With only 6 ingredients you can make the most delicious strawberry Danish recipe. Served warm from the oven these are perfect for breakfast or brunch and every bit as wonderful as Danishes fresh from the bakery.
Jump to:
Expect delicate, flaky puff pastry filled generously with vanilla cream and sweet strawberries in this delicious strawberry Danish. Every mouthful will make you so pleased you decided to make these.
Using readymade pastry really cuts down the prep time on this strawberry Danish recipe, especially when you consider the pastry for Danishes is traditionally folded into 27 layers! It’s a perfect timesaver and you can use it for other recipes too such as cinnamon twists or apple turnovers.
Main Ingredients
I love how the combination of strawberries and cream cheese gives this sweet treat a strawberry cheesecake flavor. Let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make this wonderful strawberry Danish dessert:
- Strawberries: The star ingredient. Use fresh berries for the freshest result and make sure you choose plump, juicy ones. You can also use another type of berry or another kind of fruit, or even combine more than one.
- Puff pastry: To enclose the wonderful filling. Grab frozen puff pastry sheets the next time you’re at the store.
- Vanilla: Adds a delicate hint of flavor. Vanilla pairs beautifully with the taste of strawberries which is why I love using it in both the cream cheese mixture and the strawberry mixture. Go ahead and add more if you want to, or even substitute something different like almond extract perhaps.
- Sugar: For sweetness. Although strawberries have natural sweetness, sugar really brings out their flavor, plus it gives the strawberry Danish the sweetness they are known and loved for.
- Egg: For the egg wash. This helps achieve an appealing golden brown color during baking and also adds a glossy shine.
Instructions Overview
So how do you make this easy breakfast dessert? First, make the strawberry filling. Add some strawberries, sugar, and vanilla to a pan and bring it to a boil. Let the mixture simmer and thicken for half an hour then let it cool down.
Mix the cream cheese with more sugar and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Unroll the pastry and cut it into strips which you will then twist and flatten. Score the pastry with a knife and poke some holes in it to stop it from rising up too much.
Add some of the cream cheese and some of the strawberry mixtures to each pastry crust. Whisk an egg with a little water and brush this over the strawberry Danish pastries, then bake until golden and enjoy while still warm.
Common Questions
Unless you plan on keeping these for more than a couple of days, it isn’t necessary to refrigerate them. Keep them in a paper bag on the countertop. If you want them to last longer, they should be fine for a week in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to about 2 months as long as they’re in a sealed container.
Everyone knows how delicious Danish pastries are, but what is it that makes them "Danish" exactly? Well, they are typically made with puff pastry or some kind of yeast dough and include rich ingredients like cream cheese, butter, eggs, milk, and so on.
It’s up to you! Either cut each strawberry Danish in half or quarter them and enjoy them with your fingers or with a fork.
You can use puff pastry or croissant dough for a delicate, flaky result. Crescent roll dough would also work, but it would lack the typical flakiness associated with Danish pastries so I’d recommend you stick to one of the other types for that classic characteristic appeal.
Chopnotch Tips
- Feel free to swap the strawberries for blackberries, cherries, raspberries, or another kind of berry if you want to switch things up.
- As soon as the edges are golden, the pastries are done, so don’t cook them beyond this point.
- I usually make these in spiral shapes, but you might want to experiment with different shapes when you’re making them.
How does a strawberry Danish sound for tomorrow’s breakfast? Treat yourself to this easy-to-make, delicious treat.
Related Recipes
Let us know what you think! Give this recipe a rating in the comments section below.
Recipe
How to Make
Strawberry Danish
Ingredients
For the strawberry filling:
- 2 cups strawberries, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cream cheese filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the pastry:
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg
Instructions
To make the strawberry filling:
- Combine the chopped strawberries, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat as soon as the mixture thickens and the strawberries are soft. Set it aside and allow the mixture to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
To make the cream cheese filling:
- Combine the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat together until the mixture is smooth and creamy and then set it aside.
To make the pastry:
- Unroll each sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet into 6 strips lengthwise so that you have 12 strips in total.
- Take one strip and gently twist it. Then coil it into a spiral. Then tuck the end under the spiral and flatten the center by pushing it down, leaving about a ¼-inch border around the edge. Now score the flattened center with a knife and poke some holes in the center using a fork to help keep it from rising too much. Place it onto the prepared baking sheet and then repeat this process with the remaining 11 strips.
- Fill the center of each pastry with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling first, and then top that with 1 heaping teaspoon of the strawberry filling.
- Whisk together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg wash. Brush around the edge of each Danish with the egg wash and then bake for 20 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Serve while still warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to swap the strawberries for blackberries, cherries, raspberries, or another kind of berry if you want to switch things up.
- As soon as the edges are golden, the pastries are done, so don’t cook them beyond this point.
- I usually make these in spiral shapes, but you might want to experiment with different shapes when you’re making them.
