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If you’re a fan of Danish pastries you’re not going to want to miss out on this delicious cream cheese berry Danish recipe. Puff pastry dough encloses a citrusy sweet cream cheese mixture topped with mixed berries, and each Danish has a sweet creamy frosting on top. These make a wonderful breakfast or brunch item, and they are also good for dessert or if your sweet tooth is craving something tasty!
Nobody can resist a homemade Danish, not when they taste this dreamy! These are every bit as delicious as the Danish pastries from a bakery.
Carrot cake oatmeal, homemade granola, baklava crinkle, cheese Danishes and mermaid blue smoothie bowls are also sweet and tasty.
Why You’ll Love It
Super-tasty: Everyone loves this fruity, creamy Danish recipe with the delicious cream cheese filling and juicy berries.
Not hard to make: There are quite a few steps to follow to make these but that doesn’t make them difficult, as long as you’re organized in the kitchen.
A great breakfast pastry: If you prefer sweet food for breakfast, you’re going to find these pastries ideal. They keep for a few days too so you can enjoy one each morning.
Cream Cheese Danish Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below
Puff pastry: Frozen puff pastry dough is ideal for these cream cheese berry danishes, although you can use chilled pastry or even whip up your own.
Cream cheese: For the best flavor, use full-fat cream cheese as it’s the tastiest.
Sugar: You need white sugar, brown sugar and also powdered sugar to make these.
Orange: The cream cheese mixture, fruit filling mixture and also the frosting all have orange juice. Use fresh, for the best results.
Berries: Strawberries and blueberries work nicely in these puff pastry Danishes, but you can use any kind of berries you want.
How to Make a Cream Cheese Danish Recipe
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Thaw the puff pastry: Leave your frozen puff pastry dough on the countertop for half an hour to thaw.
Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the cream cheese mixture: Combine the room temperature cream cheese with the brown sugar, white granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of orange juice with a fork until smooth.
Make the fruit filling: Mix the berries with some jam, orange juice and zest, and cornstarch.
Prepare the puff pastry dough: Unfold the dough and lay it on a floured surface. Roll it out with a rolling pin to make 3 pieces of dough that are 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide. Slice using a pizza cutter and then score a border with a knife.
Make and apply the egg wash: Whisk the egg with some milk or water and use a pastry brush to brush it over the border of the dough pieces.
Assemble the cream cheese berry Danish pastries: Add some of the softened cream cheese mixture to each piece of dough, spreading it across, and then add the fruit filling and spread it out leaving some of the cream cheese visible.
Bake them: Space the Danishes apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown at the edges and puffy.
Make the frosting: Combine the powdered sugar, butter, juice, and salt, and put the mixture into a frosting bag or Ziploc bag.
Frost the Danishes: Let them cool for 5 minutes and then frost in a back-and-forth motion to drizzle the frosting over them.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free dough.
Different berries: You can use one type of berry or several, as you prefer.
Another juice: You can swap the orange juice for lemon juice or lime juice if you want.
Serving Suggestions
Other brunch dishes: If you’re serving up a selection of dishes for brunch, you might like to make sheet pan eggs benedict or some savory breakfast muffins. This loaded bagel bake casserole is also delicious if you want some savory options.
More sweet treats: Other sweet dishes you might want to make include pancake nachos or pink pancakes.
How to Store Berry Danishes
Store: Although these are best served as soon as they’re fresh out of the oven, they will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container.
Freeze: You can freeze these but only for about 2 weeks because after that they’ll start to degrade in quality.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Give them 15 seconds or so in the microwave to warm them up.
Top Tips
Plan ahead: You can make the cream cheese filling, fruit filling and the frosting the day before, as long as you keep them separate from each other in airtight containers.
Thicken the frosting: If the frosting is too runny, you can add more powdered sugar, a bit at a time, until the texture is right.
Enjoy them fresh: Although these keep for a couple of days, they’re best when served fresh from the oven.
Cream Cheese Berry Danish FAQs
1 or 2 oranges will be sufficient to make the cream cheese berry Danish recipe.
Although a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the edge snipped off are good for frosting the Danishes but you can also just spoon the frosting over the pastries.
These take between 15 and 18 minutes to bake. They’re done when the edges are golden brown and the Danishes are puffed up.
Cream Cheese Danish with Berries Recipe
Cream Cheese Berry Danish
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 Sheet puff pastry, thawed
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 Ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice, fresh
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon granulated sugar
For the Fruit Filling:
- ½ Cup strawberries, fresh, diced
- ½ Cup blueberries, fresh
- 2 Tablespoons strawberry jam
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice, fresh
- 1 Teaspoon orange zest, about half of a large orange
- 1 Teaspoon cornstarch
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk, or water
For the Frosting:
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter, melted
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice, fresh
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Thaw pastry puff on countertop for 30 minutes. While the pastry puff is thawing, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. Mix all ingredients with a fork until smooth and then set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the diced strawberries, blueberries, strawberry jam, 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch, and then set aside.
- Unfold thawed puff pastry and lay flat onto a floured surface. This will help the puff pastry from sticking.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the 3 sections of the dough a few times until each section is about 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide. Don’t roll it too thin or the puff pastry will come out flat.
- Use a pizza cutter, slice down each of the 3 folded lines on the dough and then one line across the 3 lines of dough in the middle to make 6 rectangle shaped Danishes. Cut the edges with the pizza cutter if needed to make the edges straight.
- Using a knife, score a ¼-inch border around the dough to contain the filling.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk or water for the egg wash and lightly apply it to the border of the dough using a pastry brush.
- Start assembling the Danish by applying 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the middle of the dough. Spread within the border using the back of a spoon.
- Using the same spoon, scoop the prepared fruit filling into the center of the cream cheese and spread lightly while leaving the cream cheese visible.
- Transfer the assembled Danishes onto the baking sheet and space them apart. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until evenly puffed and the edges are golden brown.
- While the Danishes are baking mix together the powdered sugar, butter, orange juice, and salt. Place this frosting into a frosting bag or Ziploc bag.
- Let the pastries cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then frost them with the frosting bag or Ziploc bag with tip cut off at the corner, applying it in a back-and-forth motion. You can also use a spoon to drizzle it on as well.
Notes
Thicken the frosting: If the frosting is too runny, you can add more powdered sugar, a bit at a time, until the texture is right.
Enjoy them fresh: Although these keep for a couple of days, they’re best when served fresh from the oven.
Nutrition
These delicious cream cheese berry Danishes are easy to whip up and they taste so good. They make a sensational sweet breakfast or brunch dish and everyone is going to be impressed. Served warm from the oven, these are every bit as good as the Danish pastries you’d find at a bakery. Pair them with your morning coffee and other breakfast favorites.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Absolutely delicious! A perfect treat for any occasion!
It tastes so luxurious. I can’t believe that I made this. Thanks for the recipe!
Danish is my favorite pastry, next to croissants. The berries work perfectly with this one.