I have three beautiful lemons on my lemon tree this year. I know it sounds silly, but growing lemons in Utah during the dead of wintery snow storms is a treat! It’s a little reminder that spring is coming, the warm sun will shine. It’s hard for me to actually pull the lemons off the tree. We’ve become such good friends all this time, watching them grow and brighten into such a beautiful color of yellow. Once I eventually plucked them from the tree, I put them in a pretty bowl and admire them for just a few more days until, I finally decided which delicious desserts deserve my beautiful lemons. Here's something sweet and tart for the perfect quarantined Sunday morning! Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate for the kiddos, and make these delicious lemon danishes. And enjoy the people you are lucky to be stuck with!
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 T lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp VanillaPura Madagascar/vodka vanilla extract
- 2 T granulated sugar
- 17.3 oz package puff pastry
- 1/4 C flour
- 1/2 C prepared lemon curd (make it from scratch, it's better!)
- 1 egg
- 1 T water
- 1/4 C powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice.
- Gently flour a clean work surface and unfold the puff pasty. Using your fingertips, gently press the creased areas flat.
- Use a cookie cutter or glass to cut out 4 circles. Repeat with the remaining sheet of puff pastry.
- Place circles onto the baking sheet.
- Gently score a circle about half an inch inside each puff pastry circle using a butter knife.
- Using a fork, poke several times inside each of the inner circles.
- Spread cream cheese mixture into each circle, keeping inside the border.
- In a small bowl, mix together egg and water until frothy. Brush the border of each with egg mixture.
- Bake for 18-21 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet.
- Heat lemon curd in the microwave for 25 seconds, then spoon on top of each danish.
- Sprinkle a pinch of lemon zest and dust with powdered sugar prior to serving.
Kudos to Emily Enchanted for the recipe.
