Love the taste of fresh bakery-style danishes but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen? These Easy Cream Cheese Danishes are the ultimate shortcut recipe! Using store-bought crescent roll dough, you can create flaky, buttery pastries with a rich, sweet cream cheese filling in just minutes. Whether you’re serving them for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon treat, these danishes bring that warm, comforting bakery experience right to your home without the hassle of making pastry dough from scratch.
Check out my list of baking essentials you need in your kitchen!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔ Only a Few Ingredients – No complicated pastry techniques required!
✔ Flaky & Buttery – Crescent roll dough bakes into a light, golden pastry.
✔ Creamy & Sweet Filling – A luscious blend of cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add a fruit filling to make it gourmet!
✔ Perfect for Any Occasion – Great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
What You’ll Need
To make these delicious cream cheese danishes, you only need a handful of simple ingredients:
For the Danish Pastry:
- Crescent roll dough – The secret to an effortless, flaky pastry.
- Cream cheese, softened – The key to a creamy, indulgent filling.
- Granulated sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – Enhances the flavor of the cream cheese.
- Lemon juice – Brings out the freshness and adds a brightness to these danishes.
- Fruit Filling – Add a delicious fruit flavor to the danish.
For the Glaze (Optional but Highly Recommended!):
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Fresh Lemon
Pro Tips for the Best Cream Cheese Danishes
💡 Use Cold Dough – Crescent roll dough is easier to work with when chilled.
💡 Add Fruit Toppings – Try adding jam, fresh berries, or apple slices before baking for extra flavor.
💡 Brush with Egg Wash – For an extra golden and glossy finish, brush the edges of the dough with an egg wash before baking.
💡 Store Leftovers – Keep them in an airtight container and reheat in the oven for a fresh-out-of-the-oven taste!
Why This Recipe is a Must-Try
Making cream cheese danishes at home has never been easier. This recipe delivers flaky, creamy, bakery-quality pastries with minimal effort, thanks to the convenience of crescent roll dough. Whether you’re whipping these up for a special brunch, a family gathering, or just to satisfy a sweet craving, these danishes are sure to impress.
So why wait? Bake up a batch and treat yourself today!
What’s your favorite way to enjoy a Danish? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to share your delicious creations on social media!
Easy Cream Cheese Danish
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 hand mixer or whisk
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 can crescent rolls Pillsbury Butter FlakeCrescent Rolls
- 1 block softened cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk use the egg white for an egg wash
- 1/2 powdered sugar *adjust to your preferred sweetness*
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- ½ Tbsp raspberry filling per danish or any fruit preserve of choice
For the glaze (optional)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp milk
Instructions
- Combine softened cream cheese and powdered sugar.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla.
- Add some lemon juice.
- Set aside.
- Open your crescent rolls and without unwrapping them, cut them while in the log shape.
- Your rolls should be in a circular shape.
- Use a cup, small bowl or glass to flatten the dough into a round disc.
- Brush the dough rounds with the leftover egg white.
- Pipe or spoon the cream cheese filling into the center of the dough. Be careful not to overfill, as the filling will run a bit while baking.
- Scoop a bit of of the fruit filling in the center.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.
- While danishes are baking, make your glaze.
- Add some powdered sugar and a little but of milk in a bowl. Mix until the glaze is nice and smooth.
- Once danishes are cool, drizzle some glaze on top.
- Enjoy!
