This Cream Cheese Danish recipe is a quick and easy breakfast danish made with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
How to Make Cream Cheese Danish with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Recipe
This quick and easy Cream Cheese Danish Recipe is made with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Sheets and rich and creamy Philadelphia Cream Cheese that has a hint of lemon and topped with a light glaze.
There are times when I need a dessert to pass and this delightfully simple dessert is my first choice.
It’s one of those recipes that takes minimal effort and time to prepare but tastes better than any store bought danish.
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Best of all, this dessert is the quintessential sweet treat that delivers in a pinch. And most of my gal friends can attest to having to bake on a minute’s notice—well, this dessert doesn’t get any easier.
It bakes well, it slices well, it tastes amazing. You can’t ask for anything better than that.
What I love especially about this recipe is that it offers so much potential and variations.
I can see adding a layer of fruit filling (think cherry or apple pie fillings) to take it up another notch. I can also see sprinkling on almonds just before baking for a bakery-quality experience. You get the picture
To Make:
As I mentioned above, this recipe is simple, indeed. It uses basic ingredients, including Pillsbury Crescent Roll Sheets.
Now if you cannot find this product, you can use the original crescent rolls. Just pinch the perforated cut lines shut.
The filling is quick and easy, too. Cream cheese, lemon zest, a bit of sugar and vanilla and lemon extract.
Mix the filling well. As you can see, I’m just getting started. What you want is a smooth (not lumpy) filling–as best as you can.
Next, spread the filling over the base. Be sure to leave about a half inch around the perimeter of the dough sans filling.
Cover with the second sheet of crescent dough. Pinch the edges of the top and bottom crust together to seal the filling inside.
Then, brush on beaten egg whites to give the top crust the finishing touch.
Finally, bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Now here comes the hard part—waiting to try it.
But first…you have to wait for the danish to cool, before you give it a light glaze.
Then you’re ready to eat. Slice. Enjoy!
For more delicious dessert ideas, be sure to check out Wisconsin Homemaker’s Recipe Section.
Pillsbury Cream Cheese Danish Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
For the Crust and Filling
- 2 cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Roll Sheets (you can also use regular crescent rolls if you cannot find this product)
- 16 oz cream cheese regular
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest from one lemon
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 egg white beaten
For the Glaze
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- nonstick spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick spray.
For the Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and egg. Using a mixer paddle, start out beating slowly then increase the speed to thoroughly combine the mixture into a smooth filling. Set aside.
For the Crust
- Open the first package of crescent rolls and lay out the length in the baking pan. If you find that there are any holes, pinch the crescent dough tightly together.
- Pour the filling onto the crescent roll base but leave approximately a 1/2 inch wide boundary around the perimeter of the dough. Level out the filling.
- Then, add the other crescent roll sheet over the top of the filling. Carefully, press down the sides of the dough to meet the base sheet.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly spread on the egg white over the top crust.
- Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. The top crust will be golden brown.
- Remove and allow the cake to cool.
For the Glaze
- Next mix the glaze with the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Allow the dessert to completely cool before drizzling this over the top.
- Slice and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers. Enjoy!
Can you put this together the day before you bake it?
Hello Linda! Great question! Unfortunately, this is one recipe that cannot be made in advance the night before baking. The reason is two-fold. The crescent dough. And, the eggs. Crescent dough, while very forgiving would actually become quite sqongy, and dare I say, slimey if left to meld with the other ingredients. As for the eggs, I am not a fan of mixing raw eggs into anything and then letting it sit, despite being refrigerated overnight. Again, the possibility might be more of a liquidy mixture and not one that is ideal for this recipe. If you are planning on making it for, say a morning gathering, then might I suggest to lay out the cream cheese as soon as you get up in the morning so that the cream cheese can come to room temperature and soften. Then, when you are ready, mix the rest of the ingredients and follow the rest of the instructions. While the dessert is baking, you can make up the glaze and have it ready to go. You can drizzle it right after the danish comes out of the oven or take it with you and drizzle it on right before serving to your guests. Hope that helps. Be well. -DLM