There’s something extra special about a homemade Danish fresh from the oven. The sweet, soft dough, creamy cheesecake-like filling, and fruity center make these Fruit & Cream Cheese Danish Braids an irresistible treat for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon cup of coffee.
And the best part? This recipe makes four beautiful Danish braids, making it perfect for sharing. Keep one for your family and give the other three away—or freeze a couple to enjoy later!
The dough is surprisingly easy to make. Once it’s mixed and has had time to rise, simply roll it out and divide it into four portions. Each piece is filled with a sweet cream cheese mixture and your favorite fruit filling. Then comes the fun part: cutting the dough and gently braiding it over the filling before baking it until golden brown.
Choose Your Favorite Fruit
You have plenty of options when it comes to the fruit filling. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, depending on what you have available. Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, cherries, raspberries, and apples would all be delicious.
If you want to make things even easier, simply grab a can of your favorite pie filling from the pantry. Cherry, blueberry, apple, or peach pie filling makes these Danish braids incredibly simple to put together.
The cream cheese filling adds the perfect balance to the sweet fruit. It’s rich, creamy, and just sweet enough without overpowering the fruit or the tender Danish dough.
Perfect for Giving Away
These braids are also wonderful when you want to bake something homemade for friends, neighbors, teachers, or family. Since the recipe makes four, you can easily keep one and package the others up as thoughtful homemade gifts.
A freshly baked Danish braid wrapped in parchment paper or placed in a bakery box makes a simple but impressive gift.
Whether you’re making these for a weekend breakfast, a holiday brunch, or simply because you’re craving something sweet, these Homemade Fruit & Cream Cheese Danish Braids are sure to become a favorite. They look impressive, but they’re much easier to make than they appear—and everyone will think you spent all day in the kitchen!
Homemade Fruit & Cream Cheese Danish Braid
Easy homemade Fruit & Cream Cheese Danish Braid made with sweet dough, creamy filling, and your favorite fruit. Makes 4 delicious braids!
Ingredients
The Dough:
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 3/4 tsp yeast
- 2 eggs
- 8-9 cups all-purpose flour
The Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar
The Fruit Filling:
- 4 cups fruit canned, fresh or frozen
- 1-2 tbsp water or juice
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- 1-2 tbsp flour
Instructions
The Dough:
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Lightly scald the milk and butter together. Let cool to about 115 degrees F.
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In a mixer, combine sugar, salt, yeast, and 2 cups of flour.
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Slowly mix in the milk and butter. Add the 2 eggs and another 2 cups of flour.
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Mix until well combined.
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Add enough flour to make a soft dough.
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Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
The Cream Cheese Filling:
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Beat together until well combined. Set aside.
The Fruit Filling:
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Combine all in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until thickened. Set aside.
Assembly:
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Once the dough is ready, split into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to a rectangle about 18 x 12 inches.
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Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese filling in the center of each rectangle. Then apply 1/4 of your fruit filling on top of the cream cheese layer.
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On the outer 1/3 edges, slice the dough into 1/2 – 3/4 inch "fingers". Fold the fingers over the middle filling, alternating as you go along (left/right or top/bottom), then (right/left, or bottom/top).
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Place the braids onto parchment lined baking sheets and let rise for 1 hour.
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Brush the braids with an egg wash mixture of 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp water.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
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Once cooled, drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze – about 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a dash of vanilla and just enough water or milk to make a glaze.
