Cream Cheese & Strawberry Rhubarb Pinwheel Danish
There’s nothing quite like strawberry and rhubarb in the early South Dakota summer. It’s a classic flavor for our area, with an abundance found in pick-your-own fields and neighbor’s backyards. This danish is great as a breakfast treat or dessert after dinner.
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Cream Cheese & Strawberry Rhubarb Pinwheel Danish
- Yield: 24 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 17.3 oz package of puff pastry sheets (2 sheets)
- 1 cup rhubarb, chopped into 1/2” pieces
- 1 cup strawberries, chopped
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1.5 tbsp water
- 1/2 block cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar
Instructions
- Remove the puff pastry sheets from the freezer to defrost. Preheat oven to 400º.
- Place chopped rhubarb, chopped strawberries, and white sugar in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Heat and stir until begins to thicken, about 10 minutes (will coat the back of a spoon). Meanwhile, mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water to make a paste. Stir the cornstarch paste into the fruit mixture while briskly stirring to avoid clumps. Remove from heat when the mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
- In a small bowl, mix softened cream cheese, heavy cream, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg and remaining 1/2 tbsp water until yolk and white are fully mixed.
- Work on puff pastry sheets one at a time. Once a sheet can be unfolded, roll out with a rolling pin on a well floured surface. Roll until the sheet is about 12″x15″. Using a sharp knife, cut this sheet into 12 smaller squares.
- Place a small dollop of cream cheese mixture in the middle of the square-topped with a dollop of strawberry rhubarb sauce. Make four cuts into each square, from the corners towards the center, but only cut to the edge of the filling. Turn one corner of each cut into the middle of the pastry, until the pinwheel is formed. Repeat for all squares. Repeat process for remaining puff pastry sheet to make 24 total pinwheels.
- Brush egg wash onto pinwheels and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake at 400º for about 13 minutes, until pastry is golden. Remove from oven and place pinwheels on the cooling rack after a few minutes.
Kirsten, do these freeze well?
I am in charge of breakfast Saturday & was thinking of making Thursday & freeze till Saturday AM. Thoughts?
Hi Pauline! I have not frozen these before but think it could work. I would cool the danishes completely, then freeze on an open sheet pan to avoid condensation buildup. Once frozen, remove from freezer, wrap in parchment paper, and place in a bag for long term storage.