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Flaky Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish with Puff Pastry

Pumpkin cream cheese danish made with flaky puff pastry bakes up golden around a smooth, spiced pumpkin filling. Finish each pastry with a simple milk glaze after cooling.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 300
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pastry
  • 1 sheet (8.6 oz) puff pastry frozen; thawed according to package directions
Filling and egg wash
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 egg large, separated (yolk for filling; white for egg wash)
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.13 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.13 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp water
Glaze
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp milk

Equipment

  • 1 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet

Method
 

Prepare the pastry
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Line a 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Unfold the puff pastry and cut it into 6 equal rectangles.
  4. Arrange the rectangles on the prepared baking sheet.
Make the filling and egg wash
  1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth.
  2. Mix in the pumpkin, egg yolk, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with the water.
Assemble and bake
  1. Score a 1/2-inch border around each pastry rectangle without cutting all the way through.
  2. Prick the centers several times with a fork.
  3. Divide the filling among the pastry centers.
  4. Brush the borders with the egg-white mixture.
  5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is well puffed and deep golden brown and the filling looks set.
  6. Let the pastries cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Make the glaze
  1. Whisk the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth.
  2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pastries.

Notes

For the flakiest result, work with the puff pastry while it is cold. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days; freeze unglazed pastries and add the glaze after thawing. For a dairy-free option, use dairy-free cream cheese and milk and check that the puff pastry is dairy-free.