This easy Cherry Danish recipe features buttery puff pastry filled with sweetened cream cheese and fresh cherries. Delicious for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or a snack!
The outdoor markets right now are filled with shiny deep red cherries, and I am here for it. I’ve been buying them on the regular, and grabbing handfuls at a time to top my breakfast yogurt or eat for an afternoon snack. Of course, when fruit is involved, I’m always thinking of ways to encase it in buttery pastry. (And if that is wrong, I don’t want to be right.) With an extra sheet of puff pastry in the fridge, I decided a puff version of a cherry danish would be just the thing.
Why Make This Recipe
- Lighter than traditional danish recipes: This version uses just fresh cherries on top of a sweet cream cheese mixture. No cherry pie filling packed with sugar, no extra flour or cornstarch.
- Super easy to make: Just roll out store-bought puff pastry dough, cut into squares, and add the cheese and fruit. Then pinch together two sides of each piece of dough and bake.
- Lots of ingredient substitutions: Keep this recipe on hand, and you can change up the fruit with whatever comes in season later.
🥗 Ingredients
- Cherries: Fresh cherries are, of course, the star for me in this recipe, but they can be replaced with whatever fruit is in season. Try apricots or blueberries, for example.
- Cream Cheese: In France, Philadelphia cream cheese can be harder to find than in the United States. St Moret cheese is readily available and makes a fine substitute. It is a bit more tart than traditional American cream cheese, so you might want to add more sugar to your mixture.
- Puff pastry: If you want to try your hand at making your own puff pastry dough, I highly recommend Cathy Barrow’s quick puff pastry recipe. It’s easy to do, and is even more delicious than store-bought. If you want to buy puff pastry dough in France, look for pâte feuilletée—the all-butter (pur beurre) version highly recommended. Picard sells its pâte feuilletée in bricks rather than rolled out rounds, perfect for this recipe.
🥣 Instructions
Keep puff pastry dough refrigerated until you are ready to use.
1. Rinse 6 ounces of cherries, then pat dry with a paper towel. Pit cherries, and cut in half with your fingers or a knife. If you work with cherries a lot, you may want to invest in a cherry pitter.
2. Next, prepare the cheese mixture by stirring together 4 ounces cream cheese, 1.5 ounces powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
3. Make egg wash by whisking together one egg with a tablespoon of cold water and a pinch of salt.
4. Now, remove 1 sheet or block of puff pastry dough from the refrigerator. Flour your counter or a large cutting board.
5. Roll out pastry dough into a square, 10.5 inches on all sides. As you roll, flip the dough over and add more flour to the board if your dough is sticking at all. Dough should be about ⅛-inch thick when done.
6. Cut into 9 squares of 3.5 inches x 3.5 inches in size. If dough becomes too soft to work with at any point, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up again.
7. Place a dollop of cheese mixture (about 1 tablespoon) into the center of each pastry square.
8. Top with a few cherry halves (about 3-4), then paint a small amount of egg wash on one corner of the pastry square as you bring it up and over the opposite corner and squeeze together to seal. Don’t worry if edges become unsealed during baking—the point is just to make sure the filling stays inside the pastries as they bake. Put egg wash in the refrigerator—you will need it again later.
9. Next, you need to chill the pastries before baking. If you have a sheet pan that will fit in your freezer, line it with parchment paper and carefully place the pastries on it before moving it into the freezer. If a sheet pan won’t fit, line a plate with parchment paper, and place the pastries on that. Freeze pastries for at least 30 minutes, until they are quite firm.
10. Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. After at least 30 minutes in the freezer, place pastries a couple of inches apart on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan (if they are not already on one). Then paint all exposed pastry with egg wash using a pastry brush.
12. Bake for 25 minutes, until pastries are cooked through and golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve, if you like. These cherry danishes are just heavenly warm out of the oven!
