Cream Cheese Strawberry Danish with Puff Pastry

Hosting a brunch party soon? Make sure a batch (or two) of these cream cheese strawberry danish pastries is on the menu! With puff pastry, vanilla, and lemony glaze, they’re flaky, jammy, and beyond delicious. Serve them with a hot cup of coffee and find brunch bliss.

My fantasy of late is that it’s peak summertime and I’m picking juicy strawberry after juicy strawberry from my garden to turn into a stunning brown butter strawberry crumble pie, a strawberry crunch cheesecake, or perhaps a flaky pastry. Of course, this dream will completely depend on whether or not I actually get it together for a garden this year. Only time will tell.

But for the time being, I’m perfectly content using some store-bought strawbs to make what is perhaps my favorite pastry of all time. The humble cheese danish.

If you’re not familiar with danishes, we need to chat for a minute. These Scandinavian pastries (a.k.a. wienerbrød) are made with laminated yeast dough and a variety of fillings from cheeses to fruit. The edges of the dough rise up, leaving us with a jammy, creamy center and flaky, golden edges. A total dream.

Why you’ll love these pastries

When I was in pastry school, we made dozens upon dozens of batches of puff pastry. So many batches, in fact, that I came to the conclusion that I never wanted to make it ever again. I will leave that task to my favorite bakery down the street thank you very much. But, the beauty with this particular recipe is that we’re using a little shortcut with store-bought, frozen pastry. No lamination needed. We love to see it.

• These pastries are beyond easy to make from scratch with just a handful of ingredients.
• With lemon, vanilla, & strawberries, these pastries are bright, creamy, & jammy.
• Serve these pastries with coffee or tea. They’re lovely for snacking or brunching!
• Make these danishes for brunch parties, holidays, bridal showers, & more.

The ingredient list

• Cream cheese – for this recipe, you will need full fat cream cheese. The fat adds richness and makes the texture nice and creamy. Low fat cream cheese cracks when it’s baked.
• Sugar – just a bit of regular granulated sugar will add sweetness to the cream cheese filling.
• Eggs – you will need to separate one egg for this recipe. The egg yolk will be added to the filling which binds everything together and helps the filling set. The egg white is used for egg wash to make the pastry shiny and golden-brown.
• Lemon – the lemon zest will add a pop of citrus to the cream cheese which is so lovely with the strawberries. And, the juice will add a bit of tartness to the filling and glaze.
• Vanilla – I love vanilla bean paste because it adds a big pop of vanilla bean flavor. But you can also use regular vanilla extract too!
• Puff pastry – as a shortcut, we’ll use store-bought, frozen puff pastry. It’s still nice and flaky without spending hours making homemade pastry.
• Strawberries – fresh strawberries are a must in this recipe! Frozen strawberries have too much liquid and will make the pastries soggy.
• Apricot preserves – this is optional, but a bit of apricot preserves makes the berries look gorgeous and shiny. You can also use strawberry preserves.
• Powdered sugar – regular powdered sugar makes up the base of the simple two-ingredient glaze.

Ingredient variations

• Citrus – feel free to use orange zest, grapefruit zest, or lime zest instead.
• Berries – you can also use blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
• Sugared edges – if you don’t want to use glaze, try sprinkling the edges of the pastry with raw sugar instead.

How to make this recipe

Cut the puff pastry

1. First, roll the puff pastry on a floured surface, just to seal the seams.
2. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice the pastry into 6 equally-sized rectangles.
3. Then, use a paring knife to score a 1/4-inch border around the rectangles. Don’t cut all the way through! Place the puff pastry rectangles in the refrigerator.

Mix the cream cheese filling

1. Add the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste to a medium mixing bowl.
2. Using a rubber spatula (or hand mixer), combine the cream cheese filling until it’s very smooth. There should be no big lumps of cream cheese.

Assemble the danishes

1. Whisk the egg white with 1/2 Tablespoon of water, until smooth.
2. Then, use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash on the edges of the puff pastry rectangles.
3. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the cheese filling to the center of each pastry rectangle. Spread it out, leaving a 1/4-inch border.

4. Divide the strawberries between the pastry rectangles, leaving some of the cream cheese filling peeking through.
5. Bake the pastries until the cream cheese is set and the pastry is deep golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, microwave the apricot preserves until it’s runny. Right when the pastries come out of the oven, brush the berries with the melted apricot preserves.
7. Transfer the danishes to a wire rack and let them cool until they’re warm.

Add lemon glaze

1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice.
2. Then, use a spoon to stir it together until the glaze is the consistency of glue.
3. Lastly, drizzle the cooled danishes with the glaze. Let the glaze set and enjoy!

Serving ideas

The beauty of danishes is that you can enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, or just as a sweet treat. They’re lovely with a cup of coffee or earl grey tea.

• Eat these pastries with savory breakfasts like pesto veggie breakfast casserole or bacon hash skillet with runny eggs.
• Serve them with other pastries like orange poppy seed muffins, brown butter banana coffee cake, or ricotta lemon poppy seed muffins.
• Enjoy these danishes with hot coffee, tea, or iced coffee made with cold brew coffee concentrate!
• Make them for brunch parties, bridal or baby showers, picnics, or holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day. They’re lovely for any occasion!

Helpful tools

• Rolling pin
• Cutting board
• Pizza cutter or paring knife
• Kitchen scale
• Rubber spatula or hand mixer
• Sheet pans
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush

Storing, freezing, & reheating

To store the leftover pastries, place them in a single layer in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To freeze the baked danishes, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze until solid, about 1-2 hours. Then, stack the frozen danishes in an airtight container or freezer bag, adding a sheet of parchment paper in-between each layer so they don’t freeze together. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the danishes at room temperature for 1 hour or so before reheating.

The danishes may get a bit soft in the fridge, so I recommend reheating the leftovers to crisp them back up! To reheat the danishes, place them on an ungreased sheet pan. Then, bake the pastries at 300°F (150°F) in the lower 1/3 of the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the pastry is crisp on the bottom.

Make-ahead danishes

These strawberry cream cheese danishes are usually best eaten right away when the pastry is crisp and the berries are glossy. But, if you don’t want to wake up early to make them, you can always prep the ingredients in advance and assemble the next day. Here’s how!

1. Start by rolling, cutting, & scoring the puff pastry rectangles. Place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Next, mix the filling until it’s smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
3. The next morning, slice the strawberries. Then, assemble the pastries with the chilled puff pastry, prepared filling, and strawberries.
4. Bake the pastries according to the recipe directions. Drizzle with glaze and enjoy!

Tips & tricks

• For smaller, bite-sized strawberry danishes, feel free to cut the puff pastry into smaller rectangles or squares. Just reduce the amount of filling to about 1/2 Tablespoon so it doesn’t overflow.
• Frozen puff pastry needs to thaw before you roll it out. I usually pop it in the fridge overnight or let it warm up for 30-60 minutes on the counter. Just don’t let it warm up too much or the pastry will come out dense instead of flaky.
• For equal-sized pastries, use a ruler to measure the puff pastry into 6 rectangles. I also like to use the ruler as a guide for cutting straight lines!
• Use room temperature cream cheese. Not only is room temp cream cheese so much easier to mix, but it also keeps lumps from forming!
• If your strawberries are particularly juicy, pat them dry before placing them on top of the pastry. You don’t want them to leak too many juices or they will make the puff pastry soggy.

More strawberry treats

Simple Strawberry and Apple Crumble
Ricotta Strawberry Lemon Cake
The Best Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Strawberry Balsamic Hand Pies with Honey Glaze

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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xo Sara Lynn

Song of the day – Kokomo, IN by Japanese Breakfast