

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Cherry Cheese Danish

These Cherry Cheese Danish rolls are made with puff pastry, sweetened cream cheese, and homemade cherry filling.

Course Breakfast

Ingredients

For the Cherry Filling:

• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon water
• 1 12 oz 340 grams frozen cherries
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

• This portion can also be prepared a day or two ahead.
• 1 8 ounce block for cream cheese. For best results, use the regular, full fat type.
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar. Since we are not using flour the powdered sugar will provide some stability since it contains corn starch.
• 1 egg yolk.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

For the Dough:

• 2 sheets Puff Pastry dough.
• 1 egg beaten.
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar.
• 2 teaspoons of flour for the wooden board.

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar.
• 3 teaspoons milk.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

Instructions

For the Cherry Filling:

1. (You can skip this step if you are using store bough Cherry Pie Filling)

2. Combine the corn starch, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth. Cook on low-medium heat for about 3 minutes. We want to cook out some of that starchy taste from the corn starch.
3. Add the cherries to the sugar mixture. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Lower the heat to medium and while stirring with a wooden spoon, continue to cook for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.
5. Turn the heat off and stir in the vanilla extract and the almond extract.

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

1. Combine the cream cheese, egg yolk, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Beat (with a hand held mixer or whisk) until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Dough:

1. Take the puff pastry out of the freezer about 40 minutes before you are ready to use it.  Ideally, it should still be cold to the touch but flexible enough to work with.
2. Unfold the each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured wooden board.  If the dough is broken where it was folded, use your hand to push it back together and a few drops of water as your glue.
3. Cut each of the 2 puff pastry sheets into 4 squares.  Prick each square with a knife or fork.  You will have 8 squares.

4. Fold the edges of each square inward. Then, fold the surrounding edges slightly inward.  You want to create a little nest for the filling

5. Brush some of the egg wash (the beaten whole egg) on each of the pastries, paying special attention to the edges.  Sprinkle some granulated sugar on the edges.  This will caramelize when baking. 

6. Add a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese filling in the center.

7. Top that with a generous tablespoon of the cherry filling.

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 22 to 23 minutes, or until golden and puffy on the edges.  Oven temperatures vary for check after about 20 minutes. 

For the Glaze:

1. In a small dish, combine the powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract.  Stir until smooth.
2. Once the Cherry Cheese Danishes come to room temperature, drizzle some of the graze on each roll.