Bursting with apple pie, cheesecake, and the butteriest puff pastry base, this easy apple cheese Danish is sure to wow at your next brunch.
Danishes come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, this easy lemon cheese Danish recipe boasts 18 mini danishes topped with creamy sweetened cream cheese + perfectly tart lemon curd. {They are so adorable, you just have to pop over and take a look!} For this easy apple cheese Danish, however, I wanted to make a bolder statement. I love the criss-cross look of nice puff pastry, so that’s what was incorporated into this dessert. It’s full of apple pie, creamy sweetened cheesecake, and the butteriest puff pastry. Let’s make it.
What you’ll need to make this easy apple cheese Danish:
Cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Granulated sugar
Pure vanilla extract
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
1 box of puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator {cold but not frozen}
Apple pie filling
Coarse sugar, for topping
Powdered sugar
Salted butter
Heavy cream
The Puff Pastry
So what is puff pastry? Puff pastry is a laminated dough. Butter is folded into the dough over and over, giving the final product its light, flaky character.
This recipe calls for two sheets of puff pastry and makes two perfect easy apple cheese Danish pastries.
Begin by thawing your sheets of puff pastry, either in the refrigerator or the microwave, until cold but no longer frozen. I pop mine from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before, and it’s almost ready to go out of the box!
Gently roll each sheet slightly to flatten it out. You don’t want the seams to disappear, but you want them muted a bit. Using a pizza cutter, slice diagonal lines into the outer sides of each pastry sheet {see above photos}. Cut off the corners to make folding of the pastry easier as well. Your puff pastry is now ready to fill.
The Cheesecake + Apple Pie Fillings
Now, this cheesecake filling is scratch-made, but the apple pie filling is premade. You can absolutely use your favorite scratch pie filling here, but just know that the raw fruit might take longer to cook.
Begin by beating the cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolk in a small bowl until smooth, about 20 seconds. Divide the batter evenly onto each of the two pastry sheets, ensuring that it stays in the middle and avoids the outer edges. Spoon half of the apple pie filling onto the top of each cheesecake topped pastry. Fold each of the edges up, and then criss-cross the slices back and forth until you reach the edge. Tuck the last two slices over the side toward the edge. Beat the whole egg and gently brush it on the top of the puff pastry, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake the danishes in the oven at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and the cheesecake + apple filling is set. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
Place the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and slowly beat by hand or with a mixer until the sugar is incorporated. Beat on medium-high until smooth, about thirty seconds. Drizzle half onto each Danish. Serve warm or room temperature. Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for three days. Best served the day off.
The Dietary Substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Miyokos also makes a wonderful cream cheese that would be an excellent dairy free base in this recipe.
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Cream is a great option for the glaze.
Jus-Rol makes a vegan friendly puff pastry.
If you loved this easy apple cheese Danish recipe, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review.
Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations.
Lastly, post this recipe to any of your boards by tapping the Pinterest icon and clicking on your favorite photo. Save and enjoy!
XO,
Heather
PS- Try these other amazing puff pastry recipes I love!
Puff Pastry Cookie Butter Rolls
Puff Pastry Caramel Apple Pies
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Danishes
Easy Apple Cheese Danish
Ingredients
For the Danishes:
- 2 Sheets Puff Pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 10 Ounces Apple Pie Filling (half of a 20 ounce can)
- 1 Large Egg, beaten, for egg wash
- Coarse Sugar, for dusting
For the Glaze:
- 1 Teaspoon Salted Butter, melted
- ½ Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 3-4 Teaspoons Heavy Cream
- ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Begin by thawing two sheets of puff pastry, either in the refrigerator or the microwave per the instructions on the box {until cold but no longer frozen}.
- Gently roll each sheet slightly to flatten. Using a pizza cutter, slice diagonal lines into the outer sides of each pastry sheet {see photo below}. Cut off the corners to make the folding of the pastry easier as well.
- Beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolk in a small bowl until smooth, about 20 seconds. Divide the batter evenly onto each of the two pastry sheets, ensuring that it stays in the middle and avoids the putter edges. Spoon half of the apple pie filling onto the top of the cheesecake batter. Fold each of the edges up, and then criss-cross the slices back and forth until you reach the edge. Tuck the last two slices over the side toward the edge. Beat the whole egg and gently brush it on the top of the puff pastry, and sprinkle with course sugar.
- Bake the danishes in the oven at 375° for 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden and the cheesecake + apple filling is set. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
- Place the glaze ingredient in a small bowl and slowly beat by hand or with a mixer until the sugar in incorporated. Beat on medium – high until smooth, about thirty seconds. If you prefer a slightly thicker glaze, use the three tablespoons of cream. If you want it a bit thinner, go with the full four. Drizzle onto each Danish. Serve warm or room temperature. Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for three days. Best served day of.
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