🧐 Recipe FAQs
Yes, these danishes are great to make in advance since you need to chill them before baking anyway. Freeze them on a plate or sheet pan in the freezer until they are quite solid. Then you can move them into a freezer-safe ziplock bag or other freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to bake, remove from the freezer and place on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. (You do not need to defrost them first.) Then brush all exposed pastry with egg wash before baking.
Since these cherry danishes have a cheese filling, you should store them in the refrigerator. They will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Or, you can put them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, reheat pastries in a 375-degree oven when you’re ready to serve.
A Danish pastry, or just Danish for short, is a sweet pastry that originated with Austrian bakers but became famous in Danish preparations. Traditional Danish dough uses yeast for leavening and includes flour, butter, milk, eggs, and sugar. Like puff pastry dough, danish dough is rolled out, covered with butter, and then folded again and again before rolled out again, filled, and baked. Danish pastries can be topped with fruit, chocolate, icing or nuts. Typical stuffings include jam, custard, dried or fresh fruit, and nuts. In the U.S., they often appear with sweet cream cheese and fruit on top.
Did you know that cherries are one of the healthiest foods you can eat? Cherries contain high amounts of fiber, Vitamin C, and potassium. They are a good source of antioxidants, which have been shown to help fight diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. They have a lower glycemic index than many fruits, which means that they can help protect against and manage diabetes.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Have you ever forgotten to defrost your puff pastry in advance? Luckily, puff pastry defrosts quickly. If you have several hours, the safest way to defrost your puff pastry is in the refrigerator. However, if you are short on time, I give you leave to put that puff pastry onto your lightly floured counter at room temperature. Turn it over at least once during the defrosting process. Check it every 5-10 minutes to see how it’s coming along, and put it in the fridge if you are not ready to use it when it is ready.
The key to this Cherry Danish recipe is making sure your puff pastry dough doesn't get too soft. Soft puff is difficult to roll, and the butter within the dough begins to melt. (You want that butter not to melt until it hits the high heat of your oven, where it will steam and create all those delicious buttery layers.) The good news is that there is an easy fix if your puff pastry becomes too soft to roll or work with. Just pop it into the fridge until it is cold and carry on.
Note that fresh cherries all have a different sweetness level, based on the variety and when they were harvested. Taste your fruit to see how sweet it is. If your cherries are quite tart, you may want to add more powdered sugar to your cream cheese mixture. Try the combination together to make sure you have the balance you like.
Other Uses for Fresh Cherries
Cherries, of course, can be eaten out of hand as a delicious snack, but there are other ways to make the most out of these superfood berries.
- Top yogurt with cherries and a handful of granola, like this Almond, Pecan, and Pumpkin Seed Granola or Apple Cinnamon Granola
- Make a parfait layering fresh cherries with yogurt or mascarpone whipped cream and crumbled cookies. See Strawberry Parfait with Mascarpone Cream and Mango Coconut Yogurt Parfait for inspiration
- Cook down a bunch of pitted cherries and some sugar to make a cherry compote—delicious on oatmeal or ice cream or chia pudding
- Freeze extras (wash and pit them, then seal in an airtight freezer bag) to use later in a smoothie like this Chia Seed Cherry Smoothie
- Include them in a fruit salad with melon and kiwi, or whatever fruits you choose
- Make cherry salsa with fresh herbs to top slices of pork tenderloin or even fish tacos
- Use fresh cherries to make cherry pie or a cherry crumble (see this Peach Blueberry Crisp for ideas!)
Other Puff Pastry Recipes
Puff pastry is fantastic for both sweet and savory recipes. You can roll it out, cover in parmesan cheese, cut and twirl each slice before baking—instant cheese straws. For a party appetizer or fun main course, try using puff pastry in this delicious Antipasto Stromboli recipe by Cathy Barrow. You can use it to top a pot pie, or slice and fold into savory or sweet palmiers. It's a showstopper in this Salmon Wellington. For another delicious dessert, try my Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls with Apple—delicious and so easy. Or, try a savory appetizer version with my Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Prosciutto.
