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Berry Danish turns a sheet of puff pastry into a bakery window pastry that looks far fancier than the 35 minutes it actually takes, with a creamy cheesecake center, juicy berries, and a sweet vanilla glaze. I first made a big batch on a slow Saturday morning when the girls wanted something special, and they vanished before the coffee finished brewing. If you love our easy crescent roll cinnamon rolls, these flaky berry danishes are about to become your new weekend hero.
Flaky, fruity, and just sweet enough, these danishes prove a homemade pastry can be genuinely easy.
Berry Danish Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 35 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 danishes
- ⚡ Calories: 439kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery, flaky pastry with sweet berries and tangy cream cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our fresh strawberry dump cake
Quick Answer
To make a Berry Danish, cut thawed puff pastry into rectangles and score a border around each one. Spread a sweetened cream cheese filling in the center, top with cornstarch thickened berry preserves and fresh berries, then add a brown sugar crumble. Brush the edges with egg wash, bake at 400 degrees F for 13 to 15 minutes until golden, and finish with a powdered sugar glaze.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Puff pastry does the hard part. Store bought puff pastry bakes up impossibly flaky and golden, so you get a bakery quality danish with none of the laminating and folding.
- Scoring builds a wall. Cutting a shallow border around each rectangle lets the edges puff up tall while the center stays low to cradle the filling.
- Cornstarch sets the berries. A little cornstarch stirred into the warmed preserves thickens the berry layer so it stays put instead of running off the pastry.
- Cream cheese balances the sweetness. A tangy cheesecake style center keeps the danish from tasting one note sweet and adds a rich, smooth contrast to the jammy berries.
- Egg wash gives the shine. Brushing the borders with egg wash before baking is what gives the pastry that glossy, golden, professional finish.
- The glaze ties it together. A simple powdered sugar and milk glaze drizzled over the top adds the final touch of sweetness and that classic danish look.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bakery style at home. These look like they came from a fancy pastry case but use simple, easy to find ingredients.
- Ready in about 35 minutes. From puff pastry to glazed and gorgeous, these come together faster than a trip to the bakery.
- Totally customizable. Swap in any berries you love, just like you can with our easy lemon blueberry poke cake.
Key Ingredients
Here is a look at what goes into these berry danishes. A few pantry staples plus fresh berries and puff pastry are all you need.
- Puff Pastry: Thaw it in the fridge so it stays cold and easy to handle. Cold pastry puffs the best and holds its shape in the oven.
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat block cream cheese, softened, for the smoothest, richest filling. It mashes together with sugar and vanilla in seconds.
- Triple Berry Preserves: A jar of triple berry preserves gives the filling instant flavor. Warming it loosens it up so the cornstarch and fresh berries stir in easily.
- Fresh Berries: Blueberries, raspberries, and sliced strawberries add juicy pops of real fruit. Use any mix you love, similar to our Golden Oreo strawberry cheesecake bars.
- Crumble Topping: Brown sugar, butter, and flour come together into a quick crumble that bakes into sweet, crunchy clusters on top.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These berry danishes are easy to make your own. Here are a few simple ways to switch them up.
- Single berry: Use all blueberries, all raspberries, or all strawberries instead of the triple mix.
- Different preserves: Swap the triple berry preserves for cherry, apricot, or strawberry to change the whole flavor.
- Skip the cream cheese: Leave out the cheesecake layer for a simpler, fruit only danish.
- Add a citrus glaze: Stir a little lemon or orange juice into the glaze instead of milk for a bright finish.
- Make it nutty: Sprinkle sliced almonds over the crumble before baking, like the crunch in our bakery style pistachio muffins.
How to Make Berry Danish
- Thaw the puff pastry, then cut each sheet into 6 rectangles. Score a 1/2 inch border around each one and poke the centers a few times with a fork.
- Mash the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla together with a fork until smooth and creamy.
- Spread about a tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into the center of each pastry, staying inside the scored border.
- Warm the berry preserves, stir in the cornstarch until dissolved, then fold in the fresh blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
- Spoon the berry filling over the cream cheese on each pastry, keeping it inside the border.
- Mix the brown sugar, butter, and flour into a crumble, scatter it over the berries, then brush the borders with egg wash.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 13 to 15 minutes until puffed and golden, then whisk the powdered sugar and milk into a smooth glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled danishes and serve them warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Keep the puff pastry cold. Work quickly and pop it back in the fridge if it gets soft, since cold pastry puffs higher and holds its shape.
