A Sugar Plum Cheese Danish is a puff pastry shell with a filling of sweetened cream cheese, plum preserves and warm spices. It’s a festive treat that is sure to bring a bit of nostalgia to your next holiday party or gathering.
This post contains affiliate links. See our Disclosure Statement for more information.
One of my favorite pastries to order at Starbucks is the cheese danish, but come the fall and winter season, I am counting down the days until the Sugar Plum Cheese Danish is back on the menu.
If you are as impatient as I am, you can easily make these little delights at home to enjoy any time you want, any time of the year.
This recipe is made with store-bought puff pastry, plum preserves, sweetened cream cheese, and warm spices.
Sugar plum is such an overlooked, nostalgic holiday flavor. Maybe one day it will once again become as popular as gingerbread, and our recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes. These danishes are a good start to bringing it back!
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe is very easy to make. It uses store-bought puff pastry and plum preserves to simplify the process. You just need to cut the puff pastry, whip the cream cheese and sugar and stir some spices into the jam before assembling and baking.
These danishes have a delicious, nostalgic flavor of spiced plum jam along with sweet cream cheese and flaky puff pastry. They can be served just about anytime of the day for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or as an appetizer or party finger food.
They are perfect for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature): I recommend using full fat cream cheese.
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plum preserves (or jam): I use Bonne Maman.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
The full recipe and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prep!
Set the puff pastry out to thaw about an hour before you begin preparing the recipe.
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Create!
Cut the puff pastry into 9 equal squares. You can roll it out some, if needed.
Press a square of dough into one standard size cupcake pan well. Repeat with the remaining 8 squares.
Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the 9 puff pastry cups and press it down some.
Mix the plum preserves, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together until blended.
Top each puff pastry cup with 1 heaping teaspoon of the preserves.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is lightly golden. Keep a close eye on the pastry after about 12 minutes. Because the pastry puffs up, the jam can run over the sides and burn if left to cook too long. You want to pull the danishes out of the oven as soon as the pastry is starting to turn golden.
Present!
Allow to cool some before serving.
Tips and Techniques
- Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature about an hour before you begin.
- You can buy plum preserves or jam, or you can make your own. The plum jam can be substituted with other flavors such as raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 5 to 7 days.
More Holiday Treats
Love this Sugar Plum Cheese Danish recipe? Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!
If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!
Sugar Plum Cheese Danish
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (full fat, at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plum preserves (or jam)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut the puff pastry into 9 equal squares. You can roll it out some, if needed.
- Press a square of dough into one standard size cupcake pan well. Repeat with the remaining 8 squares.
- Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the 9 puff pastry cups and press it down some.
- Mix the plum preserves, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together until blended.
- Top each puff pastry cup with 1 heaping teaspoon of the preserves.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is lightly golden. Keep a close eye on the pastry after about 12 minutes. You want to pull the danishes out of the oven as soon as the pastry is starting to turn golden to prevent the jam from spilling over the edges and burning..
- Allow to cool some before serving.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature about an hour before you begin.
- You can buy plum preserves or jam, or you can make your own. The plum jam can be substituted with other flavors such as raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 5 to 7 days.
Leave a Reply