Danishes are always such a treat. You can fill them with just about anything. These Vegan Cream Cheese Cranberry Danishes are the perfect holiday treat.
I know what you're thinking. "Danishes are made with Puff Pastry and puff pastry is made with a ton of butter and not vegan." Thankfully Pepperidge Farms frozen puff pastry is vegan and it works like a charm. You can find it in most grocery stores in the frozen section alongside the prepared pie crust.
What kind of cranberry sauce should you use?
This is the time to use fresh cranberry sauce. Canned cranberry sauce won't work in this recipe. I actually purchased fresh cranberry sauce from my local Whole Foods. You can also use my homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe.
Can I use this recipe with other jams/jellies?
Absolutely, You can use whatever jam or jelly you like. Blueberry, Raspberry, and Strawberry are all great options. You can also make a fresh fruit compote if you like.
Helpful Tips
Make sure your cream cheese is nice and soft. I like to take it out of the fridge an hour or two before using it. This will make it easier to work with.
Make sure to carefully score your puff pastry before adding the filling to it. This will make sure the center doesn't puff up with the rest of the pastry.
Resist the urge to overfill your pastry. This can cause the filling to run all over the place while baking.
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Makes 9 Danishes
Ingredients
1 sheet of frozen Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry thawed and sliced into 4-inch rectangles.
3/4 cup of vegan cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tbsp of powdered sugar
3/4 cup of cranberry sauce
The Glaze
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400* F
Place the sliced puff pastry onto a large parchment line sheet pan at least 2 inches apart.
Use the tip of a knife to trace a small rectangle into the center of each rectangle making sure not to cut all the way through and leaving about a 1/2-inch border. This is so you can make sure to put the filling into the center of each piece of puff pastry so that the center won't puff up with the rest of the pastry.
Now add the room-temperature cream cheese and the powdered sugar to a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.
Now scoop 2 tsp of cream cheese onto the center of each piece of puff pastry making sure to spread it into an even layer. Be careful to keep the cream cheese inside of the border you created with the knife.
Now add about 2 tsp of the fresh cranberry sauce on top.
Optional - You can sprinkle the edges with sugar if you like.
Bake in the oven at 400* for about 13 minutes. The pastry should puff up and become golden brown.
Once they are done remove them from the oven and cool for about 7 minutes.
While the danishes are cooling mix the additional powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth and drizzle it all over your danishes.
Enjoy.
Tip: You can store these in an airtight container for 3 days.
