Ina Garten's Easy Cheese Danish is light and flaky, with a rich, tart-sweet, lemony filling. Perfect for a weekend brunch, or a midday snack.
This was my first time making an Ina Garten recipe and I was both shocked and disappointed that several effeminate men didn't casually show up with fine wine selections or to create ambiance while I cooked.
Ina Garten's easy cheese danish.
I made these easy cheese danish because someone is repeatedly lured in by the Entenmann's 2 for $5 sale at the entrance of our local grocery store. They did hold up to their namesake - they were very easy to make. The egg wash gives the pastry a great color. It's a flaky, light treat, yet, the filling still makes it seem rich and decadent without bogging it down. A little sugar glaze on top really sets these off.
Puff Pastry really does take a lot of the work out of making things like Danishes. Here are some more recipes to try out now that you are addicted to it 😉
Puff Pastry Austrian Apple Strudel
Chocolate Walnut Turnovers
Chicken Bacon Brie Turnovers
If you’ve tried my version of Ina Garten's Easy Cheese Danish recipe or any other recipe on passthesushi.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow along for more good eats and travel tips on Instagram @passthesushi & @girlcarnivore, Twitter & Facebook.
Ina Garten’s Easy Cheese Danish is light and flaky, with a rich, tart-sweet, lemony filling. Perfect for a weekend brunch, or a trip to the rodeo…
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth.
- With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don’t whip!
- Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s a 10 by 10-inch square.
- Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares.
- Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together.
- Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash.
- Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.
- Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.
Notes
What I’d Do Different:
Less lemon. 1 tablespoon of juice was very lemon-y for my BF’s and my taste. It was nice, but personally, I would use 1 teaspoon.
More filling! The recipe calls for one heaping tablespoon, but there were leftovers and had I known that I would have packed those suckers to the brim. It really is the best part, so why not?
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 205mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information provided is an estimate from nutritionix.com. For specific health concerns, please put the recipe into your Dr recommended nutrition calculator.
What I'd Do Different:
Less lemon. 1 tablespoon of juice was very lemon-y for my BF's and my taste. It was nice, but personally, I would use 1 teaspoon.
More filling! The recipe calls for one heaping tablespoon, but there were leftovers and had I known that I would have packed those suckers to the brim. It really is the best part, so why not?
Firefly says
yummy cheese danishes 🙂 have to make those sometime! visiting you from tasty tuesdays!
alicia says
I agree with Firefly. Yum!! Thanks so much for linkin up with my tasty tuesdays. Come back anytime!
Peggy says
Horseback riding sounds so fun! Those danishes look delicious as well!
Jen Blacker says
I will try this out while I'm on vacation at the end of the month. Days off of work means more cooking and baking! I bet even my picky husband will eat this.
April says
Thanks for the commentary on this fantastic recipe! I literally Laughed Out Loud at your shock and disappointment moment. O.M.G... fantastic! I've always wondered why Ina has so many gay friends featured on the show and not very many straight ones.... maybe the gays just appreciate the finer things in life - and that's what Ina serves up! Either way, she rocks and I love her cooking style! I also love your blog! Found ya through Foodgawker.
Cakewalker says
As Ina would say... "Fabulous!" You had me rolling on the floor. Great post and delicious writing style!
Kita says
Thank you 😉
Steph@stephsbitebybite says
Could these be any better? YUM!
A little bit of everything says
I love Ina's recipe and these danishes look so good. You're right, the more filling they have, the tastier they get.
Thanks for sharing, hope you'll have a wonderful weekend
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Oh my gosh. Is that cheese oozing out of that last picture? I so badly want one....no, all.....of those. They look outstanding. Ina strikes again!
Medeja says
Danish.. I love this recipe, cause everything with cream cheese tastes great 🙂
Kate @ Diethood.com says
Love the recipe and I love the post!! I haven't been horseback riding since I was this high :-).
Liz says
That cream cheese filling oozing out of the pastry looks SO wonderful...I wish I had two or three (or more) here for breakfast! YUM.
vtkitchen says
yum, these look fantastic. i was just going to ask where on earth on the east coast were you able to watch fireworks at this time of year =)