Blueberry Cream Cheese Danishes

Name: Blueberry Cream Cheese Danishes
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 1 cup warm milk; 1 packet (7 g) active dry yeast; 2 tbsp honey; 1 tbsp olive, avocado, or vegetable oil; 1 large egg; ½ tsp salt; 3–3½ cups all-purpose flour, added gradually; 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened; 2–3 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste; 2 cups frozen blueberries; ⅓ cup granulated sugar, or to taste; 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 tsp cornstarch; 3 tbsp cold butter; ⅓ cup all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp light brown sugar

Soft, fluffy danishes filled with sweet cream cheese, blueberry jam, and buttery crumb topping.

Serves

8–10 danishes

Time

1 hr 45 min

Homemade Danish pastries filled with sweet cream cheese, homemade blueberry jam, and a buttery crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat with coffee.

Instructions

Make the Dough

1
Combine the warm milk, yeast, honey, and oil. Let sit for 5–10 minutes, until foamy.
2
Add the egg and salt, then gradually add flour until a soft dough forms.
3
Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

Prepare the Fillings

1
Beat the softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth.
2
Cook the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch gently until thick and jam-like. Cool completely.
3
Mix the cold butter, flour, and brown sugar with your fingertips until crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Shape & Bake

1
Divide the dough into equal portions and shape into balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2
Press a well into the center of each ball with the bottom of a glass or a large spoon.
3
Fill each center with cream cheese, top with blueberry jam, and sprinkle generously with crumb topping.
4
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 20–25 minutes, until beautifully golden.

Toti’s Tips

✓Add the flour gradually, because how much a dough takes changes with the brand and the type of flour. Stop while the dough is still soft, since extra flour is what turns danishes bready instead of flaky.
✓Homemade blueberry jam gives these an incredible flavor, but store-bought works. Homemade is usually thicker, so it stays put instead of running out of the pastry in the oven.
✓Fresh or frozen blueberries both work. Frozen berries let go of more liquid as they thaw, so keep them frozen until the last moment or the filling will be loose.
✓Don't overfill the centers. The cream cheese spreads as it warms and any extra bubbles over the edges and burns on the pan.
✓Best the day they are made and still good the next. The cream cheese filling holds moisture, and by day two it has softened the crisp layers underneath.