Simple Cheese Danish
These simple homemade cheese danishes are so easy, so elegant and so delicious. You’ve gotta try them right now!
I feel like I’ve been harping on quick, simple recipes and meals lately. Sorry if that offends your gourmet spirit.
I promise that fast food (I’m talking fast food like homecooked fast food, not fast food like dollar menu fast food) can taste delicious even if it is simple and quick to prepare.
Because of my latest fetish with easy recipes, I was thrilled beyond thrilled when out of the blue, America’s Test Kitchen sent me their newest cookbook, The Quick Family Cookbook, because the food in here is seriously talking my language.
No-fail is the word that comes to mind with ATK’s tested, tested, tested recipes and the wonder of this cookbook is that you get classically delicious America’s Test Kitchen recipes with minimal fuss, time and ingredients. Oh, I am in love with this book.
To show how great this book is, I should have made some stellar main course fare that will save your bacon on any given Tuesday night; however, I couldn’t resist these delicious cheese Danish pastries.
They are so easy, so elegant and so delicious, if you close your eyes while eating one, you might just believe you are smack dab on the bustling streets of Paris – oh wait, think of some city in Denmark! – eating an authentic pastry.
Not that I ever have had that experience, but take my word for it – these babies get the job done for a no-fuss pastry. Make them and love them.
Simple Cheese Danish
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (9 1/2 by 9-inch)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Set aside.
- Roll the pastry into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle on a lightly floured counter, making sure it doesn’t stick to the counter while rolling. Cut the rectangle into six 4 1/2 by 4-inch rectangles (cut it in half the long way and then cut each strip into thirds). Transfer the pastry rectangles to the baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Using the tip of a paring knife, score a 1/2-inch border around the edge of each pastry, then brush the borders with the egg wash (no fear – if you don’t have a pastry brush, using your fingers works just as well!). Prick the pastry with a fork every 1 inch or so within the border (see the picture below for a visual). Place a generous 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each pastry and spread it into an even layer leaving the border uncovered.
- Bake the pastries until fully puffed and golden about 12-14 minutes (watching carefully so they don’t overbrown). Serve the pastries warm or at room temperature.
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook
My would have to be Cook Country.
I love your blog and I love that I can count on your recipes to turn out good. My favorite cookbook is The Better Homes and Garden’s New cookbook. It’s my go-to for basic recipes and my Mom used it to teach me cooking skills. Every time I pull it out, it brings back happy memories of cooking with my Mom.
Good old Betty Crocker is the go to!
My favorite recipe book is my mother in-laws. She passed away almost 10 years ago, and made cookbooks for her children with all of her recipes. She was a fantastic cook and had a talent for it. When I got married over 7 years ago, I knew very little about cooking, and that cookbook taught me how to cook! Thanks to her and her foresight, I know how to feed my growing family. And my kids get to eat the yummy food their grandma used to cook, even though she is not with us anymore.
I own the ATK baking cookbook.. LOVE it. But I’d probably have to say my favorite cookbook right now is probably either Best Bites (waiting for the new one), or Pioneer Woman. Good stuff. Normal ingredients. Super.
Thanks for the great giveaway. Truly nice of you.
My favorite is A Year of Slow Cooking
Jessop cookbook, it is a family cook book in honor of my great grandfather’s 100th birthday.
One of my favorite cook books is Better Homes and Gardens. However, I have to say honestly that I don’t use any cookbook as much as I do your site! I go here pretty much every time I need a recipe! Thanks!
A local collection cookbook from the 1980’s that my husband’s grandmother gave me when we got married. All the women on his side of the household have one so it was the BEST way to welcome me into the family. Other than that, I don’t really use cookbooks much :/
I agree with your assessment of ATK cookbooks and programs.
Hi Mel.
I am so indebted to your cousin Camille who directed me to your blog a few years ago! Love your recipes and am inspired by the little snipets into your life (I have 4 boys too…If I were guaranteed a girl on the next try… well, anyway). I have a few cookbooks I turn to such as Better Homes and Gardens (the one my mother used and has seen better days), but the one that brings me much joy is one I received as a Christmas gift from my son and his 2nd grade class. Each child got a recipe from home and on one page it tells the real recipe and on the oposite page shows a picture of the child and their directions for the recipe. For example, for Triple Fudge Brownies: the child said, “First you get eggs, then you make dough. Next you get some fudge and make chocolate brownies with it. Bake at 40 degrees for 10 min.” Such a fun idea for teachers to do for their moms!!! Sorry this is long. Keep hanging in there and kudos to you!!!
America’s Test Kitchen Family cookbook has been my go-to cookbook for years. I recently purchased the Healthy Family cookbook. This would be a fabulous cookbook to add to my collection. I had no idea a book like this was in the works…..yippeee!!!
I can’t wait to try these! I usually pull out Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book for basic recipes. But lately, I’ve mostly been using recipes from your blog. So far every recipe I’ve made has been a winner with my family!
I use most America’s Test Kitchen recipes including Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated.
