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Honey & Thyme Plum Danishes

Golden, flaky puff pastry filled with vanilla cream cheese and fanned ripe plums, finished with a drizzle of honey and fresh thyme.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Danish
Keyword: cheese danish, plum danish
Servings: 10 danishes
Calories: 363kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • Rolling Pin
  • 5-inch round cutter
  • Fork
  • Parchment Paper
  • Baking Sheets
  • Pastry Brush
  • Cooling Rack

Ingredients

For the Puff Pastry:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 300 g
  • 1 tsp baking powder 3 g
  • ¾ tsp fine sea salt 5 g
  • 1 2/3 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed 370 g
  • 3/4 cup cold vanilla Greek yogurt 180 g

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 3 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Lemon Zested
  • Pinch of salt

For the Topping:

  • 4 medium ripe plums thinly sliced
  • 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
  • 2 tbsp honey for drizzling
  • Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Make the puff pastry dough

  • Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
  • Scatter the cold, cubed butter over the flour mixture. Pulse in short bursts until the butter is broken down to roughly pea-sized pieces — some larger bits are okay and even desirable.
  • Add the cold vanilla Greek yogurt and pulse just until the dough begins to clump together — don’t overmix.
  • Dump the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Gently press and shape it into a rough ball. Flatten slightly.
  • Roll the dough into a rectangle. Fold it like a letter (top third down, bottom third up). Rotate 90°, roll out again, and repeat the fold once more. This creates flaky layers. Make sure to keep flouring the counter and your rolling pin to prevent sticking. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour before using.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.

Roll and cut the pastry

  • Roll chilled pastry to 1/4" thick. Cut out ten 5-inch rounds.
  • Lightly score a ¼–½" border on each round and dock the centers with a fork. Chill rounds while preparing filling.

Make the cream cheese filling

  • Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt until smooth.

Assemble the danishes

  • Spread a spoonful of filling in the center of each pastry, staying within the scored border.
  • Fan plum slices neatly over the cream cheese.
  • Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to reharden the butter. This prevents the butter from leaking out of the dough while they're baking.

Bake

  • Bake for 25–30 minutes at 400° , or until the pastry is golden and puffed.

Finish

  • While still warm, drizzle with honey and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Rough Puff Pastry is based on the recipe from the amazing cookbook "Baking By Hand"