Description
This decadent Chocolate Cream Cheese Danish recipe features flaky puff pastry filled with a smooth, sweetened cream cheese mixture and topped with rich homemade chocolate ganache. Perfect for brunch, dessert, or a special treat, these elegant pastries bake to golden perfection and combine creamy, chocolatey goodness with buttery layers.
Ingredients
Puff Pastry
- 2 Frozen puff pastry sheets
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup White granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup Heavy cream
Egg Wash
- 1 Large egg
- 1 tsp Water
Instructions
- Thaw: Place frozen puff pastry sheets on the counter for 30 minutes to thaw completely but remain chilled enough to handle.
- Make Chocolate Ganache: Pour semi-sweet chocolate chips into a bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir gently until smooth. If chunks remain, microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring each time until fully melted. Let ganache rest at room temperature for 2 hours until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: Using a hand mixer, beat the room-temperature cream cheese on high for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating for another minute. Mix in the vanilla extract until combined.
- Prepare Puff Pastry: On a lightly floured surface, place the thawed puff pastry sheets. Press the seams together with your fingers. Using a sharp knife, cut each pastry sheet into 3 long rectangles along the seams. Then cut each rectangle in half to yield 6 rectangles per sheet (12 total).
- Apply Egg Wash: Beat together the egg and water to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, spread the egg wash around the edges of each pastry rectangle to help seal and create a golden crust.
- Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Score Pastry Rectangles: Place the pastry rectangles on the prepared cookie sheets, 6 per sheet. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a smaller rectangle inside each pastry piece, about 1/2 inch from the edges, without cutting all the way through. This scoring allows the edges to rise and encase the filling.
- Fill Danish: Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling inside the inner rectangle of each pastry. Spread it gently to cover the area but avoid the edges.
- Chill Pastries: Place one cookie sheet in the refrigerator and the other in the freezer. Let the one in the freezer chill for 5 minutes. This step helps keep the butter cold in the pastry for better puffing during baking.
- Bake: Bake pastries one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 17-20 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and puffed. Remove from oven and let cool completely before proceeding with the next sheet.
- Add Chocolate Ganache: Once the danishes have cooled, spoon the thickened chocolate ganache on top of the cream cheese filling in each pastry. Make sure to leave some cream cheese visible around the edges for a beautiful contrast.
Notes
- The chilling step before baking is crucial to achieve the perfect puff in the pastry.
- Letting the ganache thicken to pudding texture ensures it stays in place and doesn’t run off the danish.
- Use room temperature cream cheese for a smoother filling.
- You can prepare the ganache and cream cheese filling ahead of time to save hands-on preparation during baking day.
- Serve these danishes at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
