Puff Pastry Danishes are the easiest desserts to make even for beginner bakers. These Mulberry Puff Pastry Danishes are the perfect fun-size dessert made with an easy cheesecake filling and fresh mulberries. The pink glaze is naturally colored with a few drops of mulberry juice. If you can't find mulberries, use blackberries or blueberries instead.
Puff pastry danishes
Mulberry trees can be found all over the world, and their fruits are absolutely delicious! If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some ripe mulberries, you should definitely try making these danishes. They are a wonderful, easy to make mulberry dessert.
The rich cheesecake filling in these danishes has just the right amount of sweetness and works so well with the flaky puff pastry dough. The fresh sweet mulberries get even sweeter and juicier when they are baked, and the pink and white sugar glaze made with fresh lime juice adds a lovely zest sweetness and gorgeous color to the pastries. These puff pastry danishes are ready in just over a half hour and make a great dessert that everyone will love and be impressed by.
Related recipe: Mulberry Muffins
These danishes will keep well for up to two days - store them in a cool area in an airtight container.
Make sure you read the post below for more information about how to make these wonderful mulberry pastries, and for more information about mulberries themselves.
Related recipe: Mulberry Ice Cream
How to make mulberry puff pastry danishes:
These mulberry puff pastry desserts are as easy as homemade desserts get: thaw some frozen puff pastry while you prepare the cream cheese filling.
Unroll the puff pastry, cut it into squares, then add a spoonful of the cream cheese filling to the middle of each square. Top with fresh mulberries and bake.
While the danishes are baking, prepare the sugar glaze. I like making glaze with lime juice instead of water for a bit of extra flavor and zing. I find that the lime juice and powdered sugar really balance each other out, as opposed to making glaze with water or milk. You can make a regular sugar glaze, or try making a pink sugar glaze from the mulberries: just squeeze a few mulberries into the sugar glaze to add some color.
If you want to make your own puff pastry instead of buying it frozen, check out this great step by step tutorial with lots of pictures: how to make puff pastry.
Related recipe: Puff Pastry Toaster Strudel
What you'll need for this recipe:
Aside from the obvious (such as all the ingredients and a large baking sheet), you'll need a few tools for this recipe:
- Definitely use a non-stick spray on the baking sheet so that the puff pastry doesn't stick to it. Any neutral one will do. I love using this coconut oil spray because it smells great but doesn't ultimately add any flavor after the puff pastries are done baking.
- A mixer. A stand mixer is easiest because it does all the work for you. A KitchenAid mixer would obviously be the #1 choice in any kitchen but you don't need anything that hardcore for this recipe. A cheaper Sunbeam mixer works just as well for this recipe. This is the one I've had for years and it's served me well. It won't handle really tough dough but it works for 99% of my mixer needs. Plus it has detachable mixer if I ever need a hand mixer. A hand mixer would also work for this recipe.
- A citrus squeezer. Using fresh lime juice for this recipe will give the glaze a fresher flavor. It's super easy to squeeze a lime so I always have some in my fridge and use this citrus squeezer almost daily.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder: I prefer using vanilla bean powder over vanilla extract. I love the tiny brown specks of vanilla that it adds to recipes and I find the flavor of the vanilla bean powder really comes through, while vanilla extract sometimes gets lost in the overall flavor of the recipe. If you want to give vanilla bean powder a try, look for pure ground vanilla beans without sugar or any other additives, such as this one here.
More puff pastry recipes to try: Brie & Pear Puff Pastry Appetizer
When are mulberries in season?
Depending on your location, mulberries are ripe anywhere from April to August. In warmer climates mulberries are ready for picking as early as April - that's how I got my hands on a large bucket of mulberries here in the Bahamas. In colder weather, mulberries can ripen anytime from June through August.
If you've ever walked around and seen those purple berry stains all over the sidewalk, there's a good chance that's a ripe mulberry tree.
More easy puff pastry fruit desserts you'll love: Pineapple Puffs
Where to find fresh mulberries:
The problem with mulberries is that they don't last long after they ripen. And there is only a short window of time from the time they ripen on the tree until they all fall off the tree and get too mushy to collect. So it can be tricky to get your hands on fresh mulberries - you need to find those mulberries at just the right time.
If you've got a mulberry tree in your yard, you are SO LUCKY. Just lay down a plastic table cloth (such as these, or from any dollar store) all around the tree to collect the mulberries as they ripen and fall off the tree, so that they don't fall on the ground and get dirty. Make sure to weigh down the table cloth with something heavy so it doesn't fly away.
