I’m super excited to share this recipe with you. At first I was thinking ‘bear claw’, but as the recipe developed, I wanted it to be more like a combination of a traditional danish, a cinnamon roll and a cheesecake. Which is exactly what it is! You have this twisted cinnamon pastry dough with a little pumpkin cheesecake right in the center, drizzled with cinnamon glaze and pecans. Plus, it’s prettier than a bear claw!
It screams of Fall. It will make you want to just stay in and bake.
Imagine yourself curled up in your comfy spot with a mug of warm deliciousness and one of these bad boys!
Well, you don’t have to imagine! You can go make these….now!
Picture yourself wrapped up in an oversized sweater with a hot mug of....whatever you love, and this Fall inspired Danish.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 15 | 1 hour + chilling |
| Cook Time |
| 18-20 mins |
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Picture yourself wrapped up in an oversized sweater with a hot mug of....whatever you love, and this Fall inspired Danish.
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Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 packages active dry yeast 1/4 ounce each
- 1/2 C warm milk 80 to 90 degrees
- 6 C all-purpose flour I used Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White
- 1/3 C Sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 C cold butter cubed
- 1 1/2 C warm half-and-half cream 70 to 80 degrees
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 C Sugar
For the filling
- 1 package cream cheese softened
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 C canned pumpkin
- 1/4 C Sugar
Glaze
- 2 C powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk depending on thickness you desire
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 dash ground nutmeg
Servings:
Instructions
- Warm milk in a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the 1/3 C. of sugar you will be adding to the dry ingredients, and stir. (this will help feed the yeast and have a better result). Add the yeast to the milk and let sit while you mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. In a separate bowl, whisk together cream and egg yolks, add yeast mixture, stir until it forms a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Add additional flour and knead until dough is no longer sticky. It won't take very much extra flour to do this. With a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle approximately 24" X 12". In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and 1/4 C. sugar. Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter over entire surface, then sprinkle the cinnamon mixture equally over the top.
- Fold the dough in half to form a 12" X 12" square. With a rolling pin, roll back into a 24" X 12" rectangle. This will incorporate the cinnamon into the dough. Lengthwise, cut into 1" strips. Place 2 strips, side by side and twist. This will leave you with 6-24" twisted strips. Cut each twisted strip in half. You should have 12-15 pieces.
- On greased cookie sheets, coil each piece, starting in the middle and working outward. Place 2 inches apart. Cover with towels and let rise in a warm place, until doubled. About 45 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, with a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and egg yolks, until smooth. Place in refrigerator until dough is ready.
- With a teaspoon, make an indentation in the center of each danish and add 2 tablespoons of the pumpin-cream cheese mixture. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely. Mix powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg for the glaze. Drizzle over cooled danishes. Add chopped pecans, if desired. Store in refrigerator, or freeze up to 3 months.
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