I’m a huge fan of cream cheese danishes, especially when done right. I’m not talking about the ones that have been sitting forever in the Starbuck’s pastry case but fresh ones you’d find at a local bakery. These strawberry danishes remind me of the latter, and they’re simple enough that you can make them right at home in just a few minutes. Plus, they’re a great way to use fresh strawberries, I mean it is strawberry season or at least close to! Serve these up at your next event and you’ll definitely have people asking you for an invite to the next one!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Puff pastry base – no need to make your own homemade pastry dough (although that would probably be amazing), these start with store-bought puff pastry, which makes them super simple to make! Creamy filling – the cream cheese filling combines perfectly with the sweetness of the strawberries for a delicious bite. Quick recipe – there’s no freezing or chilling involved. Just make sure your puff pastry is thawed and ready to go, and you can have them in and out of the oven ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Strawberries – make sure these are fresh strawberries, not frozen. Also, you can either chop them or slice them, I prefer them sliced but either works. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups chopped or sliced, that 1 1/2 cups if once they’ve been chopped, not before. Cornstarch – the cornstarch helps pull the juices out of the berries and helps keeps them intact during cooking. If you don’t have it, you can skip it but your strawberries may not be as good. Puff pastry – the puff pastry needs to stay cold for it to puff up properly when baked. Keep one sheet in the fridge while working with the other (same goes for while you’re baking your first set of danishes). Egg yolk – make sure it’s as room temperature for the best results when mixing with the other ingredients Powdered sugar – you can either top with powdered sugar (my preference) or with a little bit of icing. A drizzle of the icing I used in these strawberry scones would work great on these.
Instructions
First things first, make sure your puff pastry is completely thawed – still cold, but thawed. If it’s still so frozen that it completely breaks when you unwrap it, it’s too cold and won’t work. Let it thaw longer until you can unfold it. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper. I say two because you need to space the danishes out enough on the baking sheets that they have room to puff up. If you cram all of them onto one baking sheet, they’re not going to puff like they’re supposed to. Also, you need to keep one set of the unbaked danishes in the fridge while the other one bakes (unless you have two ovens) so yeah, two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Then the next thing you’re going to do is combine your sliced strawberries with cornstarch and sugar in a bowl. Doing this first allows them to soak together while you’re getting the other parts of the recipe ready! While the strawberries are marinating in sugar, make your cream cheese mixture. Cream the cream cheese and sugar until smooth in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt and beat until completely combined. This will make your yummy cheese filling. Okay, now it’s time to get those puff pastry sheets out of the fridge to make your pastry. I like to do the other things first so you can keep the pastry as cold as possible. Working with one pastry sheet at a time (keep the other in the fridge), roll it out gently to get rid of any creases and make one big rectangle. Do this gently without pressing too hard. Once it’s rolled out, cut the rectangle into four equal size squares with either a pizza or pastry cutter. Fold the corners over of each of the squares (about an inch) to create an octagon out of each of your puff pastry squares. Once the octagons are complete, place them on one of your prepared baking sheets. Top each with a medium scoop (I like to use a medium cookie scoop) full of the cream cheese mixture. Once each has a scoop of the cheese, use a spatula or the back of a spoon to flatten it out slightly. Beat together the egg with some water to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash all over the pastry AROUND the cream cheese mixture (you don’t want to brush underneath the cream cheese or it’ll mess up the baking). Lastly, top each of the cream cheese mixtures with sliced strawberries, making sure to keep the strawberries mainly on top of the cream cheese, not on the danish itself. Bake in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes. While you’re baking the first sheet of strawberry danishes, repeat with the other puff pastry and remaining cream cheese mixture and strawberries. Bake the second sheet once the first sheet comes out of the oven. Once the danishes come out of the oven, dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with icing. If drizzling with icing, let them cool slightly before drizzling so it doesn’t just melt off. These make a perfect addition to any spring or summer brunch, a Mother’s Day celebration, a baby shower, bridal shower – really you name it! My entire family enjoyed them, including my 2-year-old who wouldn’t let me have any more once he took his first bite!
Expert Tips
Keep the puff pastry as cold as possible throughout the process. Since you’ll be working with two sheets, keep one in the fridge while you’re working with the first, etc. Thaw the puff pastry overnight (comes frozen) for the best baking results. When you wake up, it should be nice and chilled, but no longer frozen, and perfect for strawberry danishes! Reheat leftovers either in the microwave for 15 seconds or put them in a cold oven, preheat to 350, and let them warm up naturally with the oven (my personal favorite way, but it takes longer than 15 seconds). Try topping with various things – powdered sugar, vanilla glaze, chocolate sauce – really anything would be yummy on these! Bake the danishes one sheet at a time. If you try to bake two sheets in one oven at a time, you’ll end up with one set overcooked and one set undercooked.
More Easy Treats
Chocolate lava cakes – the best ever homemade chocolate lava cakes recipe, even better when served with vanilla ice cream! Sugar cookie bites – like sugar cookies but better! These adorable bite-size treats are both yummy and cute. Peanut butter Oreo cheesecake – bite-sized cheesecakes that combine two classic flavors in one small bite! Easy sopapilla cheesecake – cheesecake meets churros in this super simple dessert the entire family will love! Sweet honey cornbread – a sweet cake like cornbread recipe that’s perfect with this Cincinnati chili or just more honey.
