STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE & MAPLE WALNUT BUTTERHORN DANISHES

Butterhorn danishes are a soft pastries with filling. My dad used to buy butterhorns from the store, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I got to enjoy them homemade and fresh. Boy, does that make a huge difference! Storebought is great but a butterhorn danish pastry made from scratch.

Making These Butterhorns

As much as butterhorns play a role in the lives and memories of my family, most people that I talk to have absolutely no clue what they are! Thankfully I found an easy recipe online (after a lot of searching) and after a few minor adjustments, it’s perfect.

While the process to make these danish pastries isn’t difficult, it is a little time consuming. By that I mean, there’s a 4 hour wait so that the dough can rest, but since it can withstand resting overnight, it’s a great recipe to prep before bed!

All of the time needed to make these butterhorns is so worth it! They’re soft, buttery, and mouthwateringly good!

What Are Some Topping Ideas for The Butterhorns?

Besides the obvious strawberry and cream cheese or maple walnut toppings included in this recipe, there is also a ton of others. Everything from sour cream to lemon curd and mixed berries can be great!

Can I Make Butterhorn Pastries in Advance?

Yes, you can make, bake and have them completed up to a few days in advance of eating. Just make sure that you keep them properly stored so that they don’t spoil too quickly, giving you more time to enjoy them.

Homemade Butterhorn Danishes Ingredients

-1 tablespoon yeast

-1 teaspoon sugar

-1/4 cup warm water

-1/2 cup milk

-1 egg

-2 cups flour

-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/2 cup butter {1 stick}

Homemade Butterhorn Danishes

Put the yeast and sugar in a small bowl with the warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, measure out the flour, second amount of sugar and the salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender. The mixture should be well blended afterwards. (This means that you shouldn’t be able see any clumps of butter.)

Place milk in a liquid measuring cup or a bowl and then microwave for about 45 seconds to warm it up.

Add the slightly beaten egg to the milk. Note: If your milk is too hot you will cook the egg (think scrambled eggs) You want the milk warmed, not hot to the touch-big difference!

Add in the yeast mix and the milk and egg mixture, into the dry ingredients.

Stir well until it is all blended together. The end result is a cross between a batter and a kneadable dough. Please resist the urge to add more flour (I know it’s tempting).

The dough will increase in size a bit, so you’ll want to make sure that your bowl is larger than the mound of dough sitting inside and has room for it to grow.

Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

After the dough rises, add the toppings of choice (recipe instructions for strawberry cream cheese or maple walnut included below).

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully for browning after about 7-8 minutes, if they’re getting too brown, place some foil over the top. (Just lay it there, don’t tuck in edges or anything).

Make a powdered sugar icing by mixing 1 cup of icing sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and enough milk to make a spreadable consistency. Drizzle over butterhorns as desired and enjoy!

Butterhorns with Strawberry Cream Cheese or Maple Walnut Filling

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

For Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

• strawberry jam
• cream cheese

For Maple Walnut Filling

• finely chopped walnut
• real maple syrup
• powdered sugar

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Put yeast and sugar in bowl add the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
• In a bowl, measure out the flour, second amount of sugar and the salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender. The mixture should be well blended.
• Place milk in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds to warm it up.
• Add the slightly beaten egg to the milk.
• Add in the yeast mix and the milk and egg mixture, into the dry ingredients.
• Stir until it's well blended. The end result is a cross between a batter and a kneadable dough. Don't add more flour.
• The dough will increase in size a bit, so make sure your bowl is larger than the mound of dough.
• Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• After the dough has chilled sprinkle flour on your counter.
• Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. The dough will be sticky, but it's easiest to work with when it's cold, so don't remove the bowl of dough from the fridge until your ready to use it.
• Use a pizza cutter to slice 3/4 inch strips. Twist them, starting at one end and then roll it up into a circle.
• Put the twists onto a greased pan. Let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. (I turn my oven on to preheat for about 2 minutes, then turned it off. I let my rolls rise in the warm oven.
• After the dough rises, add the toppings of choice.
• Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully for browning after about 7-8 minutes, if they're getting too brown, place some foil over the top. (Just lay it there, don't tuck in edges or anything).
• Make a powdered sugar icing by mixing 1 cup of icing sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and enough milk to make a spreadable consistency. Drizzle over butterhorns as desired and enjoy!

For Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

• Place 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into the center of the danish. Top with about 1 tsp of strawberry jam. Note, you can leave out the strawberry jam if you just want them to be cream cheese filled. You can also use a different fruit jam for a flavorful variety.

For Maple Walnut Filling

• Finely chop about 1/4 cup of walnuts. Instead of the powdered sugar icing above, make an alternate one by using 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons of real maple syrup. Whisk to combine, adding in more maple syrup until its a spreadable consistency.
• After the danishes have finished baking, let them cool for about 10 minutes. Top with the maple syrup glaze and sprinkle walnuts over the top.
• Enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Mention @jessicalovesbutter or tag #jessicalovesbutter!

How to Store Homemade Butterhorns with filling

Place your butterhorns in a tupperware style container in an even row. Place some parchment paper over the top and layer on more, continuing with this pattern until all butterhorns have been placed in the contianer. Then store in the fridge for up to a few days.

Can I Reheat Butterhorns?

Reheating a butterhorn after you pull it from the fridge is a great way to enjoy it! I like to place one or two on a plate and stick them in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds (checking at the 15 second mark). It really doesn’t take long to get them warmed through, but they become so soft, tender, and extra delicious when they’re warm. Yum!