These crescent roll cream cheese danishes are super quick and easy to make because the base is made with canned crescent roll dough then a homemade cream cheese filling is added.
This is the easy way to make danishes because you don’t have to worry about making the danish dough from scratch. Using canned crescent roll dough makes this super quick and easy, but they’ll still taste homemade.
Table of Contents:
The cream cheese mixture in the center is the star of this danish and the cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over the danishes just makes them heavenly.
This recipe makes large danishes and you’ll want to eat every bit of them. This is a recipe that the whole family will love and devour.
Ingredient Notes:
Now let’s talk about just some of the ingredients that are in this danish recipe. (The list of all ingredients are in the recipe card below.)
Refrigerated crescent roll dough: This is the pre-made dough you find in tubes in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, usually by the canned biscuits.
Using this pre-made dough is what makes these danishes so quick and easy. Make sure to follow the instructions and take a look at the process pictures in this post to see exactly how to shape the dough for the cream cheese.
Cream cheese: You’ll definitely need cream cheese for these danishes and you’ll be adding in a few more ingredients to sweeten and spice it up.
Butter: This recipe calls for melted butter. Real butter is best here because it helps brown up the danishes and gives it a really good flavor.
Sugar & Cinnamon: You’ll use sugar in both the cream cheese mixture and you’ll sprinkle it with cinnamon over the danishes for added sweetness and flavor.
Confectioner’s sugar & Milk: The recipe calls for both of these ingredients to make a quick glaze for the danishes.
Corn syrup: This is an optional ingredient, but it helps to firm up the glaze so that it doesn’t make a mess and doesn’t smear all over everything.
How to Make These Danishes:
Let’s talk about how to make these cream cheese danishes. (The exact instructions are in the recipe card below as well.)
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2:
In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix together. Set this aside.
Step 3:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Step 4:
Mix with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth. Set that bowl aside.
Step 5:
Now remove the crescent roll dough from the tubes and separate the pieces into rectangles using the perforations in the dough. Don’t tear at every perforation (you don’t want to make triangles out of the dough), just tear enough to make 4 rectangle sections for each tube of crescent roll dough.
Step 6:
Next, take each rectangle, mash the dough together and form it into a disk.
Step 7:
Pinch around the outside of the disk of dough to form a well in the center where the cream cheese mixture will go.
Step 8:
Add them to the parchment covered sheet pan and brush or spoon the melted butter over the danishes.
Step 9:
Sprinkle the danishes with the dry sugar and cinnamon mixture. (Make sure to save some of this mixture to top off the danishes later.)
Step 10:
Now add the cream cheese mixture to the center of each danish. Try to spoon it right in the middle of each dough disk.
Step 11:
Next, add a light sprinkling of the dry sugar and cinnamon mixture. (You don’t have to use all that is remaining though, just a good sprinkling.)
Now, bake the danishes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes or until the danishes are golden brown.
While they’re baking, mix up the glaze. Once baked, let them cool for only about 15 minutes, then add the prepared glaze.
Step 12:
Enjoy these warm with coffee for breakfast or just as a yummy dessert.
Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
For the danishes:
- 2 8 ounce tubes refrigerated crescent rolls dough (I used Pillsbury)
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (for the cream cheese mixture)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (for sprinkling)
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup (optional, but will help the glaze set up)
Instructions
For the danishes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, add the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix together. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice and mix with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed until smooth. Set aside.
- Remove the crescent roll dough from the tubes and separate the pieces into rectangles using the perforations in the dough. You don't want to keep seperating the dough to make triangles, stop when you have 4 rectangles for each crescent roll tube.
- Take each rectangle, mash it together to form it into a disk, then pinch around the outside of the disk of dough to form a well in the center for the cream cheese mixture. (See the pictures within the post for an example of this.)
- Brush or spoon the melted butter over the danishes.
- Sprinkle the danishes with the dry sugar and cinnamon mixture. (Reserve some of this mixture to top off the danishes later.)
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the center of each danish and add a light sprinkling of the dry sugar, cinnamon mixture. (You don't have to use all that is remaining, just a good sprinkling.)
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximatly 25-30 minutes or until the danishes are golden brown.
- Let cool for about 15 minutes, then add the glaze.
For the glaze:
- Add all of the ingredients for the glaze into a small bowl and mix well with a whisk.
- Drizzle onto the baked danishes after they've cooled for about 15 minutes.
Notes
These danishes are best served warm. If cold, pop in the microwave to warm up for only about 10 seconds. The cream cheese mixture will warm much faster than the danish part, so be careful as it can get very hot if heating much longer than about 10 seconds. Nutritional values are an estimate. Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions you may have.
*This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
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Tips & FAQs:
Absolutely! Crescent roll dough is the quick and easy way to make danishes. There’s no need for any yeast or time spent making scratch dough.
Both! You can eat danishes for breakfast with coffee or eat them as a dessert. There are no rules on when you can eat danishes.
Make sure to set the cream cheese out ahead of time so that it can soften before mixing it. Just set it out about 30 minutes prior.
You could probably use any brand, but I used Pillsbury.
I’m not sure as I haven’t tried this recipe out with biscuit dough, but I think it would be worth a try.
No, but it does add a little extra tang to the cream cheese and it doesn’t make the mixture taste lemony.
Danishes will be golden brown and a bit firm to the touch.
No. The corn syrup just helps the glaze set up so that it doesn’t transfer onto everything it touches.
I would not freeze these. They just will not be as fresh that way and may end up a little chewier than you’d like once defrosted.
These can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
These danishes are best served warm. If cold, pop in the microwave to warm up for only about 10 seconds. The cream cheese mixture will warm much faster than the danish part, so be careful as it can get very hot if heating much longer than about 10 seconds.
These are perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee, as a dessert, or a snack at any time.
Video:
Supplies Used for this Recipe:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
- Silicone spatulas
- Whisks
- Hand mixer or Stand mixer
- Cooling rack
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