Crescent roll cream cheese danish is a buttery and flaky pastry made with crescent roll dough, topped with cinnamon sugar and filled with a creamy sweetened cream cheese filling. These easy to make cream cheese danishes make the perfect quick and delicious breakfast or dessert.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I adore a quick and easy pastry. My Apple Danish, Cherry Danish and Strawberry Danish are two danish recipes I love making. I am so excited to add these cream cheese crescent rolls to the blog. I know you’ll love it because:
- You need a quick and decadent breakfast or dessert. Whether you are looking for a sweet and delicious dessert or a need an easy and fancy breakfast idea, these crescent roll danishes are the perfect baked treat.
- Easy to make. These cream cheese crescent roll danishes use just 7 simple ingredients to make. All you have to do is slice, press, fill, bake and enjoy.
Ingredients
This easy and delicious cream cheese pastry requires only a handful of ingredients to make. Here’s what you need.
Gather crescent roll dough, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, butter and cinnamon sugar.
Substitutions
These cream cheese croissant danish pastries are meant to be quick, easy and delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions for this danish recipe if you need them.
- Crescent Roll Dough: Feel free to use your preferred crescent roll dough.
- Cream Cheese: A block of Philadelphia cream cheese is my preferred cream cheese for everything from dips to cheesecakes. Mascarpone cheese is a good alternative to the cream cheese.
- Powdered Sugar: This is used to sweeten the cream cheese filling. Feel free to use your preferred granulated sugar or powdered sugar alternative such as Lakanto.
- Lemon Juice: This is used to flavor the cream cheese. Feel free to omit or add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Vanilla Extract: This is purely for flavor and to enhance the flavors of the cinnamon sugar and cream cheese.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use your preferred butter.
- Cinnamon Sugar: This adds another layer of flavor to the cream cheese danishes. Feel free to mix another ground spice or just use plain sugar.
Variations
- Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish Bars: Grease a 9x13 pan. Spread one can of crescent roll dough across the bottom of the pan. Mix The cream cheese filling together as written in the recipe. Taste and adjust the sweetness of the cream cheese. Top with another can of crescent roll dough. Gently press the seams together. Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter. Top the melted butter with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on the counter top for about 30 minutes. Chill in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours, cut and enjoy.
- Braided Cream Cheese Danish: Unroll on can of crescent roll dough. Press the seems together to form one smooth sheet of dough. Imagine dividing the dough into thirds. The two outer rectangles are for braiding. The center rectangle is for the cream cheese filling. Spread the cream cheese along the center of the danish about 2 - 3 inches wide. Diagonally cut ½ inch slits from the outer edge of the dough through to the outer edge of the filling. Braid the strips in towards the center to cover the filling. Brush with melted butter and top with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 20 - 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
How To Make
Learn how to make crescent roll cream cheese danish in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed.
- Remove the crescent roll dough from the cans. The dough should be rolled up into a log. Re-roll the dough if needed. Slice the dough into 8 rounds. This is similar to slice and bake cookies. Place the crescent roll dough rounds onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tube of crescent roll dough.
- Brush the tops of the crescent roll rounds with melted butter. Top the melted butter with the cinnamon sugar. Using a tablespoon, press the center of the each round into a well about as deep as the tablespoon. Fill the indention with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling.
4. Bake the cream cheese crescent rolls danishes for 15 - 16 minutes or until the pastries are a light golden brown color. Cool the cheese danishes on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. If desired, whisk powdered sugar with heavy cream and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Drizzle on the cooled danish pastries and enjoy.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Transfer any leftover crescent roll danishes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 - 2 days. Cream cheese danishes are fine to enjoy at room temperature within 2 hours after baking.
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing these cream cheese danish pastries. However, if you want to try, flash freeze completely cooled danishes on a baking sheet for 20 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container to store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Remove the frozen danishes from the freezer to thaw at room temperature for an hour or in the fridge for a few hours. Reheat in the oven or air fryer until warmed through.
M’s Expert Tips
- Prepare the pastries on the baking sheet. This is the easiest way to ensure the pastries stay intact. Transfer to the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes if the crescent dough becomes sticky.
- Use room temperature cream cheese. The easiest way to ensure a smooth cream cheese filling is to use room temperature cream cheese. The cream cheese should be soft but still slightly cool to the touch.
- Use a cookie scoop. Using a small, 1 tablespoon cookie scoop makes adding the filling to the crescent roll rounds super quick and easy. A small, 1 tablespoon cookie scoop is the perfect size for scooping the cream cheese filling into the danish pastry rounds.
FAQs
Croissants are laminated dough in the shape of a crescent moon. Crescent rolls are not laminated, are more bread like and are also shaped like a crescent moon when rolled and baked.
Cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract are used to make the cream cheese filling in cream cheese danishes. Sometimes an egg yolk is added to the cream cheese filling for extra richness.
Rewarm the cream cheese danish in the oven at 300 F (150 C) for 5 minutes.
Other Pastry Recipes To Try
If you try this Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml) optional
Ingredients
Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
- 8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (30 g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tubes crescent roll dough
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed.8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature, 4 tablespoons (30 g) powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Remove the crescent roll dough from the can. The dough should be rolled up into a log. Re-roll the dough if needed. Slice the dough into 8 rounds. This is similar to slice and bake cookies. Place the crescent roll dough rounds onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tube of crescent roll dough.2 tubes crescent roll dough
- Brush the tops of the crescent roll rounds with melted butter. Top the melted butter with the cinnamon sugar. Using a tablespoon, press the center of the each round into a well about as deep as the tablespoon. Fill the indention with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling.2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted, 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Bake the cream cheese crescent rolls danishes for 15 - 16 minutes or until the pastries are a light golden brown color. Cool the cheese danishes on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Whisk powdered sugar with heavy cream and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Drizzle on the cooled danish pastries and enjoy.½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
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