Easy Pumpkin Cheese Danish

Oh, how I love this recipe.  It's one of the easiest I've ever made and it couldn't be more delicious.  I've been making the plain cream cheese version of this recipe for years and I've just recently concocted a pumpkin spice version.  It's a perfect little parcel of fall flavors and super easy to whip up when entertaining, especially as an easy breakfast for overnight guests. 

Before I get to the recipe, I'd like to tell you about this book!  Months ago I entered the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, where any submitting food blogger with a popular voted recipe could win a chance to be published.  The winners were chosen and then announced at the International Food Blogger Conference this year, and although I wasn't in attendance to hear the good news, I was notified soon after that I would be included!

This big, beautiful cookbook is chock-full of inspiration and delicious food from all over the world.

As for the recipe, you'll need 3 sheets of puff pastry.  Each sheet is cut into 4 pieces then topped with a heaping tablespoon of filling.  On each filled square, the back of one corner is brushed with a little egg wash and the opposite corner is folded over.  Gently press the two corners together with your fingers, holding it above the filling.  Allow the fused corners to gently lay on top of the filling.  They are then egg-washed, baked, glazed and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  

Low effort - big payoff.  I love it!

Easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish

Adapted from Ina Garten's Easy Cheese Danish                                                                  [click for printable recipe]

Yield: 12 pastries

Pastry:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup canned, cooked pumpkin
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tsp. allspice or pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 sheets (1 1/2  boxes) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon milk

**extra powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, pumpkin, vanilla, salt, and spices and mix until just combined. Do not over beat!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin-cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining sheets of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.  Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, until puffed and brown.

Whisk to combine the confectioners' sugar and milk until a smooth glaze forms.  Generously drizzle the glaze over pastries and sprinkle them with additional powdered sugar (can re-heat for 10 seconds in microwave).