- Do not overfill. A tablespoon of cream cheese and a small spoonful of berries per pastry is plenty; too much filling leaks over the edges.
- Stay inside the border. Keep all the fillings within the scored rectangle so the edges can puff up into a frame.
- Watch them closely after 13 minutes. Ovens vary, so pull them as soon as the edges are deep golden and puffed.
- Let them cool before glazing. Glaze slides right off a hot pastry, so give them a few minutes on a wire rack first.
- Glaze should be thick but pourable. Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and add more a little at a time until it drizzles off the whisk.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These berry danishes are made for a lazy weekend breakfast or brunch spread. Serve them warm alongside a pot of coffee and a platter of our banana cream cheese muffins and easy crescent roll cinnamon rolls for a spread that feels like a real bakery.
They are also a gorgeous addition to a holiday morning or baby shower table. Pair them with fresh fruit, a strawberry cheesecake bundt cake, and a few raspberry no bake cheesecake bites so there is something for everyone.
For dessert, warm a danish slightly and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. They are just as at home after dinner as they are first thing in the morning, much like our easy lemon blueberry poke cake.
Berry Danish FAQs
Yes. You can assemble the berry danishes up to the point of baking, cover, and refrigerate them overnight, then bake them fresh in the morning, adding a minute or two to the bake time. They also keep well baked and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Store leftover berry danish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let them come to room temperature or warm them in a 300 degree F oven for a few minutes to bring back the flaky texture before serving.
Yes, berry danish freezes well. Freeze the baked, unglazed pastries in a single layer, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven from frozen and add the glaze after warming.
Fresh blueberries, raspberries, and sliced strawberries are the classic triple berry combination, but blackberries work beautifully too. Use any mix you love, and frozen berries can work in a pinch if you thaw and drain them well first.
No, the cream cheese filling is optional. It adds a rich, tangy cheesecake layer, but you can leave it out for a simpler fruit only berry danish. The pastry, berries, crumble, and glaze are delicious on their own.
A soggy berry danish usually means there was too much filling or the berries released extra juice. Stick to about a tablespoon of cream cheese and a small spoonful of berries per pastry, and be sure to stir the cornstarch into the warm preserves so the berry layer sets up.
Want another easy breakfast bake to add to the weekend lineup? Our Banana Cream Cheese Muffins come together just as fast and disappear just as quickly.
Easy Berry Danish with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
For the cream cheese filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the berry filling
- 1/2 cup triple berry preserves
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
- 2/3 cup fresh raspberries
- 2/3 cup fresh sliced strawberries
For the crumble topping
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
For assembly
- 1 large egg
- splash of water
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, line two large sheet trays with parchment paper, and set them aside.
- Place one sheet of puff pastry on a clean work surface. Cut along the folds of the pastry, so you have 3 pieces. Cut these pieces in half, so you now have 6 rectangles. Place these on your prepared sheet tray not touching each other. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.2 sheets puff pastry
- Score each pastry about ½ inch to ¾ inch around the border of the rectangle with a paring knife.
- Poke a few holes with a fork into the pastry, but just in the center of the smaller rectangle you scored.
- For the cream cheese filling, place the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl, and mash everything together with a fork to combine.8 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Evenly distribute the cream cheese filling into the center of the pastries and smooth it out, making sure you do not go into the outer border of the pastry. It will be about a tablespoon of the filling per pastry.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the berry preserves and microwave for 15-30 seconds until loosened up. Stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Add the blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, stir, so the berries are coated.1/2 cup triple berry preserves, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, 2/3 cup fresh blueberries, 2/3 cup fresh raspberries, 2/3 cup fresh sliced strawberries
- Top with the berry filling, again keeping inside the border.
- For the crumble topping, mix together the brown sugar and butter in a medium sized bowl until combined. Add in the flour, and using a fork, stir it together until all of the flour is moistened, and the mixture is crumbly. Add the crumble over the berry filling.3 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and splash of water. With a pastry brush, brush the outer border of the exposed puff pastry with the egg wash.1 large egg, splash of water
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown and the edges are puffed. Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool.
- While the pastries are cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. The glaze should be thick yet pourable. Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and add up to another tablespoon to your desired consistency.1 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- Drizzle the glaze evenly over the pastries. Serve immediately while warm or let cool completely.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- Use any combination of berries you like.
- This reheats and freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Skip the cream cheese filling if you wish.
- This makes a terrific make-ahead breakfast option, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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it was amazing