Our most used cookbook is actually “Eating for Life”…healthy and actually tastes good. However, when I’m not in a “healthy” mood (which seems to be quite often) I frequent your website because you NEVER disappoint!
Mel!!! I’m so sorry you’re not in a house yet!! I can’t imagine how hard that is!! YOUR BLOG is totally my most beloved recipe book! I always come here when I make anything. Hope you can get settled quick! 🙂
I love an old Betty Crocker version from the 70s
love love love Bittman’s “How to cook everything.” It’s a fantastic reference! Replaced my JOC on the counter!
now that I follow so many food blogs with google reader, my cookbooks are starting to collect a little dust! i do love my pastry queen cookbook!
My go-to cookbook is called “Just Call June” and it’s a family cookbook dedicated to the recipes of my aunt’s mother, June. Gotta love the tried and true family recipes!
I either use the gardner family cookbook from tami and mike, or the cooking light cookbook. Or your blog, does that count?
My favorite cookbook is one put together by my mom of all the recipes she made when I was a kid. I’ve used. I probably have about half the recipes memorized because I have made them so much.
i would have to say its a tie between “our best bites” and “the pioneer woman cookbook”.
I honestly only use my Betty Crocker cookbook and the Pioneer Woman’s first cookbook… but I usually get most of my best recipes from you!!! Thanks Mel!
An old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (with the plaid cover) that I got in college. 🙂
My most used/loved cookbook would be The Joy of Cooking if I actually owned it… does it count that I keep re-checking it out of the library and I read it like a novel?? I also like my Taste of Home cookbook.
I’d love to win that cookbook! I’m afraid I have to say that currently my favorite “cookbook” would be Pinterest! ;0)
I absolutely love cooking out of a cookbook that features “easy college meals”, that I picked up in college. Everything is so simple to make, but I do get the itch to step up to another cookbook every once in a while!
I have collected many church cookbooks in our many moves to different states, tried and true recipes from wonderful ladies. I use those the most, but I do use Pinterest and Your site a ton too. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes and all the time you put into your website. You are AWESOME!!! 🙂
I do love books, but I get most of mine from the library. I don’t want a lot hanging around cluttering up the place. Mostly I find enough great recipes on your site, print them off, and stick them in a binder (or a pile until it makes it into a binder). That said the Better Homes & Gardens (red checkered) cookbook is my favorite hard copy cookbook that I own.
My most loved most used cookbook is a family cookbook the fam made together. Love it!
That is really hard to choose I read a lot of them. I have Taste of Home and some church books that I use. But blogs are fast way to find new recipes!
I have 4 cookbooks that were put together by my church group. They are me most used mostly because thats what I grew up with. I love this blog!
My go-to is a family cookbook put together for a family reunion. Can’t be those tried and true recipes! Just like ATK!
I use my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook the most out of my cookbooks. But I love new cookbooks and recipes.
My only cookbook is Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook gifted to me by my sister. I sometimes pull it out to just read about her childhood and her family, it reminds me so much of my own. I live by ATK’s websites & television shows so I would love to get a copy of this book. One of these days, I’d like to get a cookbook library going, until then, I will continue to use blogs like yours and my mom’s handwritten recipes.
My favorite is a small three ring binder filled with the faorites of family and friends that I have collected through the years. I turn to it just about every day!
I don’t have a favorite cookbook. Most recipes I make come from blogs. I’ve made many things from your blog.
Pioneer Woman Cooks
Thank you so much for not accepting every promotional offer that comes your way! I have stopped reading many “cooking” blogs after tiring of reading reviews for toys, games, expensive gadgets… zzz. I would love to win this cookbook – my most used cookbook is probably the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. My husband gave it to me the first Christmas we were dating, and here 10 years later I’m still cooking for him out of it. Guess it worked! haha
I love the cookbook called our sweet bites. Love i!t
I look to the old red & white checkerboard for some basic guidelines but look to you and others for mostof my ideas anymore. Love ATK and all they do to help us figure things out
The cookbook that has all my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes in it. Aside from that, it’s usually recipes I find online.
I use my Better Homes and Garden all the time. Although, I am a cookbook freak and, with the advent of the food blog, a food blog freak–probably even worse than the cookbook thing.
I love to get the Taste of Home magazine and try new recipes each quarter that the magazine is published.
I use the joy of cooking the most. But more and more, I’m cooking from you blog! 🙂
I also swear by any of the ATK or Cook’s Illustrated cookbooks. My favorite is the plain ‘ol New Best Recipe and/or ATK’s Family Cookbook.
My most used cookbook is the first Pioneer Woman cookbook. It was actually the first cookbook I bought right before I got married, and it opened me up to the wonderful world of cooking. I don’t have any ATK cookbooks but I’ve heard wonderful things about them! I’d love to add one to my tiny collection 🙂
Lately it’s been the Ball’s Blue Book of Canning. Lots of peaches, pears and apples at my house.
I use a lot of the recipes from the “Lion House Cookbooks” Love them all!