These Strawberry Cheese Danish are not only absolutely gorgeous, they are so delicious and easy to make! They feature a rich and decadent cream cheese layer and a fresh strawberry topping. They are baked until light and flakey, and drizzled with icing for the perfect sweet treat!
Strawberry Cheese Danish Recipe
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This is hands down one of our absolute favorite desserts... ok, actually, it's tied with our Blueberry Cheese Danish. What's not to love about a fruit cheese Danish?! A rich and creamy cheese layer topped with sweet fruit and baked on a flakey pastry. It's perfect served as part of a brunch spread, holiday entertaining, or a fun dessert for any day of the week!
What are Strawberry Cheese Danish
These pastries are made using store bought puff pastry, a light and flakey pastry. The pastry is cut into rectangles and then topped with a rich sweetened cream cheese spread. Fresh strawberries are combined with strawberry jam and spread over the cream cheese. Baked until golden brown and flakey the pastries are then topped with a sweet icing that gives them a beautiful finish!
More Brunch Recipes
- Banana Oat Crumble Muffins
- Oreo Banana Bread
- Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast
- Breakfast Pockets
- Bacon Egg and Cheese Ring
- Breakfast Sliders
Ingredients
- Strawberries - using both fresh strawberries and jam gives the pastries the best texture and flavor.
- Strawberry Jam - we love to use a pure strawberry jam as it gives you the best strawberry flavored Danish. You can also use any red jam you have on hand - raspberry, triple berry, strawberry rhubarb, etc. They all work great and by using are jam it gives the pastries a bright red color!
- Cream Cheese - our favorite part of any pastry or Danish! The cream cheese is so rich and creamy it complements the sweet strawberry topping perfectly.
- Egg - brushed onto the edges of the pastries to give them a nice golden brown shiny color!
- Icing Sugar - to sweeten the cream cheese.
- Vanilla - to flavor the cream cheese layer.
- Egg Yolk - this helps thicken the cream cheese layer so that is stays nice and thick and creamy when baked.
- Puff Pastry - this is a secret weapon in the kitchen! We always keep a few packs in our freezer so we can whip up our desserts in minutes like our Nutella Twist Pastries!
How to Make Strawberry Cheese Danish
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
Prepare the Pastry
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper. Place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, icing sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix well with a fork or use a handheld mixer. Mix until evenly combined. (Ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature or else your mixture will have lumps. You can microwave the cream cheese on a microwave safe plate for 15-30 seconds to ensure it is softened).
- Add the strawberries and jam to a small bowl and stir until evenly combined.
- On a lightly floured cutting board or kitchen counter, unroll the thawed puff pastry sheets.
- Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the pastry into 9 evenly sized pieces of pastry (3 x 3 grid cut).
Note: depending on the size of puff pastry purchased you will be able to cut 9 or 6 pastries from each sheet. Cut the pastry sheet into your desired size of Danish. - Carefully use a knife, to score the pastry to create a smaller rectangle leaving about ⅓” edge. This step will help the puff pastry rise nicely on the edges. Refer to picture.
Assemble the Danish
- Gently brush this edge of each danish with the egg wash.
- Add the cheese filling to the center (approximately 1 ½ tbsp) and spread just to the edge of the smaller rectangle outline without covering the ⅓” edge.
- Top the cheese filling with the fruit mixture. Optional: add a sprinkle of granulated sugar around the edges of the pastry.
- Repeat with the second sheet of pastry.
- Transfer the pastries to the prepared baking trays. Space the pastries 2" apart as they will expand while baking.
- Place in the preheated oven and allow to bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until edges start to puff and turn golden in colour.
- Allow to cool at room temperature before icing. Combine the icing sugar and milk in a small bowl. Gradually add an additional splash of milk until the icing is a consistency that can be drizzled. Use a fork to drizzle the icing over the pastries. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Danish
- Puff Pastry - store bought frozen rolled puff pastry is the quickest way to make this recipe. All you need to do is thaw the pastry and then remove it from the package. However, if you cannot find rolled puff pastry, you can use a pack of unrolled puff pastry. Allow the pastry to thaw, cut the brick in half and then roll into 2 evenly sized square or rectangle pieces, whichever is easier based on the size of the pastry purchased.
- Flavor Variations - the best part about this recipe is that it is customizable! Instead of strawberries and strawberry jam you can use any combination of fruits and jam. For example, blueberries and blueberry jam, raspberries and raspberry jam, you can even mix the flavors by using fresh blueberry's and strawberry jam!
- Cream Cheese Layer - it is crucial that the cream cheese is softened at room temperature so that it is easy to mix together and spread on the pastries. If you use the cream cheese straight out of the fridge, there will be lumps in the cream cheese mixture.
FAQ
The pastries can be served warm out of the oven or at room temperature. To reheat, place the pastries on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes. You can also air fry them at 350°F for 2-3 minutes. If you microwave the pastries for 5-10 second, they will be nice and warm but the pastry will no longer be crispy.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to retain freshness for up to 2-3 days.
Yes! This is a perfect make ahead recipe. You can make them up to 1-2 days in advance and store them in the fridge before serving. You can reheat them quickly in the oven or air fryer before serving.
We do not recommend freezing. Unfortunately, they will not have the same texture after thawing. They’re best served fresh.
Use a gluten free homemade or store-bought puff pastry.
More Easy Treats
Enjoy!
- Sab
Strawberry Cheese Danish
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened, 1 brick, 250 grams)
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberries (fresh)
- ¼ cup strawberries jam
- 2 sheets puff pastry (thawed, homemade or store-bought)
- 1 large egg (whisked)
Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk (as needed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper. Place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- In a small bowl combine the 8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup icing sugar, 1 egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix well with a fork or use a handheld mixer. Mix until evenly combined. Note: Ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature or else your mixture will have lumps. You can microwave the cream cheese on a microwave safe plate for 15-30 seconds to ensure it is softened).
- Add the 1 cup strawberries and ¼ cup strawberries jam to a small bowl and stir until evenly combined.
- On a lightly floured cutting board or kitchen counter, unroll the thawed 2 sheets puff pastry.
- Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut each sheet into 9 evenly sized pieces of pastry (3 x 3 grid cut).Note: depending on the size of puff pastry purchased you will be able to cut 9 or 6 pastries from each sheet. Cut the pastry sheet into your desired size of Danish.
- Carefully use a knife, to score the pastry to create a smaller rectangle leaving about ⅓” edge. This step will help the puff pastry rise nicely on the edges. Refer to picture.
- Gently brush this edge of each Danish with the whisked 1 large egg.
- Add the cheese filling to the center (approximately 1 ½ tablespoon to each Danish) and spread just to the edge of the smaller rectangle outline without covering the ⅓” edge.
- Top the cheese filling with the fruit mixture. Optional: add a sprinkle of granulated sugar around the edges of the pastry.
- Repeat with the second sheet of pastry.
- Transfer the pastries to the prepared baking trays. Space the pastries 2" apart as they will expand while baking.
- Place in the preheated oven and allow to bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until edges start to puff and turn golden in colour.
- Allow to cool at room temperature before icing. Combine the 1 cup icing sugarand 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl. Gradually add an additional splash of milk until the icing is a consistency that can be drizzled. Use a fork to drizzle the icing over the pastries. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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