Why does cream cheese have to be softened to room temperature?

It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it actually is. Softened cream cheese will result in a much smoother texture and when it's the base a recipe it's really important! If it's cold, the cream cheese will clump together.

What is a crescent roll?

A crescent roll starts as dough and is baked into a flaky, buttery, soft and puffy texture. It's different than croissants, puff pastry or rolls and is great in so many recipes, both sweet and savory.

How to Store the Danishes?

Allow the danishes to come to room temperature, then store in ziplock bags or a sealed container in the fridge. Eat within 3 days.

How to Reheat Cheese Danishes?

To reheat in the oven: Place danish onto a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven until warm, 5-8 minutes. For the microwave, place on microwave safe dish with a paper towel on top and microwave in 15-30 second increments until warm.

Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish

Description

This Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish recipe is the perfect Holiday breakfast idea. They're so simple to make and are ready to eat in less than an hour. An absolute must have breakfast recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

Ingredients

Scale

2 (8 ounce) crescent dough sheets or crescent rolls
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the egg yolk from the egg white in two different bowls. Whisk the egg white with water and set aside.
Into the stand mixer, or using a large bowl with hand mixer, add in the cream cheese. Whip with beater attachment on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Blend on medium speed for 60 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add in egg yolk and mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour in vanilla extract and blend 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then blend again on medium high speed for 60 seconds. Set filling aside.
Roll both the crescent rolls out onto a piece of parchment paper. Pinch together, or use a rolling pin to close the perforations if using crescent rolls, instead of dough sheets. When looking at the crescent dough like a tall rectangle, use a pizza cutter to horizontally slice the rectangle, 3 times into 4 equal pieces.
Roll each piece up tightly into a cylinder, like a snake. Then, twist the piece by holding the right side still, and turning the left side counter clockwise. This will make the dough look like a snake that is coiled up.
Swirl the piece of dough around into a circle shape. Then, press the center of the danish dough with the thumb or a spoon to create a well for the filling. Note: Make sure there are no open gaps for the filling to leak from.
Transfer the danishes onto a parchment paper or silpat lined cookie sheet. Fill each pastry with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling.
In a small bowl, combine the ground cinnamon with remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar. Lightly brush the outsides of the pastries with the egg white wash, then sprinkle on a pinch of cinnamon and sugar around the outsides of the dough, not on the filling. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Allow the danishes to cool for about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

Cookie sheet

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stand mixer

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Notes

To avoid a lot of chunks in the filling, make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
Leave the crescent dough in the fridge until ready to rolls into danishes. When the dough warms up, it sticks to the hands more.
Use parchment paper under the dough to avoid sticking.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: breakfast
Method: bake
Cuisine: American