Pear Chocolate Cream Cheese Danishes
20 Minute Pear Chocolate Cream Cheese Danishes celebrate the most under celebrated fruit of fall – the pear! Slightly sweet and utterly delicious sprinkled with chocolate, these are great for breakfast or for dessert!
Dish Count :: 1 Baking Sheet, Rolling Pin, Mixer or Bowl
You know what’s worst than being sore the first day back into a hard workout routine? The second day soreness of being back into a really hard workout routine! But I’m making my New Years resolution early this year and beating the holiday cookie craze to the punch. My jeans and me are not going to battle this year, and I’m determined to be in slightly-better-swim-suit-shape in time for January when we are going to Hawaii!
*Side Note* Who gets married in January in Hawaii, right after Christmas? Oh wait, my sister. And I’m a bridesmaid, too! Bridesmaid AND bikinis – Halp!
So naturally – I give you cream cheese danishes today.
But hey they have fruit! And dairy. And uhhh, chocolate? But they’re impossibly light, and they don’t leave you feeling guilty like a traditional danish or doughnut because they aren’t fried.
Best of all they only take 20 minutes. Seriously.
Pear is the most underutilized and must underrated fruit of this season. It’s totally one of my favorites and I adore the slightly sweet and earthy flavor of them. Just as diverse as apples, you can make so many things with them if you choose the right variety.
For these ones, I used slightly under-ripe Bartlett pears that weren’t too juicy so they wouldn’t make the danishes soggy. Bartletts are my favorite, but try the others out there and find out which one is best for you.
Try these other pear and danish desserts next! We love this easy danish recipe!
Quick and Simple Cream Cheese Danish
Pear Cranberry Caramel Crumble
Pear Almond Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Pear Chocolate Cream Cheese Danishes
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Danish
Description
20 Minute Pear Chocolate Cream Cheese Danishes celebrate the most under celebrated fruit of fall – the pear! Slightly sweet and utterly delicious sprinkled with chocolate, these are great for breakfast or for dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 3 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Pear, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips, or chocolate chunks
- 1 Egg, whisked
- 3 Tbsp Water
- Powdered Sugar – for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out thawed puff pastry into a 12×9″ rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, and then cut each piece into four smaller rectangles – yielding 8 total danish rectangles.
- With a knife, score ½” border around the edge of each piece of puff pastry. Use a fork to make five or six pricks into the dough within the border of each piece. This will help keep the middle of each piece from rising.
- In a bowl, stir together softened cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract. Spoon about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of mixture into the middle of each piece of dough and spread around evenly, ensuring the mix stays within the borders.
- Into the middle of the cream cheese, add sliced pear and chocolate chips and press down into the cream cheese lightly so they set in place.
- In a small dish or cup, whisk together the egg and water. Using a pastry brush – brush the edges of the puff pastry with the mixture. This will help the edges turn golden brown and crispy.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown, on the middle rack and rotate the baking sheet half way through baking.
- Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Keywords: Pear, Chocolate, Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Easy, Recipe
Bridesmaids and Bikinis sounds like the name of a new reality TV show!! Love love love these danishes. I’ve got pears on the blog today too. They are totally under-rated, but I love ’em!
Totally bikini appropriate!
Um, you are taking me with you. For reals. Now, gimme these danishes!!
I mean…. 20 minutes for danishes? Heck yeah!
This is a danish that I could get behind! Absolutely love the pear with chocolate.
I swear your blog is my new favorite! Your photos are mouthwatering and your recipes are to die for. This looks SOOOO delicious! You can’t beat cream cheese and chocolate in the same package 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Dessert and breakfast, these are awesome!!
Man, I love puff pastry sheets. Pretty sure if I had one in my freezer now I’d be running out to make these! And I’m with you on the soreness after workouts. Sheesh on the second day I wonder why I bother. But then, I look at all the wonderful pastries, cakes, cookies etc. I’m yet to make and eat and realise I have to workout 🙁
I DIE for pears this time of year, more than any other fruit. And I agree, I think they are totally under appreciated! The chocolate + pear here is just…ahhhh…perfect.
Oh how delicious! I love a great cream cheese danish, and to top it with a fall favorite fruit and chocolate…can’t go wrong!!
I looooove a cheese danish. But, a cheese danish with pears and CHOCOLATE?!? Lady, you’re speaking my language.
That sounds like so much fun! And it’s the perfect time of year to flee Seattle and head for a warm climate.
And these danishes are gorgeous!
In my home, pears are cherished like rubies or gold. And, I love cheese danish. I cannot wait to try this recipe. Thanks and Happy Thursday, Megan 🙂
This looks totally doable and the flavor combo sounds fantastic!
What gorgeous danishes! Love these flavors!
Bridesmaids and bikinis sound like a new reality show, but pear choco danishes definitely a dream comes true….
I totally agree, pears are far too underrated! Love the pear + chocolate + cream cheese combo in these easy danishes!
I would not be able to resist the urge to eat at least two of these. They look amazing. Hawaii sounds like an amazing vacation.
Cream cheese, chocolate, pear, and pastry? Yes please! Hawaii in January sounds like perfection 🙂
I love baking with pears!!! and agree with you. . pears need some more love . . they are so beautiful and delicious. . love these pear chocolate cream cheese danishes!! and Hawaii in January?! you can do it, yo. . and hey, don’t forget. . one pieces have made a comeback! 😛
What a gorgeous recipe!
This looks fantastic! I thought i bought puff pastry sheets, but came home with puff pastry shells. What do I do with those? Went back and found Aussie brand puff pastry sheets, only they come in 9×9 sheets. What are the starting dimensions of your sheets before you roll them into a 12×9″ rectangle? Should I roll my 9×9 sheets, or just leave them and make them into 4 – 4 1/2″ squares? Thank you!
This looks fantastic! I thought i bought puff pastry sheets, but came home with puff pastry shells. What do I do with those? Went back and found Aussie brand puff pastry sheets, only they come in 9×9 sheets. What are the starting dimensions of your sheets before you roll them into a 12×9″ rectangle? Should I roll my 9×9 sheets, or just leave them and make them into 4 – 4 1/2″ squares? Thank you!
Hi Kathleen!! Sorry I just saw your comment! You could probably use the shells in a fun new way and just fill the divot with the cream cheese and fruit and bake! I haven’t tried it that way, but it’s possible I bet! I roll my 9×9 square Pepperridge Farm brand puff pastry into 12×9 inch rectangles to get the 4-4 1/2″ size. It makes the puff pastry a little thinner which is nice, so it doesn’t get too puffy. But you could probably just bake smaller versions without rolling out the pastry from it’s 9×9 inch size. The final danishes will just be puffier and taller. Give it a go and see what comes out!! 🙂 You can do it!!
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