Cheese Danishes

Every now and then I think it's fun to splurge a little for breakfast, especially on the weekends.  These danishes are perfect for those weekends when you want to indulge a little, and they're also impressive enough to serve when you have company.  They can be made in advance and reheated so I made a big batch and then put the rest in the freezer.  I also like that you can change the recipe a bit and add a fruit filling if you want.  I put a few tablespoons of strawberry preserves in about half of the batch I made, but I also would like to try to put some apple butter in some in the future.

Cheese Danishes

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
Fillings such as strawberry preserves, raspberry preserves, apple butter, pie filling (if desired)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans 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, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt and mix until just combined (do not whip).

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll it slightly with a lightly floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Using a sharp knife, 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. If using, place an additional tablespoon of desired filling into each pastry. 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 that they stick together tightly. Lightly 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 light brown. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten