Cheese Danish Recipe: How to Make a Cheese Danish

A cheese danish is a puff pastry pocket with a seasoned cream cheese filling. You can make the cheesy pastry plain or add berries or jam for a pop of fruit flavor. Alternatively, make a savory version by omitting the sugar in the filling and adding savory herbs and seasonings instead.

Traditionally served during breakfast or brunch, you can make this easy pastry ahead of time and serve it with coffee or tea any time of the day. Try making your own puff pastry or danish dough from scratch for an extra challenge.

Here’s how to get the ideal combination of creamy and crispy when making a cream cheese danish.

1. 1. Use chilled pastry dough. Puff pastry has layers of butter suspended within. In a hot oven, the water in the butter turns to steam, creating pockets of air that give it a flaky texture. If the dough gets too warm, the butter can melt before baking, resulting in chewy, tough pastry. Follow the thawing instructions on the package, then keep the pastry sheets in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. 2. Brush with egg wash. For a crisp, deep golden-brown surface, brush the exposed pastry with egg wash before baking, avoiding the cream cheese filling. You can use a whole egg or an egg yolk mixed with water for the egg wash; keep in mind that the egg yolk will result in a richer color.
3. 3. Cool before glazing. If you glaze the danishes while they’re still warm, the glaze will melt, dripping off or soaking into the pastry and making it soggy. Cool the baked danish on a wire rack, then glaze once it has cooled to room temperature for that classic zig-zag look.

There are many different ways to dress up this versatile pastry filling. Try one of these easy variations:

1. 1. Almond danish: Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the sweetened cream cheese filling, then sprinkle with sliced almonds before baking. Dust with powdered sugar once the danishes have cooled.
2. 2. Apple danish: Mix a half-cup of chunky applesauce with a teaspoon of cinnamon and brown sugar, then spoon it over the top of the cream cheese filling for an ode to apple strudel. Or, make the apple filling from scratch using this apple danish recipe.
3. 3. Everything bagel danish: Combine two breakfast favorites. Make a custom blend of everything bagel seasoning: Combine a tablespoon each of sesame seeds, dried onion flakes, poppy seeds, granulated garlic, and coarse sea salt in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture over an unsweetened cream cheese filling before baking.
4. 4. Lemon blueberry danish: Add lemon zest to the glaze for an extra bright flavor. Place a dot of blueberry jam or spoonful of fresh blueberries over the filling before baking, then drizzle the lemon glaze over the top once the danish cools.
5. 5. Parmesan herb danish: Make this savory danish by omitting the sugar in a standard cheese danish recipe. Combine the cream cheese with lemon juice, black pepper, and a few tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before baking and skip the glaze.
   
6. 6. Strawberry danish: To make an easy strawberry cream cheese danish, dot the cream cheese filling with a few slices of fresh strawberries or a small dollop of jam just before baking.