Easy Braided Cheese Danish with Candied Pecans
You’ll love this scrumptious, homemade Easy Braided Cheese Danish with candied pecans! It’s a delicious combination of cream cheese and flaky puff pastry that tastes like a slice of heaven on your fork!
When you combine the ease of frozen store-bought puff pastry with the richness of cream cheese and the sweetness of candied pecans, you get a Danish pastry like no other!
Now, I know that when people think of Georgia, they immediately think of peaches. But peaches are just one of our many food crops. Did you know that Georgia ranks first in the nation in the production of broiler chickens, peanuts, and pecans?
We rank second in production of cotton and rye and third in production of peaches and tomatoes. Just a little Georgia trivia for you.
Actually, when I think of Georgia crops, I always think of peanuts first and pecans second. That’s probably because I grew up in a part of the state where those crops were especially important. And so, I often choose Georgia pecans as part of my recipes.
Our Easy Braided Cream Cheese Danish recipe is essentially two delectable recipes merged into one. First, I’ll show you how to make the candied pecans that enhance the danish’s flavor profile. Then, I’ll walk you through how to craft the cheese braid. I’d typically serve this recipe warm for breakfast, but it’s also delicious for dessert with a nice cup of coffee.
❤️ What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- The complementary flavors of cream cheese and candied pecans.
- The flaky and buttery goodness of puff pastry.
- Serves as either breakfast or dessert.
- Simple to make, yet impressively elegant to serve.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“This is gorgeous and I think I could eat the entire thing by myself! Cream cheese, puff pastry and candied pecans, oh my goodness.”
— Miss @MissintheKitchen
🛒 Ingredient Notes
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- Egg White – Beaten egg white acts as the binding agent for the candied pecans. In my kitchen, you’ll usually find Eggland’s Best brand.
- Light Brown Sugar – Dixie Crystals and Domino’s brown sugar are always dependable brands. The brown sugar gives a rich caramel flavor to the pecan coating.
- Pecan Halves – The star ingredient which, when candied to perfection, adds a delightful crunch to the pastry. For wide availability, Fisher brand is probably your best bet. Local or regional brands are most likely even fresher and tastier. If you have your own trees, homegrown are always best!
- Cream Cheese – Adds that lovely creamy, tangy balance to the sweetness of the filling. Philadelphia brand cream cheese always works for me. Be sure to have it at room temperature for best results.
- Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets – The flaky, buttery foundation of your danish. I typically use the Pepperidge Farm brand of puff pastry.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
⚠️ Troubleshooting Tips
- If your candied pecans become sticky, put them in a 250F oven briefly to dry out.
- To prevent over-browning, cover the danish with foil during the last few minutes of baking if needed.
🔀 Recipe Variations
- Add a touch of cinnamon to the cream cheese mixture for a hint of spice.
- Experiment with different nuts like almonds or walnuts for a unique twist.
- Make a fruit danish by substituting the candied pecans with 4 tablespoons of the fruit jam of your choice. Excellent choices include cherry, raspberry, and peach preserves.
- Drizzle a simple icing made from powdered sugar and milk over the braid for extra sweetness.
🍽️ How to Serve
Serve slices of this easy homemade danish as a breakfast treat alongside a steaming cup of coffee or tea. It also shines as a dessert, especially when paired with a dollop of whipped cream. For added flair, garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar.
🍚 How to Store
To store leftovers, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to three days. For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Reheat in the oven or microwave for a warm and satisfying treat.
❓ Questions About Easy Braided Cheese Danish
Yes, you can certainly use pre-made candied pecans if you prefer to save time. However, making them from scratch allows you to control the level of sweetness and customize the flavor to your liking.
To achieve a beautifully golden braid, make sure to brush the pastries generously with the egg wash before baking. Additionally, keep a close watch on the pastries while they are in the oven to prevent over-browning. If needed, lightly tent them with foil during the last few minutes of baking to ensure even coloring.
Absolutely! You can assemble the cheese braid ahead of time and refrigerate it before baking. This is a convenient option if you want to prepare it in advance for a special occasion or breakfast. Simply cover it well with plastic wrap to prevent drying out. When ready to bake, follow the instructions, allowing a slightly longer baking time to ensure the center is thoroughly heated.
To prevent the filling from oozing out during baking, make sure not to overfill the pastry. Leave a border of about 1/2 inch around the edges when spreading the cream cheese mixture. Additionally, when folding the pastry strips over the filling to create the braid, press the edges gently to seal them well.
Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
📖 Recipe
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Easy Braided Cheese Danish with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups pecan halves
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 17.3 ounces puff pastry sheets, thawed (1 package)
- 1 tablespoon water
- flour for rolling pin
Instructions
Make the Candied Pecans:
- Heat the oven to 275°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the egg white in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently stir in the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the pecans and stir to coat.
- Spread the pecan mixture on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the pecans are browned and no longer shiny. Let the pecans cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Reserve 1 1/2 cups candied pecans for the filling and save the rest for another use.
Make the Cheese Braid:
- Thaw one package of puff pastry sheets.
- When the pastry sheets are ready to use, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Add 1 egg and the remaining vanilla extract and beat until just combined.
- Beat the remaining egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Set aside.
- Unfold 1 pastry sheet and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll it into a 10-inch square, and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Spread half the cream cheese mixture down the center of the pastry square.
- Sprinkle the cheese mixture with 3/4 cup reserved pecans.
