so i cheated a little making this danish, which only means you can too! i used store bought puff pastry (dun dun DUUUUN). i'm sorry barefoot contessa, please forgive me! maybe one day i will devote an entire blog post to making puff pastry alone, but for this recipe store bought is fine. i wanted to use pumpkin & cream cheese in a unqiue way, something you don't often see pumpkin in, which is when the light bulb went off! a pumpkin cream cheese danish. it is flakey, it is cream cheesy, it is pumpkiny & it is downright delicious. it's another one of those dessert for breakfast items that is totally socially acceptable. it's also a perfect way to use up that little bit of pumpkin puree that always seems to be left in the can. i hate seeing even an ounce of pumpkin go to waste!
ingredients
- 1 box (1 pound) puff pastry, cold
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
directions
- in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment beat cream cheese, egg, white sugar, cornstarch & vanilla until smooth. set aside.
- in a separate mixing bowl stir pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & vanilla. set aside.
- once your filling is ready, roll out your puff pastry to a thin rectangular shape.
- cut lines diagonally on each side leaving about 4-5 inches in the center (see photos). add your cream cheese followed by spoonful's of the pumpkin mixture.
- fold in ends & cross the lines in a V shape to get the braided effect. you can do an egg wash or milk wash if you desire.
- bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown.
- while the danish bakes, make your glaze by combining icing sugar & milk until the desired consistency is formed.
- remove from oven & immediately drizzle with the glaze.
like what you see? get it here. silpat | french rolling pin | mug (1) | linen | plates | serving board | mug (2) | knife