We love homemade danishes for breakfast in my house. One sure-fire way to make them irresistible? Serve them in fun shapes like these whimsical pinwheels. Filled with sweet cream cheese and brightly colored jams, these little pastries are the perfect treat to welcome in Spring!

You can even make your own puff pastry, if you like. I always opt for the pre-made frozen puff pastry because it saves a lot of time, tastes great, and puffs perfectly!

Makes 18 pinwheel pastries

• 1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
• Flour, for dusting
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 18 teaspoons (about 1/3 cup) jam or jelly, any flavor
• 1 egg, beaten

Step 1 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick mats. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets and dust both with flour on each side. Roll each pastry rectangle out into a square about 9-10 inches long on each side. Cut both pastry squares into 9 small squares each, for a total of 18 squares.

Place the pastry squares on the prepared baking sheets, 6-8 squares per sheet. Using a knife or roller cutter, make a cut on every corner of each square, leaving about 1 inch of the middle intact. Do not cut all the way through!

Step 2
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and blend in well.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry square. Make a little well in the center of each cream cheese scoop(a spoon works well for this).

Step 3
Scoop 1 teaspoon of jam into the center of each cream cheese scoop. Bring the same sides of the 4 corners of each puff pastry together and pinch to seal, making a pinwheel shape.

Step 4
Using a pastry brush, brush a little of the beaten egg on the exposed surfaces of the puff pastry on each pinwheel.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing carefully with a spatula.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep for about 3 days.