But if you are like most people and don't have a mulberry tree in your yard, you can still find this wonderful berry! Your best bet would be a local farmer's market or a grocery store that carries local produce. Talk to the farmers or the product section workers to see if/when they will have mulberries for sale. Or honestly, stalk out a mulberry tree at a local park and pay a visit every few days once you notice the berries appear. Bring a few containers with you when the berries are ripe, and pick some mulberries! Don't put them in a plastic bag because they will get crushed and stain everything you own.
Don't use dried mulberries for this recipe. While they are a delicious snack and are great in overnight oats, they won't work in this recipe because they will just dry out further as they bake and would be too hard.
What can you substitute instead of mulberries?
If you can't find mulberries, you can use blackberries or blueberries for this recipe. Blackberries are pretty similar to mulberries both in flavor and texture. Blueberries are just absolutely delicious (especially when baked so they release their juices and get extra sweet) and work will in this danish recipe.
More Mulberry Recipes You Might Love:
If you have an abundance of fresh mulberries, here are a few mulberry recipes to help you use them up!
Mulberry Syrup
This simple mulberry syrup recipe can be used on top of pancakes, breakfast grits, or to make mulberry iced tea or mojitos.
Mulberry Mojitos
A fruity refreshing twist on the classic mojito, you'll LOVE this gorgeous recipe! Make this with fresh mulberries or with mulberry syrup.
Mulberry Iced Tea
Cool off with a refreshing glass of Mulberry Green Iced Tea - it's so fruity, light, and delicious!
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below! I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to save it for later on Pinterest:
Mulberry Puff Pastry Danishes
Ingredients
- non-stick baking spray
- 8 oz cream cheese - , softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg - , separated into yolk and egg white
- 2 tablespoons lime juice - (from 1 lime), divided
- 1 pinch vanilla bean powder - (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1-2 tablespoons white flour
- 1 lb puff pastry - (2 sheets), thawed but cold
- 1 cup fresh mulberries - , divided
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller baking sheets) with non-stick spray.
- Using a stand-up mixer, whisk together the cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, egg yolk (reserve the egg white for step 3!), 1 teaspoon lime juice, and a pinch of vanilla bean powder until smooth and creamy.
- In a small bowl, combine the egg white and 1 teaspoon water, and mix.
- Dust your working surface with a bit of flour. Carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry over the flour. (Place the other sheet in the fridge while working, to keep it cold) Cut the puff pastry into 9 pieces. Place about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling in the center of each puff pastry square and flatten the cream cheese with the back of the spoon.
- Fold in the corners of each puff pastry to make an octagon. Place 5-6 mulberries in the center of each danish (make sure you save 4-5 berries for step 7 to make the pink glaze!). Brush the exposed puff pastry dough with the egg white wash.
- Carefully transfer each danish onto the baking sheet, and bake for 17-21 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cream cheese filling is set.
- White the puff pastries are baking: In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining lime juice (almost 2 tablespoons) and ¾ cup powdered sugar until a smooth glaze forms. Split the glaze into 2 bowls (optional, see notes). Use your fingers to squeeze 3-4 mulberries into one of the bowls and mix well (or squeeze the berries between two spoons to keep your hands cleaner). Drizzle the mulberry danishes with both the pink glaze and the white glaze.
Notes
- It is essential that the puff pastry stays cold while you are forming the danishes. Otherwise it will get sticky and hard to work with.
- You can use vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract.
- You can skip the egg white wash if you're feeling lazy.
- Pink and white glaze: You can split the powdered sugar + lime glaze into two bowls and dye one pink by squeezing a few mulberries into it. Or you can dye the whole glaze pink - your choice! Squeeze more mulberries into the glaze for a more intense pink/purple color, or just one or two for a lighter pink.
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Curtis Price
Sunday 12th of March 2023
I made these and the puff pastry for the first time, yesterday, 03-11-23. They were a hit! Made them exactly like the recipe said, with the pink and white glaze’s. Will definitely make them again!
Sharnie
Friday 29th of October 2021
I've just made these little Danishes....they are amazing!
Kate
Monday 1st of November 2021
I'm so glad you like them! Enjoy!
Roslia Santamaria
Thursday 9th of May 2019
It looks very yummy.Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe with us.