Description
Whipping up this easy cherry danish pastry feels like a sweet morning hug from Denmark’s baking traditions. Flaky, buttery layers cradle juicy cherries that dance with creamy filling, making your breakfast table sparkle with homemade charm.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 17.3 oz puff pastry
- 21 oz canned cherry pie filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Finishing Ingredients:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry at room temperature until soft and pliable for easy handling.
- Mix 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until perfectly smooth using an electric mixer.
- Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust your workspace with flour.
- Unfold pastry sheet and gently roll into a 9×11 inch rectangle, creating an even surface.
- Slice pastry into 6 triangular sections, using natural fold lines as a guide. Repeat with second sheet for 12 total triangles.
- Delicately trace a ¼-inch border around each triangle’s edge without cutting completely through the dough.
- Pierce several small holes in triangle centers using a fork to encourage beautiful rising during baking.
- Spread approximately 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture across the center of each triangle.
- Top cream cheese with 2 tablespoons cherry pie filling, keeping within the scored border.
- Chill assembled pastries in refrigerator for 15 minutes to enhance puffiness and structure.
- Warm oven to 400F and prepare egg wash by whisking 1 egg with 2 teaspoons water.
- Brush egg wash gently along pastry edges for golden, glossy finish.
- Bake pastries at 400F for approximately 15-18 minutes until edges turn golden brown and puffy.
- Allow pastries to cool 5-10 minutes after removing from oven.
- Dust with ½ cup powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
- Chill the pastries before baking to ensure a flakier, more dramatic rise in the oven.
- Use room temperature cream cheese for a smoother, lump-free filling that spreads easily.
- Scoring the pastry border helps create a beautiful, puffy edge that separates from the center.
- For a gluten-free version, swap traditional puff pastry for a gluten-free alternative, keeping all other ingredients the same.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Category: Pastries
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Danish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 289 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 131 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 38 mg