- Hey guys, it's Natasha of natashaskitchen.com.

Today we're gonna make a peach cream cheese braided danish.

Don't worry, it only sounds fancy,

but it's super easy to make, very inexpensive,

and definitely a holiday-worthy dessert.

Alright, we're ready to get started on this thing.

I've got all my ingredients prepped and ready to go.

We've got our one sheet of puff pastry thawing right now,

so let's get started.

To begin, we'll need six ounces of regular cream cheese,

so just put that in a large mixing bowl.

And you wanna make sure that cream cheese

is nice and soft at room temperature,

then add in 1/4 cup of regular sugar,

and with the hand mixer, just mix it for

about a minute until it's nice and smooth.

(mixer whirs)

Alright, next you're gonna add in one egg yolk.

Then a half a teaspoon of vanilla.

Half a teaspoon of lemon juice.

And about an eighth of a teaspoon of salt.

And continue mixing that on medium speed

until it's nice and creamy.

(mixer whirs)

There you have it, such an easy filling.

Next we're gonna slice up our peaches,

and Del Monte is my favorite brand

because they taste really good

and because they're grown in the US.

These actually come from California.

So, open your can, and you're gonna drain off the juice.

So, keep the lid on a little bit.

Drain it into a cup.

And save this juice for a smoothie, or somethin' else.

Don't get rid of it, 'cause this is good stuff.

Drain it really well.

Still draining.

Then transfer your peaches to a cutting board,

and you're gonna slice them into about quarter-inch slices,

so cut them in half.

Our filling and our peaches are prepped.

Next, line a work surface with a piece of parchment paper

and dust it with flour.

And grab your puff pastry that's been thawing.

And unfold it onto your surface.

Dust the top again with flour.

Just to keep it from stickin' to the rolling pin.

Okay, then roll it out.

It's gonna be about an inch to an inch and a half longer

on both sides once it's done.

You're not rolling it out a ton.

Just enough to straighten it out and get it nice and flat.

And I like my danish to be nice and long versus wide,

so I only roll it in one direction.

Alright, it's about two inches longer total.

And then you're gonna take a pair of kitchen scissors,

you can use a knife or whatever else you want,

and you're gonna cut off the ends up here.

Okay.

And, next you're gonna spread your cream cheese filling.

Now you wanna keep it in the middle third

and leave about an inch of space

at the top and the bottom.

Spread it out nice and even in that middle third.

Okay.

And next we're gonna line our peaches

evenly over the top of that cream cheese.

Okay, everything is lined up and ready to go.

We're gonna use a pair of scissors

to cut about one-inch strips into the center.

And don't go all the way in.

Leave about a half an inch of space.

Cut off these end flaps.

Try to make an even number,

on the left side and the right side,

so that when you're braiding it, it'll be a nice braid.

You'll be surprised at how easy this is.

So, fold up that top part to keep

the filling from slidin' out.

And just start folding over, interchanging,

from the left to the right.

Look at how easy this is.

Last part, we're gonna fold up the bottom flap

and finish off our braid.

Pinch it on the end there.

Voila.

Wasn't that easy?

Alright, next we're gonna make our egg wash.

So, for the egg wash, you just need one whole egg

and a tablespoon of water.

Combine that.

Whisk it up real quick with a fork.

So next, it's all whisked up, I'm gonna take a pastry brush

and just brush it over the top nicely, generously.

This'll produce that beautiful golden brown color.

Alright, then we're gonna take some coarse sugar,

and I just got some raw sugar.

You're gonna sprinkle it over the top.

Now you're gonna transfer this whole thing

to a baking sheet.

See how easy that transfer is with that parchment paper?

I love it.

Bake for about 25 minutes, and it should be

a beautiful golden brown when it's done.

25 minutes later, it's perfect.

Look at that.

Oh, I would eat it right now.

If I didn't burn my mouth. (laughs)

You're gonna let that cool down to room temperature

before we finish off the topping.

Alright, my danish is just about room temperature,

still a little bit warm to the touch,

but I'm way too impatient so I'm gonna

get started on the glaze.

You're gonna need a third cup of powdered sugar

and just a half a tablespoon of milk.

And mix those together.

See how it's a nice, thick glaze?

You don't want it to be too runny

because it'll just run right off of your danish.

Alright, so we're gonna start the drizzle.

Doesn't have to be a perfect drizzle.

Actually it looks cooler when it's not perfect.

And then go the other way, just to crisscross it.

Top it with some fresh berries, if you want to.

And you're done.

(upbeat music)