Keller Family Blog

Jenna, hard at work!

Who doesn’t love a sweet treat every now and then? And who loves the convenience of the Starbucks Danishes? What’s better than cooking with your family? Well, the girls and I were motivated to try a Cheese Danish recipe that we found online, and so, we made some and gave them to people in our neighborhood. Who knew how much joy this simple act would bring? It all started with the puff pastry from the store. We added some apricots on top from my dad’s friend’s garden. We delivered them to one neighbor who is going through some chemo. She quickly texted us back and said they were the most delicious things she had had, and that’s a huge compliment because she can’t taste much with all the side effects. It brought us a lot of joy, so we brought her another plateful. Then we delivered some to our neighbors who were just returning from Europe. It was a surprise that she had just written down on her grocery list that she wanted some pastries, coffee cake, or something sweet. So, when we brought the Danishes over, she was very pleased. They gave us a 10 out of 10, saying they would purchase these Danishes if we were to open up a bakery! The last delivery was to my parents, and I know my mom would have loved to sit and have coffee and tea and eat them together. Which reminds me of Grandma Margaret. Every time we would go and visit her, she would always make us tea and bring out a tin of cookies. I hope you find this recipe easy to follow and are inspired to bake for yourself or for someone else. You never know what kind of joy you can bring. As a side note, this may be the last year I have all my kids here, as Jenna is a sophomore in High School, Josie will live here until she gets married next summer, and Cade is returning to Sacramento after living in Chico for 6 years and 3 seasons with Cal Fire. He will then return to college at CSUS. I look forward to cooking, laughing, and lots of messes!

RECIPE FOR CHEESE DANISH:

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes; Total time: 25 minutes; Makes 8 pastries

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 – 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla (if using) until smooth.
3. Unroll puff pastry and, if needed, use a rolling pin to gently roll out to a rectangle approximately 9×13 inches. Cut pastry into 8 rectangles.
4. Transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between. (You might need two baking sheets.) Using a paring knife, score a smaller rectangle inside each piece of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Be careful to not cut all the way through the dough.
5. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese ixture onto each smaller rectangle. Beat together egg and water, then use a pastry brush or paper towel to brush the egg wash on the uncovered pastry edges.
6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Now, who would like to share a story and a recipe in July?