Cherry Cheese Danish

Part of a Holiday family tradition is getting together with extended family and friends and making Nut Roll. (Promise to post this recipe soon.)  While I was getting ready to go over to my cousins house to make the Nut Roll I decided that I needed to take something over to tie us over while baking all day, so I decided on something that I love, but have never tried before and that was Danish.


I know that trying something new on people is not always the best thing, but trust me when I tell you that my family is probably some of the best critics that I have, so it only made sense for me to try them out on them.  

I really do love every form of Danish around, but when I had seen an episode on Food Network and they made Danish I just knew that I had to try and make them.  So I used Ina Garten's Cheese Danish recipe, but typical me, I changed it up a bit.  Not much mind you, but I made it more towards my likes and wants.

For one thing, as much as I like just plain cheese danish, I enjoy Cherry Cheese better; so that was added to this dish.  Second, Ina made large danish.  I decided to make mine smaller, for the simple reason of I like the idea of bite size.  Other than that, this is truly an amazing recipe that I know that I will make over and over again.

So as I headed over to my cousins house danish in hand I was really excited to know if they liked them or not.  As we sat around the table talking and drinking coffee, they dove in to the treats and I was rewarded with ohhhhhhhs and ahhhhhhhs.  They LOVED them!!!  Score for me.  I was so very excited.   Added to that I repeated this recipe a few days later and had my hubby take them in to work.  Once again, the guys this time, LOVED them!! 

I truly love to feed people and make them happy!!

Here is what you need:
8oz cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 can Cherry Pie filling
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place cream cheese and sugar in the bowl and cream together on low speed until smooth.  Add egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix until combined.  Don't whip.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface and roll is slightly with a rolling pin until it is about 10 by 10.  Cut the sheet into 9 equal squares with a pizza cutter.  Place a heaping teaspoon of the cheese filling into the center of each square.  Then place a heaping teaspoon of the Cherry Pie filling on top of the cheese filling.

Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold the corner of one side to the middle.

Brush with egg wash and fold the opposite corner to the center.  Brush with egg wash to "glue" the corners together. 

Place the danish on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes prior to baking. 

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

Happy Baking and ENJOY!!