Vanilla Cream Cheese Danish

January 28, 2026
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If we are grabbing something sweet to share, theres a good chance its gonna be cream cheese danish. We both love it with a cup of coffee. There is something wonderful about that dense bready base and the sweet cream cheese filling that hits the spot.

Lately, I have been paying more attention to ingredient labels and our typical go-to store bought danish has 55 ingredients. FIFTY FIVE! Crazy, right?

Now we are talking danish not health food by any means, but when I don’t even recognize 46 of the 55 ingredients, it begins to feel a little less like a treat and more like a bad decision.

Fortunately, I have been working on a fabulous vanilla cream cheese danish with 11 ingredients (all that I can pronounce and at least have a reasonable knowledge of their origins) that tastes wonderful! If you are looking for a great danish recipe that feels just like the store bought stuff then I would love for you to give this one a try!

Let’s get started…

We are going to begin by making the dough. This is a slightly dense, chewy, sweet dough that is enriched with milk, butter and eggs. It is pretty easy to work with and requires just a little bit of kneading inside the bowl.

Start by whisking a pinch of granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast into 1/2 cup of warm milk and set it aside until the mixture is foamy.

In a large bowl (or your stand mixer if you prefer to use it), combine 2 cups of all purpose flour with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, a large egg and 4 tablespoons of softened butter.

As soon as the yeast has bloomed, add it and mix until a soft dough forms.

Knead the dough in the bowl to bring everything together and ensure that the butter is evenly distributed throughout the dough. You should have 1/4 cup of flour remaining and you can add this a little at a time as you knead if the dough feels super sticky.

This dough is very soft and tender, so avoid adding more than that last 1/4 cup of flour. Adding any more flour to this dough (and many other doughs) can make the finished product too dense or dry and we don’t want that!

Once the dough comes together, form it into a round ball and transfer it into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and rest the dough in a warm spot for an hour.

While the dough is taking a little rest, we are going to make the cream cheese filling and streusel topping, so it’s ready to go when the dough is.

- - The Streusel Topping – combine 1/4 cup of almond flour with 1/3 cup of all purpose flour, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and a few drops of almond extract in a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of cold cubed butter and use a stiff fork or pastry cutter to work the cold butter in until large crumbles form and the butter pieces are broken down small. Cover the bowl and chill the streusel for now.
  - The Vanilla Cream Cheese Filling – whisk 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a bowl until smooth and then whisk in 2/3 cup of confectioners sugar. Cover the bowl and chill the filling for now.

Now that the filling and streusel is ready to go, as soon as the dough has puffed up to double in volume, transfer it onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Gently roll the dough out into a large rectangle that is less than an inch thick throughout.

Use the back of a large spoon to gently press wells down the length of the rectangle leaving a border around the outer edge and a dividing line down the middle.

Divide the vanilla cream cheese filling between the 2 wells and spread it out evenly.

Crumble the streusel over the entire thing. Its a lot of streusel, but I always add it all and have never regretted it.

Bake the danish in a 350 degree oven for 24-26 minutes or until it is all puffy and the edges are golden brown.

Transfer the danish to a cooling rack and whisk 2-3 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract into a cup of confectioners sugar. Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the danish after it has cooled just a bit making sure to get it over the edges too.

This danish is chewy, creamy, perfectly sweet and great with a cup of coffee in the morning… or late afternoon… or late night…

If you love cream cheese danish and feel like making one for yourself at home then I would love for you to give this one a try! It gives the same vibes as the store bought version with a lot less ingredients and will leave you feeling a little bit like Martha as you slice it up.

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