Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
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This easy crescent roll cream cheese Danish is a delicious and easy recipe that makes any breakfast feel like a celebration! Fast to make and delicious to eat, your family and friends will love these pastries.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danishes
- Perfect For A Weekend Breakfast – My family loves a good cozy breakfast recipe on the weekends or for a holiday. These easy cheese Danishes always make my family feel a little special.
- Small Batch – I love that I can make a small batch of these flaky Danishes so we can enjoy them while they are freshest. A cream cheese Danish at home is a great treat! You can also pair them with an easy breakfast casserole when you are feeding more people.
- Fast To Make – Using crescent roll dough can save a lot of time but still put fresh pastries on the table, and this recipe is simple and easy.
Ingredients For Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
Ingredients For The Danish
- crescent roll dough Set out on the counter for at least 15 minutes to warm up to room temperature. You can also use puff pastry sheets for a flaky pastry, you’ll want four sheets.
- cream cheese softened
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- butter melted
Ingredients For The Icing (optional)
- powdered sugar
- milk
- vanilla extract
How To Make Cheese Danishes With Crescent Roll Dough
Making The Crescent Roll Danish
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil lightly oiled. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl add the softened cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and beat with an electric mixer until a thick cream cheese custard forms.
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature, if not you can use these methods to soften cream cheese quickly.
- Unroll the tube of crescent roll dough. Divide the crescent dough into four rectangles. Press along the diagonal seams that cut the dough into triangles. Fold the corners in to form a pastry that is a circle with an edge, making sure to pinch the seams together. Repeat with both tubes of dough.
- Brush the edges of each piece of dough with the melted butter and a silicone brush. Fill each pastry with the cream cheese layer evenly, about two tablespoons of mixture per piece. Spread evenly across the center of each pastry.
- Place the pastries on the pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the crescent dough is golden brown, then remove to a cooling rack. Let the pastries cool so the icing doesn’t melt and the Danish filling can set a little.
Adding The Icing (optional)
- While the pastries cool, add ¾ cup of powdered sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a small mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon until a smooth icing forms. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cheese pastries and enjoy!
Fruit And Chocolate Cheese Danish Variations
Adding a little lemon zest to the cream cheese filling is delicious. I usually add about a teaspoon of lemon zest if adding.
You can also use a flavored whipped cream cheese like a strawberry cream cheese or a mixed berry cream cheese. I don’t recommend using low fat cream cheese, it doesn’t taste as delicious in this crescent roll Danish recipe.
You can add a swirl of jam to the cream cheese mixture to make flavored Danishes. You can even mix and match flavors a little bit by putting a dollop of jam on the cream cheese and then swirling with a butter knife.
Try strawberry jam, raspberry jam, blueberry jam, blackberry jam, apple butter, or cherry jam, mixed into the cream cheese. You can also use a citrus marmalade or lemon curd. Cherry pie filling is another great option on top of this easy cream cheese Danish recipe.
Fresh fruit can be baked on top of the crescent rolls. Berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries can be sliced and laid on top of the cream cheese before baking.
You can also lay the fresh fruit slices over the Danish after baking right before you eat it. I find adding the fruit fresh right before enjoying is the best option for enjoying any leftovers a few days after baking.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the cream cheese, or fold them into the cream cheese mixture. Nutella is also delicious swirled into the cream cheese.
What To Serve With Cream Cheese Danishes
that is savory to go together with these pastries. Try a hearty sausage and potato breakfast casserole or a tatertot sausage breakfast casserole. I also like making these sausage egg muffins, the leftovers are great for meal prep for the week. Breakfast pizza can also be fun served with these Danishes!
Sometimes you might be trying to put together a platter of sweet breakfast ideas. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls made with crescent rolls are a great cozy recipe idea. These pancake mix muffins are fun on a platter and you can make multiple flavors in the same pan. Sweet glazed blueberry biscuits are another great sweet option for a platter,
Can I Make Crescent Roll Danishes Ahead Of Time?
Yes you can make the Danishes up to 24 hours in advance. They do taste freshest when they are just out of the oven or if eaten within 24 hours.
How Long Will This Cheese Danish Recipe Last?
Expect these crescent roll Danishes will last for about 4-5 days when you place in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You must refrigerate cheese Danish leftovers due to the cream cheese, you can’t leave them on the counter.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
For The Danish
- 16 ounces crescent roll dough set out on the counter for at least 15 minutes to warm up
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
For The Icing (optional)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Making The Crescent Roll Danish
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil lightly oiled. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl add the softened cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and beat with an electric mixer until a thick cream cheese custard forms.
- Unroll the tube of crescent roll dough. Divide the crescent dough into four rectangles. Press along the diagonal seams that cut the dough into triangles. Fold the corners in to form a pastry that is a circle with an edge making sure to pinch the seams together. Repeat with both tubes of dough.
- Brush the edges of each piece of dough with the melted butter and a silicone brush. Fill each pastry with the cream cheese layer evenly, about two tablespoons of mixture per piece. Spread evenly across the center of each pastry.
- Place the pastries on the pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the crescent dough is golden brown, then remove to a cooling rack. Let the pastries cool so the icing doesn’t melt and the Danish filling can set a little.
Adding The Icing (optional)
- While the pastries cool, add ¾ cup of powdered sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a small bowl. Mix with a spoon until a smooth icing forms. Drizzle the icing over the pastries and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Oh my goodness, these are the best! I’ve made them five times in the last month. I love the crescent roll dough but if you use puff pastry instead, it is a little bit better, in my opinion. However, I find that crescent rolls are cheaper and easier to find.