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5 from 1 vote

Cheese Danish

I meant to make croissants but this ended up tasting better.
Prep Time2 days
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast, Sweets
Servings: 32
Calories: 103kcal

Ingredients

Croissant Dough

  • ⅓ cup lukewarm milk
  • ¼ cup lukewarm water
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 ½ tbsp melted unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ tbsp sugar
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

Butter Sheet

  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 1 block softened cream cheese
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Icing

  • 3 tbsp softened butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp heavy cream
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • a pinch salt

Instructions

Croissant Dough

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together yeast, water, milk, and honey and let sit for ten minutes until foamy.
  • Add in flour, sugar, butter, and salt and attach dough hook. Kneed on medium until a smooth dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Let dough rise for one hour in a warm place (I like to use my oven with the light turned on).

Butter Layer

  • While dough rises, cut butter into slices and roll between 2 sheets of parchment paper until you have an 8x8 inch square of butter. Put in refrigerator until dough is done rising.

Assembling Croissant Dough

  • Once dough has doubled in size, punch it down and put on a VERY LIGHTLY floured surface. Roll dough out into a 8x16 inch rectangle. Remove butter sheet from the refrigerator and place in the center of your dough. Fold dough over to encase the dough completely, pinching the edges to seal it shut and roll lightly to bind the butter to the dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place the the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
  • Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out until it’s about ¼ inch thick. Fold the dough over in thirds (like a brochure), turn 90°, and repeat the process. Re-wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  • Remove dough from the fridge and complete two more folds then let rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Roll the dough until it’s a rectangle ¼ inch thick.
  • Cut dough into 3x3 inch squares and add to a ungreased baking sheet leaving about 1 inch in between each pastry.

Cream Cheese Filling

  • Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, and stir until smooth.
  • Add 1-2 tbsp of filling to the center of each square and spread to the edges of the dough.
  • Let danishes rise for another hour while you make the icing.

Icing

  • Stir together butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth and microwave for 10-15 seconds until the consistency is runny. Set aside.

Baking

  • In an oven preheated to 375°F, bake danishes for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool and drizzle with icing.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g