Easy Matcha Danishes
These cute matcha danishes are buttery, flaky, tart, earthy, and not-too-sweet! They’re a delicious twist on regular danishes and a fun way to enjoy your breakfast.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s super beginner friendly! This recipe uses store-bought puff pastry and the matcha filling only requires 4 ingredients. The danishes will be ready in less than an hour and they are SO deliciously buttery, flaky, tart, earthy, and not-too-sweet. <3
- You can easily switch up the flavors. If you want plain danishes, omit the matcha powder. If you want to add fruit, spread some jam or add berries on top. You can also make savory ones by putting shredded cheese, cut up ham, cooked veggies, etc.!
- The frogs are fun to make and unique! Character danishes aren’t really common, so these would be such a cute treat for you or someone you love.
Equipment
For the matcha danishes:
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Medium mixing bowl: For the matcha filling.
- Small bowls: For the sugar topping and egg wash.
- Hand whisk or fork: For beating the egg.
- Electric whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Piping bag or spoon: For adding the matcha cream cheese.
- Rolling pin
- Knife or cookie cutters: I used two bear cookie cutters! One was slightly smaller than the other. You can always use a knife to cut out rectangles or try out other cookie cutter shapes!
- Pastry brush
For the froggie face decorations:
- Small microwave-safe bowls: To melt the chocolate.
- Small silicone spatulas: For mixing the chocolate.
- Piping bags: You can alternatively use toothpicks or Ziploc bags.
- Scissors
Ingredients
for the puff pastry:
To make this recipe simple, we’re using store-bought pastry!
- Puff pastry sheet: I used the brand Pepperidge Farm.
- Egg: For egg washing the sides of the puff pastry.
- Granulated sugar: For sprinkling on top of the egg washed surfaces. It adds a nice hint of sweetness and crunchy texture. 🙂
for the matcha cream cheese filling:
- Cream cheese: I prefer using block cream cheese. Cream cheese spreads may have extra ingredients, affecting the texture.
- Heavy cream
- Matcha powder: I love using Aiya Matcha. It’s super vibrant and tasty!
- Powdered sugar
for the froggie faces:
- White chocolate chips
- Milk or dark chocolate chips
- Oil-based food coloring
How to make matcha danishes
- Mise en place: aka “put in place”. This French saying simply means measure out all of the ingredients and prep your equipment beforehand. This will help you stay more organized and move more seamlessly in the kitchen while you follow this recipe.
- Make matcha filling: In your mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until fluffy and no lumps remain. Then, beat in the heavy cream until combined and whip in sifted matcha powder. Lastly, add powdered sugar, adjusting to your desired sweetness level. Transfer to a piping bag. Alternatively, you can use a spoon to add the filling later on.
- Roll out thawed puff pastry: Using your rolling pin, gently roll out puff pastry to help get rid of any cracks.
- Cut out shapes: You can cut out rectangles or use cookie cutters! I used my bear cookie cutters.
- Add indents: Using a knife or a smaller cookie cutter, lightly carve out a border about ¼ inch from the edge of the pastry. Do not cut all the way through the dough—try to go about halfway. This step allows the side of the pastry to puff up while baking, while letting the middle sink down with the matcha filling.
- Pipe matcha filling: Pipe matcha filling within the new border. You can alternatively use a spoon and spread it on top.
- Egg wash and sprinkle sugar: Egg wash the sides of the pastry and sprinkle granulated sugar on top.
- Bake: Bake at 400°F/204°C for 12-15 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool on pan for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack.
- Add frog faces: Use melted chocolates to draw on frog faces and enjoy!
- Store: Keep in airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in microwave for 30-45 seconds or in toaster oven until pastry crisps up again.
Danish flavor variations
For a plain danish, simply omit the matcha powder! For other flavors, you can spoon jam or fruit in the middle.
If you want to go the savory route, feel free to add shredded cheeses, sliced ham, cooked vegetables, etc.!
