Easy Cherry Cheese Danish

Easy Cherry Cheese Danish recipe is the perfect combination of cherries, cream cheese, preserves, and lemon juice. With a few staple ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, you too can whip up these cherry cheese pastries in minutes and bake until golden, flaky, and crispy! 

 

Cherry Cheese Danish

Our Cherry Cheese Danish is made with one box of frozen puff pastry sheets, cream cheese, lemon juice, sugar along with fresh cherries, and cherry preserves. These delectable pastries are crispy and flaky on the outside, with soft cheese and cherry flavor inside.  YUM!

Perfect to make any day of the week, or for a Sunday brunch for family and friends. 

A few baked Danish pastries served on a white plate.

How to Make Easy Cherry Cheese Danish?

You will need the following ingredients for our Easy Cherry Cheese Danish recipe (including some affiliate links). Also, full ingredients are located in the printable recipe card on the bottom. Plus, all our recipes include US customary measurements for convenience, and we recommend to Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!

Ingredients You Will Need:

These are the ingredients you will need for Easy Cherry Cheese Danish:

  • 1 box of frozen puff pastry sheets
  • 3/4 cup of fresh cherries (about 8 to 10 cherries)
  • 6-ounces of cream cheese (1/2 of a 12-ounce container)
  • 1/2 of a lemon – juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 egg – beaten (for egg wash)
  • a small jar of any cherry preserves
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, for icing

Photo of the ingredients. by 2sistersrecipes.com

Directions to Make These Cherry Cheese Danishes:

1.  First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204.4C).  Take a sheet of parchment paper and place it over a large baking sheet.   Then open the puff pastry package and allow it to thaw on your counter, about 10 to 15 minutes.

2.  Unfold one pastry sheet, remove parchment paper and place it onto the prepared baking sheet.   

3.  Next, with a paring knife, slice the puff pastry sheet along its 3 seams, into three horizontal pieces.  Then slice each one, vertically down the center, giving you 6 pieces in total.

Puff pastry sheet unfolded and cut into thirds.

Prepare the filling:

a.  To mince the cherries, slice each cherry to remove the pit.  Toss each cherry into a small food chopper or processor.  Pulse a few times until the cherries are finely minced.  Set aside.

Minced fresh cherries in a mini food chopper.

b.  When the cut sheets are fully defrosted, pick up each of the 4 corners, fold each corner over, and press down to seal the seam. 

puff pastry sheets shown with folded corners.

c.  In a small bowl, use a fork or a whisk to whisk cream cheese, lemon juice, and sugar until well combined. 

d.  Place about one tablespoon of cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry sheet.  

Cheese Cheese mixture spooned onto each pastry.

e.  Then spoon about 1 teaspoon of the freshly chopped cherries over the cream cheese mixture.

f.   Now, egg wash each corner, using a small kitchen brush,  dip into the beaten egg, and brush each corner (all four corners) of each pastry sheet. 

Egg washing the corners of each pastry.

Now they are ready to go into the oven…

1.  BAKE in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they turn golden.

2.  Remove from the oven.   

3.  Use a teaspoon to spoon (about 1/2 teaspoon) the cherry preserves (or jam) in the center of each pastry while they are still warm. 

4.  Then transfer to a wire rack to allow for additional cooling. 

Adding a teaspoon of cherry preserves onto each pastry.

 

Make the Glaze:

  • Mix and stir the powdered sugar and water in a small bowl.   Use a teaspoon to drizzle diagonally over each Danish and serve.
  • When these pastries are fully cooled, use a small spoon to drizzle with icing on top.  Store at room temperature, or in the refrigerator. 

Notes and Tips…

Don’t have fresh cherries?  No worries! 

  • Bake these pastries with the cheese filling only, then spoon cherry preserves (or jam) on top – after they have been baked.  Otherwise, the preserves (or jam) will melt and run off each pastry while baking. 
  • Best when served the day you make these pastries.
  • Serve them warm or at room temperature, while they are crispy and flaky.

