Sweet Cheese & Blueberry Danish Recipe

Make dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, salt and instant yeast until evenly combined. Cut the cold cubed butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces remaining.

Add liquids

Stir together the cold milk and cold water. Drizzle the liquid over the flour-butter mixture and gently fold with a spatula until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork; small dry patches are okay. Form into a rough rectangle, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm the butter.

Laminate (fold) the dough

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Fold the short end into the center and then fold the other short end over it (letter fold). Rotate 90 degrees, roll again to 12x8 inches, and repeat the fold. Wrap and chill 20–30 minutes. Repeat this roll-and-fold cycle 1 more time (total 2 lamination cycles). Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Shape danishes

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll the chilled dough to a 14x10-inch rectangle about 1/8–1/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 equal rectangles (about 5x3.5 inches). Using a paring knife, gently score a 1/2-inch border inside each rectangle without cutting through. Fold the corners slightly toward the center to create a frame. Place shaped pastries on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Egg wash and bake

Beat the egg and brush the scored border and folded corners lightly with egg wash. Reserve the center for filling. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before filling.

Prepare filling

While the dough chills, combine the softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and the egg yolk in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and spreadable, about 1–2 minutes. Chill briefly if too soft to pipe.

Fill pastries

Once the baked pastry shells have cooled slightly, spoon or pipe about 2 tablespoons of the sweet cheese mixture into the center of each pastry (the indented area).

Cook blueberries

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and the berries release their juices, about 4–6 minutes. If using frozen berries, cook a minute or two longer. Remove from heat and let cool slightly — it should be thick but spoonable.

Assemble

Spoon about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the warm (not piping hot) blueberry topping on top of the sweet cheese layer for each danish. The filling and topping should total roughly 3–3.5 tablespoons per pastry.

Mix glaze

Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth, adding more milk a drop at a time if needed to reach a drizzling consistency.

Finish

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled danishes with a spoon or small piping bag. Allow glaze to set for 10–15 minutes before serving.