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Raspberry Cream Cheese Danishes Ready in 20 Minutes

Raspberry Cream Cheese Danishes

Flaky puff pastry filled with a creamy, vanilla-scented cream cheese mixture and juicy raspberries, baked until golden and crisp. A delightful pastry that tastes like it came from a bakery.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet 320g ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed if frozen
  • 200 g full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 150 g fresh or frozen raspberries if using frozen, do not thaw
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. While the oven heats, lightly dust your work surface with the plain flour. Unroll the puff pastry sheet and cut it into six equal rectangles. You'll feel the pastry cool and slightly firm against your fingers; if it feels sticky, dust with a little more flour.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a wooden spoon until it turns smooth and creamy, with no visible lumps — this should take about a minute. Add the caster sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, then stir until the mixture is pale yellow, glossy, and smells sweetly of vanilla.
  3. Spoon roughly one heaped tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the centre of each pastry rectangle. Use the back of the spoon to spread it gently into a small oval, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. The filling should look thick and slightly domed.
  4. Press 4 to 5 raspberries into the cream cheese on each Danish, pushing them down just slightly so they sit nestled in the filling. If using frozen raspberries, you'll notice they release a little juice immediately — that's fine, it adds flavour.
  5. Fold the two shorter edges of each pastry rectangle over the filling, pinching them together gently at the centre. This creates a little boat shape. Brush the exposed pastry edges with the milk using a pastry brush; you'll see the milk sit shiny and wet on the dough.
  6. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The danishes are ready when the pastry is puffed, golden brown, and crisp to the touch. The raspberries will have softened and released a deep red juice that pools slightly around the filling. The kitchen will smell like a bakery.
  7. Remove the tray from the oven and let the danishes rest on the tray for 5 minutes. This rest is crucial — the filling sets as it cools, so you won't end up with a runny mess. After resting, transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar through a fine sieve if desired, then serve warm.

Notes

If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw them before adding to the filling; they will release juice during baking which adds flavor. Let the danishes rest for 5 minutes after baking so the filling sets properly.