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Close up of deep golden-brown flaky puff pastry layers on a Mini Cheese Danish. (Mini Cheese Danish)

Mini Cheese Danish: Easy Bakery-Style Puff Pastry Recipe

A bakery-style Mini Cheese Danish featuring crisp, flaky layers of golden-brown puff pastry and a thick, matte ivory sweetened cream cheese center. Perfect for brunch, these danishes are easy to make and finished with powdered sugar.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings: 9 danishes
Course: Breakfast, Desserts
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 245
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Danish Ingredients
  • 1 sheet Puff Pastry approx 245g, thawed but cold
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese 225g, softened, block style
  • 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar 50g
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 5ml
  • 1 large Egg Yolk For the filling
  • 1 large Egg For egg wash
  • 1 tbsp Water 15ml, for egg wash
  • 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar 15g, for dusting

Equipment

  • 1 Baking Sheet Lined with parchment paper
  • 1 Pastry Brush
  • 1 Fine-mesh Sieve For dusting sugar

Method
 

Prepare the Components
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until smooth and matte ivory in color.
Assemble and Bake
  1. Unroll the puff pastry and cut into 9 squares. Score a smaller square 1/2 inch from the edge of each piece.
  2. Place a generous, thick dollop of the cream cheese filling in the center of each square.
  3. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg and water mixture to ensure a deep golden-brown finish.
  4. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the layers are visibly flaky and the pastry is golden.
  5. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then apply a fine dusting of powdered sugar.

Notes

Keep puff pastry cold until the very last second.
Always use block cream cheese for a thicker filling texture.