Apple Cheese Danishes (Printable Version)
Flaky puff pastries with sweet cream cheese and cinnamon-spiced apple filling, ready in 45 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Pastry
01 - 1 sheet puff pastry (about 9 oz), thawed
02 - 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
→ Cheese Filling
03 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Apple Filling
06 - 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced
07 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
08 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
10 - ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
→ Icing (Optional)
11 - ½ cup powdered sugar
12 - 1–2 tablespoons milk
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a small pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3–4 minutes until apples are tender and coated in a syrupy glaze. Remove from heat and let cool.
03 - In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and creamy.
04 - Roll out the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 equal squares.
05 - Arrange squares on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score a border approximately ⅜ inch from the edge of each square, being careful not to cut all the way through the dough.
06 - Spread 1 tablespoon of cheese filling in the center of each square. Top with a spoonful of the cooled apple mixture.
07 - Brush the exposed pastry edges generously with beaten egg to promote golden browning.
08 - Bake for 18–20 minutes until pastries are puffed and deep golden brown.
09 - Cool danishes on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Whisk powdered sugar with milk until a drizzle-consistency icing forms. Drizzle over warm danishes if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They look like they came from a bakery but require zero pastry skills to pull off.
- The combo of tangy cream cheese and spiced apple filling is the kind of thing that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
02 -
- Do not skip the scoring step or the pastry will not puff evenly and the filling will spill everywhere.
- Let the apple mixture cool completely before adding it to the cheese filling or the heat will melt the cheese into a runny mess.
03 -
- Work with puff pastry while it is still slightly cool to the touch because warm pastry layers stick together and lose all that beautiful flakiness.
- Dust your knife with a tiny bit of flour between cuts to keep the pastry edges clean and allow maximum puff in the oven.