Storage
I recommend storing the matcha cream cheese danishes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat them, pop them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or in a toaster oven until the pastry crisps up again.
Other matcha desserts
I really hope you enjoy this matcha puff pastry recipe. If you make them, I’d love to see! :’) You can tag me at #bitesbybianca / @bitesbybianca on Instagram.
Happy baking!
Video tutorial
📖 Recipe
Froggie Matcha Cream Cheese Danish
These adorable, flaky, tart, and not-too-sweet matcha danishes will brighten up anyone's day!
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Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- 1 medium mixing bowl for matcha cream cheese filling
- 2 small bowls for sugar topping and egg wash
- 1 hand whisk for beating the egg; can alternatively use a fork
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 Piping bag for matcha filling; can alternatively use a spoon
- 2 bear cookie cutters one slightly larger than the other; can alternatively use knife to cut rectangles
- 1 pastry brush for egg wash
- 2 small microwave-safe bowls, optional for frog design
- 2 small silicone spatulas, optional for frog design
- 2 Piping bags optional for frog design; can alternatively use toothpicks or Ziploc bags
- 1 pair of scissors, optional for frog design
Ingredients
- 1 (1 ) puff pastry sheet thawed but still cold
- 1 (1) egg
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
For the matcha cream cheese filling:
- 2 ½ ounces (70.87 g) block cream cheese softened
- ½ tablespoon (3 g) culinary grade matcha powder sifted
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 ml) heavy cream
- 4-6 tablespoons (32 g) powdered sugar adjust to taste
Decoration for face (optional):
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) milk or dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) white chocolate chips
- pink oil-based food coloring see steps
Instructions
For the matcha cream cheese filling:
- In a medium bowl, use electric whisk to whip the 2 ½ ounces block cream cheese until fluffy and no lumps remain.
- Add in sifted ½ tablespoon culinary grade matcha powder and whisk until fully combined.
- Beat in 3 tablespoons heavy cream until fully incorporated.
- Add in 4-6 tablespoons powdered sugar, adjusting to your desired sweetness level. Make sure not to over whip to prevent the cream cheese filling from becoming too loose.
- Transfer to a piping bag and snip a medium tip using scissors. You can alternatively use a spoon and spread the filling.
Assemble matcha danishes:
- Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C and line one baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add 3 tablespoons granulated sugar to small bowl. Beat 1 egg in another small bowl with hand whisk or fork to make the egg wash.
- Using your rolling pin, gently roll out 1 puff pastry sheet to minimize any cracks.
- Use knife to cut sheet into 6 rectangles. If you'd like to make frogs, cut out shapes with a knife or use a bear cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet, about 3-4 inches apart.
- Using your knife or a smaller bear cookie cutter, lightly carve out a border about ¼ inch from the edge of the pastry. Don't cut all the way through the dough—try to go about halfway. This will allow the sides to puff up, while letting the middle sink with the filling.
- Pipe the filling within the border. Egg wash the sides of the pastry and sprinkle granulated sugar on top.
- *If the matcha filling begins to brown too quickly, you can drop the temperature to 375°F/190°C. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until puff pastry is golden. Let cool on pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
For the frog faces (optional):
- Note: You can a piping bag, toothpick, or cookie scribe to add on the details. I used piping bags.
- Add 2 tablespoons milk or dark chocolate chips to a small bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir in between until fully melted. Transfer to piping bag, and use this to draw on the eyes and smile.
- Add 1 tablespoon white chocolate chips to another small bowl and microwave until fully melted. Add a drop of pink oil-based food coloring. Transfer to piping bag and use this for the blush.If you don't have oil-based food coloring, then the chocolate will seize/become lumpy. To counter this, stir in a tsp of neutral oil (canola, vegetable) at a time, until it becomes smooth again.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Store matcha danishes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Did you try this recipe?Let us know how it was!