I honestly never thought I would be able to sink my teeth into a real cheese danish ever again in my life time! But low and behold I present to you a delightful low carb cheese danish that is gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free, and made with goat milk cheese instead of cow based cheese. And it is magnificent!
Now I eat relatively low carb diet as most things low in carbs are also low in starches, and I avoid starches due to an autoimmune disease I have. But I also love using a little natural sweetener, as I have no problems with eating honey or maple syrup. I know most folks who seek out low carb recipes would rather not use sweeteners with carbs, such as honey or maple syrup, so I always make sure my recipes work well with sugar-free sweeteners like lakanto, eytrhritol, or stevia. And this pastry works fabulous either way, as I made sure to test them quite a few times.
I keep my freezer well stocked with fruit sweetened jams (meaning sweetened with apple or grape juice and free of refined sugar) including lemon by Fiordiifrutta, apricot by Crofter’s Just Fruit Spread, and black currant by St. Dalfour. These jams are not at all required to make these pastries, but I love the flavorful additions they add. I use 1 Tablespoon of lemon jam in the cream cheese filling which adds a total of 10 carbs to the recipe, or for a lower carb option you can add in 1 Tablespoon powdered erythritol and a little lemon zest instead. For the fruit filled pastries you can add 1/2 Tablespoon of a fruit sweetened jam to the center of each pastry, or simply add in a couple of blueberries, blackberries, tart cherries, or a little chopped apple in cinnamon. The flavor combinations and possibilities are endless. I imagine a little pumpkin pie filling would go insanely well with the cream cheese filling, will have to try that next time!
I was inspired to make this recipe because I was dying to use an awesome pizza crust as the base for a pastry. I also got inspiration from Up Late Anyway, though I have changed the recipe quite a bit, making my version nut free, with goat cheese instead of cow cheese, with different measurements including more mozzarella and eggs, and using different fillings. I still want to give her credit for the overall idea, as it is brilliant. ♥
Low Carb Cheese Danish
Servings: 10 pastries
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shredded goat milk mozzarella
2 pastured eggs
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup maple sugar (or 1/2 cup lakanto or erythritol)
1/4 cup melted goat milk butter
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (or lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch sea salt
filling:
4 Tablespoons soft goat cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon jam (or 1 TBS powdered erythritol + a lil’ lemon zest)
a few berries per danish Or 1/2 teaspoon fruit-sweetened jam per danish
Icing:
2.5 Tablespoons soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon honey (or powdered erythritol)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash of coconut milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400*F.
Set 1/4 cup butter (or coconut oil) in an oven proof container in the oven to melt.
Shred goat milk mozzarella with a fine cheese grater.
In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients, adding them in order that they appear in the list.
Wet your hands and form dough into little balls, then press them out into small ovals on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
They expand and increase in size a lot while baking, so make sure they are spread far apart when baking.
If using a cream cheese filling, mix together filling and them form into small balls and press into the center of the pastries, forming a small raised crust around the edges. I then add a little fruit or jam to fill some too. (If using erythritol to sweeten the cream cheese, I recommend powdering it in a coffee grinder first)
For best results only bake 1 tray at a time, as you really want the bottoms of the pastries to get lightly golden brown for flavor and for helping them to hold together.
I suggest baking half of the batch to see how they come out size wise as they really get quite large, and then baking the second batch.
Bake at 400*F for 9 to 12 minutes. Keep a close eye on them.
Mix icing ingredients together in a small jar, adding a little splash of coconut milk at a time until you have a smooth icing. Spoon into a piping bag or small ziplock bag, cut off a tiny corner and drizzle over pastries.
They will be a bit soft right out of the oven, but if you put the leftovers in the fridge to enjoy later the chilled ones will hold together marvelously.
Estimated Nutrition Info if you make 10 danishes and use erythritol instead of maple sugar. Includes cream cheese filling without any added jams or berries. Each danish is estimated to have 158 calories, 13 grams of fat, 4 carbs (3 net carbs), and 7 grams of protein.