These cherry cream cheese danishes are so freaking EASY to make using frozen puff pastry, vegan cream cheese, and homemade cherry chia jam. Sometimes you just need a foolproof recipe that’s simple, delicious, and gorgeous! They come together in under an hour and will be devoured in even less time. Trust me these danishes are buttery, flakey, and packed with jammy fruit flavor that’s completely irresistible!
Is puff pastry dough vegan?
Believe it or not, a decent amount of store-bought pastry dough is actually vegan! Just make sure to check the ingredients but, I was shocked to find an option in almost every market. While I’m not the biggest fan of store products this is one corner I’m willing to cut. Making pastry dough from scratch is time-consuming and ain’t nobody got time for that! It’s just as good as homemade, maybe even better because I’m not a pastry chef, and saves you oodles of time.
It’s also a great ingredient to keep on hand. Since it’s frozen, it stays fresh for months so you can whip up a batch of these tasty cherry cream cheese danishes whenever!
Puff pastry cherry cream cheese danishes
First things first, remove pastry dough from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. The key is to work with the dough when it is soft enough to fold and roll, but not too soft. What makes puff pastry delicious is the layers of chilled butter or fat between each layer of dough. That’s why it’s important to keep the dough cold enough to avoid any melting. These danishes are stuffed with not one, but too mouthwatering fillings.
Easy vegan cream cheese danish filling
The temperature of your ingredients is important in ALL baking! For this recipe, it’s important to use room temperature ingredients for the best results. Make sure the vegan cream cheese is at room temperature so it blends easily, creating a smooth texture. Cream cheese that is too cold will be chunky and hard to blend. Honestly, if the cream cheese is soft enough you’ll be able to blend by hand, no mixer required!
This is the first layer in the danish and made from only 5 ingredients. Vegan cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon juice are blended into a creamy, smooth, and slightly tangy cream cheese filling.
Cherry chia jam filling
Drop a layer of sweet but tart jam filling on top of the cream cheese. Using a combination of cherry jam and fresh or frozen cherries for a fruit-forward flavor that pairs seamlessly with the tangy cream cheese and flaky pastry crust. Follow this simple Vegan Chia Jam recipe using cherries or use your favorite jam instead. The best part is, this homemade jam is made with only three ingredients and is healthy! Simmer natural coconut sugar, chia seeds, and frozen cherries together and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
For the filling to stay thick, I added a little bit of tapioca starch to the jam. If you don’t have any you could substitute cornstarch. This helps hold the jam together and prevent it from getting runny inside the pastry.
How to make cherry cream cheese danishes
Once the fillings are prepped, now’s the fun part! To start, preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
Next, take the thawed puff pastry dough and roll it a few times in each direction.
Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into six even rectangles and transfer them to a baking sheet.
Evenly space them out and use a knife a make an intent 1/4 ” from the edge on each rectangle. Make sure to NOT cut completely through the dough.
Brush the edges of dough with aquafaba (chickpea water) as the vegan “egg wash”. Then add a tablespoon of the vegan cream cheese filling to the center of each. Spread it evenly within the indented area.
After this, add a dollop of fruity jam into the center of the cream cheese. Careful not to overfill the pastry otherwise it will spill out and prevent the dough from rising. Less is more here because you can always add a little extra jam after it bakes. Add a few fresh cherries or whole frozen cherries on top of each.
Mmmm here comes the good part! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the danishes are a perfect golden brown.
Tips for the best danish
- Make sure the dough has thawed but isn’t too warm. 30 minutes to 1 hour should be perfect.
- Work with room temperature cream cheese for a super smooth filling.
- Brush the edges of the danish dough with a vegan “egg” wash using aquafaba for a perfectly golden brown danish.
- Add a teaspoon of tapioca flour to your jam filling to keep it thick while baking.
- Avoid overfilling the danishes so they bake evenly and get extra fluffy and flakey.
- Spoon on extra jam filling after baking to take it to the next level!
- Drizzle danishes with a simple icing. Simply mix powdered sugar and lemon juice or drop of water together for an icing glaze.
If you love these make sure to check out these Blueberry Lemon Danishes too!
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Cherry Cream Cheese Danishes
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: French
Description
Buttery, flaky pastry dough topped with a tangy cream cheese filling a fruit-forward jam center and drizzled with a sweet icing glaze. This cherry cream cheese danish is the grown-up toaster strudel you’ve been waiting for!
Ingredients
Danish:
- 1 sheet of vegan puff pastry dough, thawed.
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese at room temperature.
- 2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1/8 tsp. almond extract
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 cup vegan chia jam
- 2 tsp. tapioca flour or cornstarch
- 3/4 cup cherries
- 2 Tbsp. aquafaba (water from a can of chickpeas) optional
Icing (optional):
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. water, lemon juice, or milk
Instructions
- Thaw one sheet puff pastry dough on the counter for 35-45 minutes. It should be soft but not warm.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Prep your fillings by preparing jam and cream cheese filling. Add the additional tapioca flour or cornstarch to 1/4 cup of jam to thicken.
- For cream cheese filling combine cream cheese, vanilla, almond extract, sugar, and lemon juice. Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so it’s nice and creamy!
- Next, take the thawed puff pastry dough, unfold it and roll it a few times in each direction.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into six even rectangles and transfer them to a baking sheet.
- Evenly space them out and use a knife a make an intent 1/4 ” from the edge on each rectangle. Make sure to NOT cut completely through the dough.
- Brush the edges of dough with aquafaba (chickpea water) as the vegan “egg wash”. This step is optional but helps make the dough crispy and golden brown.
- Then add a tablespoon of the vegan cream cheese filling to the center of each. Spread it evenly within the indented area.
- Dollop the fruit jam in the center of the cream cheese filling. Be careful not to overfill and sprinkle with a few fresh or frozen and thawed cherries.
- Bake the danishes for 20-25 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
- Transfer to a cooling rack. These are best enjoyed warm and straight from the oven.
- As an optional topping whisk together powdered sugar and water or lemon juice for a glaze. Use more liquid to make it thinner or more sugar to thicken to your preference. Drizzle on top of a freshly baked danish and enjoy!
After this, add a dollop of fruity jam into the center of the cream cheese. Careful not to overfill the pastry otherwise it will spill out and prevent the dough from rising. Less is more here because you can always add a little extra jam after it bakes. Add a few fresh cherries or whole frozen cherries on top of each.
Notes
I used cherries but feel free to use any fruit you like! If you don’t have time to make jam, you can also use any fruit preserves as well.
If using frozen fruit, make sure to thaw completely and drain excess liquid to avoid making the danishes soggy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 danish
- Calories: 324
Keywords: cherry, pastry, danish, cream cheese
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