Copycat Starbucks Cream Cheese Danish Recipe

If your weekly routine includes a stop (or seven) at your local Starbucks, then you've probably experimented with some of their food offerings alongside your latte. While picking up a muffin or croissant is the norm, the coffee chain also sells a decadent danish with a cream cheese center. The combination of flaky, golden layers and soft, browned cheese is enough to have you coming back daily. But, what if you've got a craving for the cheesy danish and the café is closed? Not to mention, with the pastries coming in at over $3 a pop, your coffee and danish habit can add up fast. 

Thankfully, Mashed recipe developer Christina Musgrave created a copycat Starbucks cream cheese danish recipe that she confirms "tastes just like the Starbucks version for a fraction of the price." Her recipe yields six pastries, which makes it great for sharing — you're not the only person who loves the Starbucks treat! Musgrave says, "I love that these danishes are super easy to make with just a few ingredients." Indeed, your cream cheese pastry dreams can become a reality with five simple items.

For this recipe, start by thawing a sheet of premade puff pastry and letting some cream cheese soften. Then, get granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut puff pastry into 6 rectangles approximately 3 by 5 inches each and place on a baking sheet.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir well, until combined.

Spoon mixture into the center of each puff pastry rectangle.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy.

If you're used to picking up this flaky treat at Starbucks, then you've probably already enjoyed it with coffee. Musgrave agrees this is a good choice and comments, "This would go great with coffee drinks — cappuccino, latte, or iced coffee would be great." If coffee's not your thing, then a milky black tea or herbal concoction is sure to pair well, too. Of course, if it's mid-summer, a refreshing, fruity beverage would be a nice option to wash down this creamy pastry. 

While these copycat Starbucks cream cheese danishes are perfect exactly the way they are, feel free to serve them with something extra if desired. "You could definitely add jam or jelly to these," Musgrave suggests and says, "That would be delicious." Your cream cheese danishes will get an instant gourmet boost much like you would when you serve a cheese board with sweet and tangy spreads.

There are so many types of pastry dough around, including shortcrust, pie pastry, various versions of puff pastry, and phyllo. Since the aim of Musgrave's recipe is to be a copy of the original Starbucks danish, she suggests sticking with the chain's choice of puff pastry. Puff pastry is light and flaky with a perfectly crunchy exterior and delicate layers on the inside. Alternatives just won't offer that delightful consistency nor the contrast to the rich and creamy cheese filling. 

That being said, Musgrave proposes, "If you're feeling ambitious, you could make your own puff pastry!" To be fair, homemade puff pastry doesn't require much in the way of ingredients (flour, water, butter, and salt), but it's certainly a bit of a tedious process. Unless you're looking for the next pastry technique to master, the boxed stuff will do just fine.

Really, you're unlikely to have leftovers if you invite one or two other people to share these delicious copycat Starbucks cream cheese pastries with you. They aren't that big, and the flaky puff pastry has the effect of feeling light and airy as you scarf down a danish (or three). However, if you live alone or don't like sharing, then you can hold onto these for a few days — just don't expect them to be as crunchy and flaky on day three. 

Musgrave instructs to "just store leftovers in an airtight plastic bag or container on the counter." Keep in mind that these pastries involve cream cheese, so consider using half a pastry sheet and only making enough to consume in a short period of time if you don't think you'll get through them fast or if your kitchen runs hot.