Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cheese Danish

If you’ve got holiday leftovers, make these Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cheese Danish, topped with orange flavored icing. This crowd-pleasing pastry uses a half cup of leftover cranberry sauce to make an incredible breakfast or dessert!

Author: Project Meal Plan

Meal Type: Peanuts Free

Cuisine: Other

Difficulty: MEDIUM

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6 pastries

Calories: 428 kcal per serving

Ingredients

1 sheet - puff pastry
1 - egg
4 ounces - cream cheese
1 - navel orange
2 tablespoons - granulated sugar
¼ tsp - vanilla extract
1 pinch - salt
½ cup - leftover cranberry sauce
1 tsp - cornstarch
⅔ cup - powdered sugar
1 tbsp - orange juice

Instructions

Prepare the pastry: Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a rimmed half sheet pan with parchment paper. Unfold the puff pastry and lay it on a clean flat surface. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the sheet into six even sized rectangles. You can use the original fold lines as a guide to cut into thirds, then cut each third in half. Next, use a knife to gently score (but not cut!) around the edge of each rectangle, making a border approximately 1/2 inch wide. This acts a guide for fillings and helps the edges rise. Place the rectangles evenly spaced on the sheet pan.
Egg wash: Separate the egg white and egg yolk if not done so already. Set the yolk aside for later. Whisk the egg white with 1 tablespoon of the orange juice to make the egg wash. Use a pastry brush to apply egg wash to the border of each pastry rectangle.
Mix the fillings: In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, egg yolk, 1/2 of the orange zest, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Mix until smooth (it’s okay if there are a few small lumps). In another small mixing bowl, combine the cranberry sauce with 1 tablespoon orange juice, remaining orange zest, and cornstarch. Mix until well combined. Save the remaining orange juice for the icing.
Add toppings: Divide the cream cheese mixture between the six pastry rectangles. Spread it out inside the center rectangle, keeping within the scored border lines created earlier. Next, divide the cranberry sauce mixture between the six pastry rectangles by adding a scoop on top of the cream cheese. Spread it out a bit but let the cream cheese peek out the sides.
Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown to your liking. The cream cheese portion will deflate slightly as they cool, which is expected. Use a flat spatula to transfer to a cooling rack.
Make the icing: While the danish cool, make the icing. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon orange juice, then mix until a thin icing forms. Add additional 1/2 tablespoons of orange juice as needed, mixing in between. If you run out of orange juice, use milk or cream. The icing should drizzle off the spoon in a thin but constant stream.
Serve and store: Once cooled for at least 15 minutes, drizzle the icing on top of each danish and serve while still slightly warm. Leftover danish can be stored covered on the counter for up to 2 days.

Nutrition