- Cut slits 1 inch apart from the 2 sides of the pastry to within 1/2 inch of the filling. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the filling, alternating sides, to cover the filling and form a braid.
- Repeat with the remaining sheet of puff pastry on a second baking sheet.
- Brush the pastries with the egg wash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.
- Let the pastries cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Purchased candied pecans are, of course, an option if you don’t want to make them from scratch.
- Drizzle a simple icing made from powdered sugar and milk over the braid for extra sweetness.
- To store leftovers, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to three days. For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Reheat in the oven or microwave for a warm and satisfying treat.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
🔪 How to Make Candied Pecan Cheese Braid Step-by-Step Photos
Make the Candied Pecans
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat one egg white until stiff peaks form.
- Stir in the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Pour in the pecans and stir to coat them well.
- Spread the pecan mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the pecans are browned and no longer shiny. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the candied pecans for the filling and save the rest for another use.
👉 PRO TIP: You can make the candied pecans several days in advance and store them in a tightly covered container at room temperature until you’re ready to use them.
Make the Danish Braids
- Thaw a package of frozen puff pastry sheets according to the package directions.
- When the pastry sheets are ready to use, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Add 1 egg and the remaining vanilla extract and beat until just combined. Set aside for now.
- Beat the remaining egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Set aside.
- Unfold one of the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the sheet into a 10-inch square and place it on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper.
- Spread half the cream cheese mixture down the center of the pastry square.
- Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the candied pecans over the cream cheese.
How to “Braid” Puff Pastry
- Cut slits 1 inch apart from the two sides of the pastry to within 1/2 inch of the filling. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the filling, alternating sides, to cover the filling and form a braid.
- Repeat the process with the remaining sheet of puff pastry on a second baking sheet.
Finish and Bake the Braid
- Brush the pastries with egg wash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.
- Let pastries cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes.
❗ Alternate Method for Making Traditional Danish Shaped Pastries
Maybe braiding a pastry just isn’t something you want to try. You can still enjoy this delicious recipe by creating individual danish pastries following these instructions:
- After thawing and rolling out the puff pastry sheets into squares, use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to divide each into four squares.
- Place the squares on two parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Place a small amount of the cream cheese filling and candied pecans in the center of each square, leaving a wide border around the outside edges. Be careful not to overfill.
- To form the traditional danish shape, fold each square by bringing the four corners toward the center, creating a pinwheel-like appearance. Gently press the points together to seal them.
- Continue with the remaining squares.
- Brush the pastries with the egg wash for a perfect golden finish.
- Bake according to the recipe instructions until they are beautifully golden browned.
— This post was originally sponsored by Pepperidge Farm. It was first published on April 8, 2011 and has been updated with additional information.
Very good taste combo great with a cup of tea. However, I would definitely chop the pecans after candying them.
This looks amazing. I’ll happily finish off those extra candied pecans for you ;)
Lana- How great for them to contact you to come up with a recipe. I bet that was fun. That braid looks like the perfect meal for a family breakfast. Yummy!
This looks ridiculously delicious!! omg
so beautiful Lana – i have yet to try a braided bread – am afeared!!!
Looks absolutely fabulous. If I had energy, I would make that. Right now. It will have to wait a day or so. But, I’m sure it will be more than worth the wait.
Miss P
greetings i was wondering why is does the recipe make so much if it isn’t even going to be used? why not adjust the ingredients?
That’s a good question, Raja. The way I originally wrote this was as two separate recipes – one for the Candied Pecans and one for the Pecan Cheese Braid. The candied pecan recipe uses 1 egg white and 4 cups of pecans among other ingredients to make 4 cups of candied pecans. That’s the smallest amount you can make with 1 egg white which would be difficult to divide. We usually make the candied pecans around Christmas time when we serve them on their own as a holiday candy.
Because I was being compensated for developing this recipe by Pepperidge Farm, it had to undergo testing in their kitchens and the professionals there re-wrote it as one recipe as you see it in the post. My suggestion is to make the recipe for Candied Pecans, take out the amount needed for the Pecan Cheese Braid, and serve the remaining candied pecans to be eaten out of hand. Or package them in pretty bags and share with friends and neighbors!
great suggestion thanx!
Small world! I was the chef in the home of John Dorrance (whose father invented condensed soup in his little soup factory in Camden, NJ, Campbell’s Soup)…He lived in Gladwyn Pa…His heirs still own the company. Mr. Dorrance’s company also own Pepperidge Farm and Godiva Chocolates. Our connection here? Pepperidge farm…we are more connected that you thought!!! Mr. Dorrance was also co-owner of Horseshoe Plantation where I was his “cook”! He later moved us to PA to cook in his home. Dianne
This belongs on my table immediately. :)
This is gorgeous and I think I could eat the entire thing by myself! Cream cheese, puff pastry and candied pecans, oh my goodness.
That’s a beautiful braid!
Great job as always!!! This looks so yummy, I might have to try it right away. Love U
wow is this ever gorgeous …. great job!
Beautiful braid! I love the idea of candying the pecans first. I bet it was so tasty.
What a great idea! I adore using puff pastry and this is another recipe to add to my list.
oh yum! and not too difficult either!
Beautiful, Lana, and these are flavors close to my heart. I spent a pretty good part of my childhood shelling pecans, since my grandparents grew them, they arrived at our house in 50-pound sacks, and my thrifty parents always thought of plenty of uses for them. To me they are still the nut against which all others are judged. Can’t wait to try this yummy recipe.