Using prepared puff pastry dough, these Blueberry, Cream Cheese, and Almond Danish are super easy to prepare and a delicious breakfast treat.
Pastries are not something I typically make; they are more likely a spur of the moment decision when walking past a bakery case and spying a favorite so buying them is more my thing. In my case that would be a cheese danish; always. So why this Blueberry, Cream Cheese, and Almond Danish?
Well I often consider other choices but given the options it’s the one that I want. I sort of covet cherry or blueberry or almond but cheese always wins.
So the day I decided to try making some on my own I thought it would be fun to combine all those flavors and these Blueberry, Cream Cheese, and Almond Danish were the end result. Easy to boot!
I happened to have had this idea on a Saturday afternoon with friends coming for coffee the next morning so a yeast dough and it’s lengthier time requirement was out and this one using a refrigerated puff pastry dough was perfect.
I can not take credit for creating this idea; no, that goes to my bestie Ina Garten (so what if she doesn’t know?). I used her Cheese Danish recipe as a starting point and simply added some ingredients for my version and the rest is history.
How were they? Seriously everything I could have hoped for. The sweet ricotta cheese filling with just enough blueberries and almonds to complement it was over the top delicious. Ina also did not include an almond glaze and I need to have a word with her; it was perfect.
The real beauty of these babies is the Puff pasty; makes the work easy and the light crispy pastry is just perfect with the rich, fruity, crunching filling. Oh my word good!
You can fold the dough in any number of ways but this is what I did and I loved the unique look. Still if you want to go quick and dirty, just fold two opposite ends and have them meet in the center, overlapping just a bit. Slightly wet the edges where they overlap and pinch together. Easy peasy!
The only problem with making my own batch of eight of these Blueberry, Cheese and Almond Danish? I bet I couldn’t eat just one and I was right…HELP!
PIN IT! ‘Blueberry, Cream Cheese, and Almond Danish’
Easy Blueberry, Cheese, and Almond Danish
Making yhour own pastry is easy with packagd puff pastry; simply add the flavors of your choice and bake...delicious AND easy!
Ingredients
- 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
For the Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
For the Drizzle:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 Tbsp milk or half and half (Add more if necessary for desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. See notes on how to cut each square and fold it; place pastries on the parchment paper.
- Repeat with the second sheet of pastry dough.
- Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and mix until just combined. Don't whip!
- Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 8 squares. Top with a Tbsp of berries and a tsp of almonds.
- Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash.and refrigerate the pan of filled pastries for 15 minutes.
- Put the pastries in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown.
For the Frosting:
- Whisk together the half and half, powdered sugar and almond extract Drizzle over the warm, baked pastries. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm
Notes
See the photograph for how I put the filling in the dough. Simply fold over one section and seal to the other side then fold the other section over and repeat. That will create the outside edge of the pastry and the filling goes in the middle.
Want to make it easier? Just overlap two edges of the pastry over the filling; sealing the dough with the egg wash. Tastes just as good!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 316Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 228mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 7g
The nutritional information is computer-generated and only an estimate.
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