Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish

This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish recipe starts with store-bought puff pastry, so you get bakery-style pastries at home without making dough from scratch. Each one bakes up flaky and golden, with a tangy cream cheese layer, spiced pumpkin on top, and a drizzle of cinnamon glaze.

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish

Step 1: Make the Two Fillings

Start with the pumpkin filling. In a medium bowl, stir or whisk together the pumpkin purée, light brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher or sea salt.

Next, beat a large egg in a small bowl. You’ll only need half of it here, about 1½ tablespoons. Whisk it into the pumpkin mixture until smooth, and save the rest for the egg wash. One egg covers both jobs.

Tip: This recipe uses only part of a can of pumpkin purée. Some of my favorite ways to use up the rest are Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup, and Pumpkin Granola.

For the cream cheese filling, put the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

The lemon juice won’t make the filling taste citrusy. It just adds a little tang to balance the rich cream cheese and the sweet, spiced pumpkin.

You can mix the cream cheese filling by hand with a spoon, but I like to beat it with a hand mixer. It’s faster, and the filling comes out completely smooth and creamy.

Step 2: Roll and Cut the Puff Pastry

Unfold one thawed sheet onto parchment paper or a lightly floured surface and gently roll it into a 10½-inch square.

I tested several sizes while developing this recipe, up to 12 inches, and found that 10½ inches to be the sweet spot. The pastry is sturdy enough for the fillings and still bakes into crisp, flaky layers around the edges.

Cut the square into four equal pieces, each a little over 5 inches. Place them a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It’s easier to assemble them on the baking sheet than to move the danishes once they’re filled.

Fold each corner of a square in toward the center, about ¾- to 1 inch and gently press the points down so they stay in place. Those folded corners puff up higher than the center as they bake, forming a frame that helps hold the filling in place.

Step 3: Fill the Danishes

Add a dollop of cream cheese filling to the middle of the pastry. Spread it out a little with the back of a spoon, leaving about ¾ inch of pastry uncovered around the edges. 

Then, top it with a dollop of pumpkin filling and spread it lightly over the cream cheese. Leave a border of cream cheese filling visible around the pumpkin layer.

You don’t have to be exact, but try to divide the fillings as evenly as you can. The ¾-inch pastry border matters. The fillings spread as the danishes bake, and the bare edge keeps them from running off the pastry.

A spoon works fine, but after testing many batches, I found that cookie scoops are the easiest way to portion the fillings across the full batch. For the cream cheese, I use a #40 scoop, filled just slightly over level. For the pumpkin, I use a #60 scoop, lightly rounded.

If the pastry gets soft: If the dough feels warm or turns floppy while you work, chill the danishes for 10 to 15 minutes before baking. If you assemble them fairly quickly and don’t over-handle the dough, you won’t need to.

Step 4: Add the Egg Wash and Coarse Sugar

One last step before your danishes head to the oven: an egg wash for a deep, golden finish. Brush the exposed edges of the pastry with the leftover beaten egg.

Then sprinkle the edges with turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw, for sparkle, crunch, and a subtle hint of molasses. Coarse white sparkling sugar works too, and it gives them a little extra shimmer.

Step 5: Bake One Sheet at a Time (and Repeat)

Bake at 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes, until the danishes are puffed and deep golden brown on the bottom and sides. They’ll puff up a lot in the oven, then settle as they cool.

Don’t be tempted to pull them early. Puff pastry can look done on top while it’s still raw in the center. Look for deep color on the edges, bottom, and sides of the layers. Be sure the pastry around the filling looks dry and flaky, not doughy.

Why bake times vary: Timing depends on how accurately your oven runs, how much heat your baking sheet conducts (thin, dark pans brown faster than heavy, light-colored ones), and how cold the pastry is when it goes in. Start checking at 18 minutes, but go by color, not the timer.

When the first batch is almost finished baking, roll, fill, and egg-wash the second puff pastry sheet the same way. 

Bake the danishes on a second parchment-lined baking sheet, or let the first pan cool completely before reusing it.

Let the danishes cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then, move them to a wire rack to prepare for their cinnamon-glazed finish.

Step 6: Glaze the Danishes

In a small bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, whole milk, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Don’t skip sifting the powdered sugar. It’s the best way to keep little lumps out of the glaze.

Measuring the powdered sugar: For the most consistent glaze, weigh the sifted powdered sugar. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, your next best bet is the spoon-and-sweep method: gently spoon the sifted sugar into a measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife.

If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add more milk a few drops at a time, or a little extra powdered sugar if it seems too thin. For more on making glazes, see my Powdered Sugar Glaze post.

Wait until the danishes are just slightly warm or at room temperature before glazing them. Otherwise, the glaze will melt into the pastry instead of setting. Dip a fork or mini whisk into the glaze and drizzle it back and forth over each one.

More Fall Bakes To Try

• Pumpkin Custard Pie
• Caramel Apple Walnut Hand Pies
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Bourbon Apple Crisp

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