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These blackberry cream cheese Danish treats will blow you away - every mouthful combines flaky buttered puff pastry hugging velvety cream cheese and topped with rich homemade blackberry curd. You'll love how the textures play together, from crunchy sugar-coated edges to soft layers and creamy filling. The bold berry taste adds brightness while the cream cheese brings a luscious richness. These fancy pastries always vanish quickly at breakfast gatherings and family meetups.
I came up with this recipe during a huge blackberry season, when saving all those berries got me playing around with fruit curds. These pastries soon became our go-to weekend breakfast, turning even the biggest breakfast haters into early birds. They've shown up at birthday celebrations instead of cake, wowed fussy pastry experts, and fit in perfectly at both lazy Sunday mornings and special events.
Essential Ingredients
- Ripe blackberries: Give stunning color and taste; you can use frozen ones when out of season
- Butter-based puff pastry: Makes for better flakiness and flavor
- Regular cream cheese: Gives the right thickness and richness
- Vanilla bean paste: Leaves pretty specks without wetting the mix
- Raw turbinado sugar: Makes sweet crunchy edges
- Squeezed lemon juice: Perks up flavors and helps the curd set right
- High-fat European butter: The extra fat makes curd turn out smoother
Whipping Up Blackberry Curd
- Getting Berries Ready:
- Wash fresh berries or melt frozen ones, saving all juices. Blend until smooth, then strain out seeds. Cook down puree in a sturdy pot until it's half its starting size. Use medium-low heat, and stir often so it won't burn.
- Making the Curd:
- Mix sugar, eggs, and lemon juice in a heat-safe bowl. Slowly add the warm berry mix. Cook everything in a clean pot over medium-low heat, always stirring until it hits 170°F and sticks to a spoon thick enough to draw a line through.
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Showing Them Off
Put these Danish treats on a raised cake plate or old-fashioned platter arranged in a round pattern. Top with fresh blackberries and mint leaves or edible flowers to make them pop with natural colors and different heights.
Changing With The Seasons
You can easily switch up this recipe all year round. Try strawberry-rhubarb curd in spring, go for fresh raspberry or blackberry in summer, or switch to spicy apple butter when fall comes around.
Keeping Them Fresh
Keep fully cooled pastries laid flat in a sealed container in your fridge for up to three days, though they'll probably get eaten way before then.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I use store-bought jam instead of making the topping myself?
- Yes, you can use blackberry jam from the store instead, though homemade filling usually tastes fresher and has a nicer consistency.
- → Can I make some parts of this ahead?
- You bet! The blackberry mixture can stay in your fridge for up to three days. You can also mix the cream cheese filling a day early.
- → Can I swap out the blackberries?
- For sure! Try it with strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. Just add more or less sugar depending on how sweet your fruit is.
- → What's the best way to keep leftovers?
- Store them in the fridge in a sealed container for up to two days. Warm them up a bit before eating for the best taste.
- → Will these freeze well?
- They will if you freeze them before adding the blackberry topping. Freeze them flat first, then put them in a freezer bag. Thaw them out and add fresh topping when you're ready to eat.