If you try this Cherry Danish recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
Cherry Danish with Puff Pastry
This easy Cherry Danish recipe features buttery puff pastry filled with sweetened cream cheese and fresh cherries. Delicious for breakfast, dessert, or snack!
Ingredients
- 6 oz fresh cherries
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1.5 oz powdered sugar, plus extra to garnish
- ½ t. vanilla extract
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- 1 sheet (8.8 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed
Instructions
- Rinse cherries, then pat dry with a paper towel.
- Pit cherries, and cut in half with your fingers or a knife.
- Next, prepare the cheese mixture by stirring together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Note: taste your fruit to see how sweet it is. If your cherries are quite tart, you may want to add more powdered sugar to your cream cheese mixture.
- Make egg wash by whisking together one egg with a tablespoon of cold water and a pinch of salt.
- Remove puff pastry dough from the refrigerator. Flour your counter or a large cutting board.
- Roll out pastry dough into a square, 10.5 inches on all sides. As you roll, flip the dough over and add more flour to the board if your dough is sticking at all. Dough should be about ⅛-inch thick when done.
- Cut into 9 squares of 3.5 inches x 3.5 inches in size. If dough becomes too soft to work with at any point, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up again.
- Place a dollop of cheese mixture (about 1 tablespoon) into the center of each pastry square.
- Top with a few cherry halves (about 3-4), then paint a small amount of egg wash on one corner of the pastry square as you bring it up and over the opposite corner and squeeze together tightly to seal. Don’t worry if edges become unsealed during baking—the point is just to make sure the filling stays inside the pastries as they bake. Put egg wash in the refrigerator—you will need it again later.
- Next, you need to chill the pastries before baking. If you have a sheet pan that will fit in your freezer, line it with parchment paper and carefully place the pastries on it before moving it into the freezer. If a sheet pan won’t fit, line a plate with parchment paper, and place the pastries on that. Freeze pastries for at least 30 minutes, until they are quite firm.
- Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After at least 30 minutes in the freezer, place pastries a couple of inches apart on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan (if they are not already on one).
- Then paint all exposed pastry with egg wash using a pastry brush.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until pastries are cooked through and golden brown.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve, if you like.
Notes
- Keep puff pastry dough refrigerated until you are ready to use.
- Since these cherry danishes have a cheese filling, you should store them in the refrigerator. They will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Or, you can put them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, reheat pastries in a 375-degree oven when you’re ready to serve.
- If you are in France and cannot find Philadelphia cream cheese or similar, St Moret is a French brand that works quite well. It is a bit more tart than traditional American cream cheese, so you might want to add more sugar to your mixture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 553Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 283mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 10g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
Josiah - DIY Thrill says
This Cherry Danish looks so decadent, thanks so much for sharing!
Chef Molly says
Thanks! It really is decadent--delicious too! I can't wait for cherry season to come around again.
Hasin says
This cherry pastry will go down a treat with my family. Thank you
Chef Molly says
You're very welcome! Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Never Ending Journeys says
There's nothing that beats a good danish, especially one with cherries! Always so sweet and delicious... I usually end up having a few at a time. Thanks for this great recipe. 🙂
Chef Molly says
Totally agree. The cherries put this over the top!
Sara says
Made these this morning and they're excellent. They're the easiest pastries to make. Followed the recipe exactly. Next time I will riff a little and use different fruits. And thanks for the calorie info (I think!).
Chef Molly says
Thanks so much for posting, Sara! You made my day. ? So glad you enjoyed the recipe, and have fun experimenting with different fruits--I bet they'll all be delicious!
Alex says
I love a good pastry sweet treat! These cherry danish look wonderful 🙂
Chef Molly says
Thanks! Fruit plus pastry for the win every time!
Teresa Garza says
Thank you for the recipe! What a good find. I'm ready for another similar gem, please!
Chef Molly says
Stay tuned! 🙂 Hope you enjoy making these!
Jeff the Chef says
I love cherry pastries. They're one of my favorites. Thanks for the recipe!
Chef Molly says
Anytime! Cherry pastries are definitely the best. 🙂