Storing and Freezing…

  • Store at room temperature to keep them fresh in a pastry or cake platter with a cover.
  • To Reheat:  you can pop them into a toaster oven or conventional oven at 275 degrees F, for a few minutes to get them crispy again. 
  • You can also freeze them for up to 2 weeks.  Then thaw them for a few minutes, pop them into a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Or thaw on the counter for 10 minutes, then microwave for 10 to 12 seconds. 
drizzling icing over each pastry.

Your family and friends will love the flakiness of these pastries.

They are so good.  Be careful, you’ll be tempted to eat a second one. 😉

This recipe will yield 6 to 12 cherry cheese Danish pastries.  Each pastry puff sheet will yield 6 pastries.

Therefore, if you want to make “only 6” Danish pastries, use one pastry puff sheet, and reserve the other for another day. 

ENJOY!!

 Cherry filled pastries cooling on a wire rack.

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Yield: 6 to 12 servings

Easy Cherry Cheese Danish

A few baked Danish pastries served on a white plate.

Easy Cherry Cheese Danish recipe is the perfect combination of cherries, cream cheese, preserves, lemon juice, and sugar. Bake until golden and crispy. Perfect for a delicious Sunday breakfast or any day of the week!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 box of frozen puff pastry sheets
  • 3/4 cup of fresh cherries (about 8 to 10 cherries)
  • 6-ounces of cream cheese ( 1/2 of a 12-ounce container)
  • 1/2 of a lemon - juiced
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 egg - beaten (for egg wash)
  • a jar of cherry preserves

For the Icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (204.4 C). Take a sheet of parchment paper and place it over one large baking sheet. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, lightly beat one egg and set it aside. This will be used to egg wash the pastries.
  3. Open the frozen package of puff sheets and allow the package of sheets (one or both) to thaw on your counter, for about 10 to 15 minutes. NOTE: if you plan to make only 6 Danish pastries, then reserve the second frozen pastry puff sheet in the freezer for another day.
  4. Unfold one pastry sheet, remove packaging paper and place it onto the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Next, with a paring knife, slice the pastry sheet, along its 3 seams, into three horizontal pieces. Then slice each one, down the center (in half) giving you 6 pieces total for each pastry puff sheet.

Meanwhile, PREPARE THE FILLING:

  1. To mince the cherries, slice each cherry to remove the pit. Toss each cherry into a small food chopper or processor. Pulse a few times until the cherries are finely minced. Set it aside.
  2. In a small bowl, use a fork or a whisk to whisk cream cheese, lemon juice, and sugar until well combined.
  3. Place about one tablespoon of cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry square. Then spoon about 1 teaspoon of the freshly chopped cherries over the cream cheese mixture.
  4. When the pastry sheet is fully defrosted, fold each corner over (about 1-inch) and press down to seal the seam. Fold over all 4 corners of each pastry.
  5. Now, eggwash each corner. Using a small kitchen brush, dip into the beaten egg and brush each corner (all four corners) of each pastry puff with the egg wash.
  6. BAKE in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they turn golden.
  7. Remove from the oven, and while they cool, use a teaspoon to spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry preserves (or jam) in the center of each danish while they are still warm. Then transfer to a wire rack to allow for additional cooling.
  8. REPEAT the same with the second pastry puff sheet (if you plan to make all 12 danish pastries).

For the ICING:

  1. Mix in a small bowl the powdered sugar and water. Use a teaspoon to drizzle diagonally over each danish and serve.
  2. When the pastries are fully cooled, use a small spoon to drizzle with icing on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  3. Store any remaining cherry cheese danish in a sealed container, or in the refrigerator.

To Reheat Cherry Cheese Danish Pastries:

  1. It's best to reheat these pastries in a preheated oven at 275 degrees F for about 10 minutes. This will bring back the crispiness in the pastries and taste freshly made.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12 servings (12 Danish Pastries)

Serving Size:

1 Danish

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 10.3gSaturated Fat: 8.2gCarbohydrates: 29.9gFiber: 1.4gSugar: 16.2gProtein: 3.8g

Did you make this recipe?

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