Cheese Danish Recipe

4.75 from 12 reviews

These beautiful Cheese Danish are made with real Danish pastry dough and a vanilla cheesecake filling. You can let the Danish pastry rise in the refrigerator overnight and bake it first thing in the morning.

Prep Time: 1

Bake Time: 2

Baking Time: 15

Total Time: 3 15

12 danish

Ingredients
US Customary - Metric

Cheese Filling

2 oz butter (room temperature)
3 oz granulated sugar (⅓ cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon table salt
4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 large egg yolk

Assembly

1 recipe Danish Dough
OR
1 recipe Sourdough Danish
1 large egg for egg wash
¼ cup apricot preserves
2-3 teaspoons milk
2 oz confectioner’s sugar (½ cup)

Instructions

Make the Cheese Filling

Cream 2 oz butter with 3 oz granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest,½ teaspoon lemon juice,⅛ teaspoon table salt⅛ teaspoon table salt until smooth. Scrape the bowl thoroughly. Add 4 oz cream cheese and mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl thoroughly. Add 1 large egg yolk mix just until combined. Refrigerate the filling until ready to assemble the Danish. The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Assembly:

Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to a 12” x 16” rectangle.
Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into twelve 4" squares. Put a generous tablespoon of filling into the middle of each square. You should use all the filling between the 12 pastries.
Fold a corner of a square over the filling with the point in the middle. Fold the corner at the opposite side over the first corner. Now fold in the other two points to meet over the first two. You should have a little Danish package. Alternately, fold each point at an angle over the filling and touching the next side of the square to form more of a pinwheel shape (see photos). Place the Danish on the prepared baking sheets.
Cover the pans with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight. The rise time will vary based on the temperature of the dough and whether you use yeasted Danish dough or sourdough Danish. The dough should look lighter and a little puffy but won’t double in size. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 °F.
Brush each Danish with egg wash. Bake in the middle rack of the oven until the dough is golden brown, about 15 minutes. As soon as the Danish comes out of the oven, brush with the apricot preserves. Cool for 10 minutes.
Stir the milk into the confectioner’s sugar. The glaze should have the texture of pancake batter. Add more sugar if it’s too loose or more milk if it’s too thick. Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the glaze over the Danish.
Serve at room temperature.