Store bought Danish?
Really good.
In fact, if I go more than 6 months or so without making fresh, from-scratch Danish, I think store bought Danish is better than anything I could make myself. As if my tastebuds are ticked off at me for denying them the real thing, and so they convince my brain that homemade Danish isn’t worth the time.
Those tastebuds. Liars, they are.
Because until you’ve had your hands in that gorgeous dough, slicing perfectly thin strips, braiding one tab over another over the creamy filling, and then watching it rise up and bake to a golden perfection? You’ve not had a Danish.
And you’ve not even tasted it yet.
One bite – you are a goner.
Store bought Danish doesn’t offer those crispy, yeasty, flaky, buttery layers. You can not BUY the ingredients for the perfect Danish for what you PAY for a store bought Danish. $3.99?
You get what you pay for. And trust me – this Danish is worth every single penny.
Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
- 1/2 Recipe Danish Dough, prepared (Step by Step recipe & directions HERE, Freeze other half)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 can Lucky Leaf Red Raspberry Pie Filling
- 1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Baking Melts
Instructions
- Roll out prepared dough into large rectangle (12×18 is a good size.)
- In small bowl or in stand mixer beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add in Lucky Leaf Pie Filling. Mix until combined.
- Spread cream cheese filling down the center length of the dough, leaving 4 inches unfilled on each long side. Cut slits 1/2 inch wide evenly down each side.
- Top cream cheese filling with chocolate. Begin "braiding" the strips of dough across the filling.
- Once braided, allow dough to rise for one hour. If desired, apply egg wash and sanding sugar to risen braid, then bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Rotate pan at 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 and bake for 15-20 additional minutes. Serve and enjoy!
As you can see in the recipe, I used Lucky Leaf Raspberry Pie Filling. Why?
Well, it’s easy. It’s convenient. It’s winter, and raspberries aren’t quite in season. And? It tastes great, and works really well in this kind of application. I was fortunate enough to attend a media tour of the Lucky Leaf factory last summer, and was really impressed with the quality and simplicity of the company. Real ingredients. Real people. Kind of refreshing! Plus, they have a huge variety of different fillings. I wish more were available here, because there are a LOT of exciting ones! (Dark Sweet Cherry? Blueberry? Strawberry? Any of these would be excellent used in this Danish. Mix it up!)
I also have to say a big THANK YOU to my friend Anna at Hershey! She introduced me to these Baking Melts recently – and YUM! Sure, you can use all chocolate chips if you like, but if you can find the Baking Melts in your grocery, I do highly recommend them – perfect for baking, so melty and delicious! Thanks sweet girl!
Now – get to baking, kids! And Happy Valentine’s Day!!
For more tasty Lucky Leaf Valentine’s Treats, check out my friends posts:
- Paula of Bellalimento made Raspberry Chocolate Napoleons
- Angie of Eclectic Recipes made Heart Shaped Pie Pops
- Brandi of BranAppetit made Strawberry Topped Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- For more information on Lucky Leaf, you can find them HERE
- And on Facebook and Twitter – Stay Connected!
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Lucky Leaf. All thoughts and opinions are my own.










































{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Good Lord, this looks incredible!
I must find some of that Lucky Leaf raspberry filling. Raspberry anything is my favorite!
xo
PS – Happy Love-day to you!
Good greif, that looks amazing!! I’m a huge danish luvva!
You are a baking machine! Love this!
MUST. FIND. THOSE. BAKING MELTS! Gorgeous danish!
Woah. This looks amazing. I love those Hershey baking melts too!!!
I really need a piece of this right now with my coffee, yum!
WOW!! You made that!?! Incredible! It looks so flaky and light and….sorry had to wipe the drool from my bottom lip. Yum!!
Can I ask what may be a silly question? The recipe is called “dark chocolate and raspberry cream cheese danish,” but it calls for semi-sweet morsels and baking melts. Does the recipe make them taste like dark chocolate?
um….why did I not get any of this?