Cinnamon Crumb Danish

Directions

1. Make the cheese filling: In a medium bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well combined. Add the egg and mix well to combine. Add the flour, vanilla, and salt and mix well to combine. If desired, transfer to a pastry bag (you can also just dollop onto the pastry with a spoon).
2. Make the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream the butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix well to combine. If desired, transfer to a pastry bag (you can also just dollop onto the pastry with a spoon).
3. Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, stir the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine. Add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms moistened clumps. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to a square 12 by 12 inches in size. Cut the dough horizontally into 3 even strips, then do it again vertically into 4 even strips so you end up with 12 squares total.
5. Shape the danish as desired (see author notes for a tutorial on how to do this). Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet with at least 2 inches between each pastry. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until noticeably puffy. The amount of time this will take can vary drastically—as little as 30 minutes in a warm environment, and over an hour where it’s colder. To see if the dough is properly proofed, gently press a finger into the surface. It should leave an imprint that slowly starts to spring back. If it won’t hold an imprint when gently touched, it’s still underproofed and needs more time. If it holds the impression and doesn’t spring back at all, it’s likely overproofed.
6. Towards the end of rise time, preheat the oven to 400°F. When the pastry has risen, spoon or pipe a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling in the center of the danish. Spoon or pipe a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon filling on top. Top generously with the crumble topping.
7. Brush the edges with egg wash and bake until the pastry is evenly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
8. Variations:
   
   Cheese Danish: Skip the cinnamon filling and crumb topping, then proof and bake as directed.
   
   Fruit & Cheese Danish: Skip the cinnamon filling. After applying the cheese filling, spoon or pipe about 1 tablespoon of jam, jelly, or preserves on top of the danish. You can still use the crumb topping, if desired, then proof and bake as directed.
   
   Monkey Danish: Inspired by a treat sold at the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe at my alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America. Chop any scrap pieces of dough into bite-size pieces. Toss the pieces in a small amount of egg wash, then in cinnamon sugar to coat. Place mounds of the sugared dough into greased pastry rings—or just onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let rise as directed in step 5. Bake alone, as directed in step 7, or fill with cheese filling and top with streusel before baking.