You all know I’m just as obsessed with the pumpkin spice craze as the next person (maybe even more-so, and my obsession started long before it was trendy!) but I think with all of that hype, another fall flavor combo often gets overlooked: Apple-Cinnamon! If you’re a fan of fresh pastry, but too scared to ever attempt to make your own, this is for you. Store-bought puff pastry dough (found in the freezer section of the grocery store) makes bakery quality delicacies totally doable at home. This one has both a sweet cream cheese layer, and a layer of cinnamon apples tucked away inside, with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping. If that doesn’t scream fall is here, I don’t know what does. So add this to your fall baking recipes list!
Start by rolling out your puff pastry and lining a baking sheet. Take note of the pan size in the directions, it’s a little smaller than a sheet pans most people use for cookies and baking so you might want to measure yours to make sure you’re using the right size.
Bake it in the oven and it will puff up all over. I would actually suggest using a fork to poke some holes in the pastry before baking to cut down on this a little. If not, I poked a few after and it naturally sunk back down flat.
Next, you’ll spread a cream-cheese-cheesy-cake-like mixture onto the pastry
and on top of that goes a layer of sliced apples that have been sauteed with sugar and spices.
Use the second layer of pastry to cover that all up and seal the edges.
The top gets brushed with a little milk and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar. The addition of coarse sugar is awesome here.
You can see how nice and thick those big granules of sugar are. They add an amazing sweet crunch to the finished pastry.
Once it’s baked up for a final time, it will be beautiful and golden.
Slice it up any way you like.
You can get 12 large size pastry triangles, or 24 smaller ones.
The outside is flaky and buttery, and the inside is sweet and creamy, with those sweet bites of cinnamon apples.
It’s the perfect fall goodie!
Apple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Danish
Description
Add this to your fall baking recipes! This bakery-quality danish is the perfect combination of sweet apples and creamy cheese filling.
Ingredients
- 1 17.3 ounce package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 pounds cooking apples, peeled (if desired), cored, and thinly sliced (about 7 cups)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- milk
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, unfold one pastry sheet and roll into a 15×10 inch rectangle. Transfer to the prepared baking pan, pressing pastry to edges of pan. Bake about 12 minuets or until golden (pastry will puff ad shrink from sides of pan). Cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, in an extra-large skillet heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add apples; cook about 8 minutes or until apples are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the flour, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 2 minutes more. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla just until combined. Carefully spread cream cheese mixture over baked pastry to within 1 inch of the edges. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese mixture (I did not include the syrup/juices in the apples).
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold the remaining pastry sheet and roll into a 13×10-inch rectangle (make sure pastry is large enough to completely cover apple mixture ). Place on top of apple mixture. Lightly press edges of top pastry to edges of bottom pastry. Lightly brush top pastry with milk. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in pastry to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl combine coarse sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over pastry.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until pastry is slightly puffed and golden. Cool on wire rack about 45 minutes. Serve slightly warm, or at room temp. Store leftovers in an airtight container in fridge for up to 24 hours.
My boyfriend and I went out and picked apples today and ended up with quite a few left after doing some canning. I was searching the internet for something to incorporate my leftover cream cheese with our excess of apples and found this. I’m so happy I did! I just pulled this pastry out of the oven and dished it up for the household. Everyone loves it! I will definitely be making this recipe again!
I made this last night, and it turned out great! I’m sitting here right now eating a big ol’ piece of it. Thank you! I had never used puffed pasty before, and while it was trickier than i expected to work with, it’s obviously 100 times easier than making your own pastry dough. I feel surprised I actually made this lovely treat.
I just did a Google search on “baking apples” and came out with mixed results. Would you mind letting me know what you used or which variety you recommend? I’m super excited to make danishes for the 1st time but just want to make sure I pick the best ingredients. TIA!!
I have always hd great success with baking johnagold apples. It looks like that may be what was used here.
I made this last night with Granny Smith apples and thought it turned out nice.
Crisp apples are the best. I use a mix of sweet and tart, for this recipe I went with Granny Smith and Braeburns.
I half to echo some of the other comments and just say, “Wow!”. L
Wow this looks phenomenal!
Looks wonderful! Was reading the recipe and think I’m missing something. In the first paragraph, it says to “transfer” to the pan, but doesn’t say what to transfer. One sheet of the pastry? Does it need to be rolled? Can’t wait to try this!!
Thanks so much! No one in my family likes pumpkin and I was just thinking “why does everyone neglect good ol’ apples????” 🙂
Do you think that some sliced almonds on top would work, or would they burn ??
Just when it seems like you gals have thought of everything, here you go again, readin my mind that I’m totally burned out on the pumpkin craze!!! Will be making these this weekend that is for sure!
this is crazy! i was just looking for a cream cheese danish recipe on your site a couple of weeks ago. this looks like exactly what i need. got a boy in seminary and i need a ready to go breakfast he can take with him. thanks for reading my mind! you girls are my go to for best recipes. a million thanks!!!!!
First a question-the bottom doesn’t burn when you put it in the oven the 2nd time?
Next my comment is I’ve done with with refrigerated crescent rolls and it’s amazing. I’ll have to try it next with the puff pastry.
If the bottom burned we wouldn’t have posted this recipe 😉 It’s correct as written!
Looks so delicious! Going to try this very soon:)
This is just what I’ve been craving! Making this as soon as I get some good apples at the farmer’s market!
Do you only partially bake the bottom layer before putting the cream cheese on, and then bake the top and bottom all the way? With 12 minutes for the bottom and 40 with the top, I just want to be sure I’m reading it right.
Also I buy my puff pastry in squares. Should I squash them together to make a sheet or can I do these individually?
Thank you!!
The recipe is written correctly. You can certainly experiment with smaller sizes, but this recipe is written for the larger sheets.
Wow. I was JUST looking up cream cheese danish recipes online to find a good option to the store-bought ones. Can’t wait to try it!
This homemade danish looks so yummy!! Definitely digging this recipe 🙂