These Cherry Cheese Danishes are the most delicious pastry and they're so easy to make using Crescent Dough. These are a Christmas favorite in our home and make a great breakfast or dessert. Ready to eat in under 45 minutes.
I first made these Cresent Roll Cream Cheese Danishes last Christmas, but this year decided to add fruit filling and it's so tasty. Plus, I love the red cherries for the holidays (it's extra festive).
I love homemade pastries, but I'm not trying to make dough from scratch during the holidays, and the crescent dough is an amazing shortcut!
For more Shortcut pastry recipes, check out these Puff Pastry Pop Tarts, Strawberry Turnovers with Puff Pastry, and Apple Hand Pies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Easy to Make. Crescent Dough makes this recipe so simple to whip up.
- Minimal Ingredients. Only 7 ingredients needed!
- Quick. Ready in under 40 minutes with only about 15 minutes of prep work.
- Taste Amazing. Soft dough with a sweetened cream cheese center topped with cherries makes these danishes so yummy!
- A Holiday Favorite. These Cheese Cherry Danishes are perfect for Christmas breakfast or Holiday parties!
For more holiday breakfast ideas, try my Brioche French Toast Casserole, Spinach Artichoke Quiche, Egg Tarts, and Sausage Croissant Breakfast Casserole.
Ingredients:
Crescent Dough: Crescent Dough or Crescent Rolls work great for this recipe.
Cherry Pie Filling: The whole cherry pie filling is best for this recipe. I like adding about 3 whole cherries to each pastry and less of the thick sauce.
*Find the full recipe ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Substitutions:
- Don't want fruit topping? Feel free to leave it off.
- You can use other pie filling like blueberry, apple, etc.
- The cinnamon sugar can be left off around the outside of the pastry, but it tastes really good on there.
Bought extra crescent dough? Try these Viral Bacon Cream Cheese Pinwheels, Pepperoni Pizza Rolls, Crescent Taco Rolls, and Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls.
How to Make Cherry Cheese Danishes:
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: (1) For Filling: 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 ¼ cup granulated sugar. Blend on medium speed for 60 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed. (2) Add in the 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.
(3) 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. (4) 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. Repeat with second crescent dough sheet.
Step 3: (1) Roll each piece up tightly into a cylinder, like a snake. (2) Keep one end stationary, then wrap the other end around it in a circular motion. This will make the dough look like a coiled up snake. Then, press the center of the danish dough down with the thumb or a spoon to create a well for the filling. Note: Make sure there are no open gaps for filling to leak from. (3) Stretch the dough out a bit and use the thumbs to deepen the well for more filling to fit into. (4) Place all 8 danishes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, spreading them out as much as possible.
Step 4: (1) Fill the center of the danish with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling and smooth out with the bottom of a spoon. (2) Top with about 3 whole cherries and a bit of the filling sauce. (3) Brush the outside dough with egg white wash. Mix together the cinnamon with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle onto the outside edges of the dough. It should stick well to the egg white wash. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the dough is fully cooked and looks golden and flaky.
Step 5: Allow the danishes to cool on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- The cream cheese needs to be softened to room temperature or the filling will have chunks.
- If you bought crescent rolls versus dough it's not a problem at all. You can push the perforations closed a bit on the rolls and it's the same thing.
- Keep the crescent dough or rolls in the fridge until right before using. It's easier to work with when cold.
- When you're rolling the danish up like a coiled snake (ugh scary), make sure the dough is without gaps and to stretch out the thumbprint so it can hold more filling.
Big on Cream Cheese Desserts like me? 🙋♀️Try this Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie, Berry Cream Cheese Tarts, and Cream Cheese Marshmallow Fruit Dip.
Storage and Reheating:
These taste the best warm and fresh, but they do reheat well. To store, allow the danishes to come to room temperature, then place in a sealed container, or wrap in foil and keep in the fridge.
To reheat, place the danishes on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes in a 350 degree oven. They can also be microwaved, but I think it makes the texture of the dough kind of chewy, so it's not my preferred method.
More Sweet Breakfasts You'll Love:
If you tried this Cherry Cheese Danish Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Cherry Cheese Danishes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 danishes 1x
Description
These Cherry Cheese Danishes are the most delicious pastry and they're so easy to make using Crescent Dough. These are a Christmas favorite in our home and make a great breakfast or dessert. Ready to eat in under 45 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 (8 ounce) crescent dough sheets or crescent rolls
- ¼ of a 21 ounce can of Cherry Pie Filling with Whole Cherries
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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.
- For Filling: 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 ¼ cup granulated sugar. Blend on medium speed for 60 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed. (2) Add in the 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. Repeat with second crescent dough sheet.
- Roll each piece up tightly into a cylinder, like a snake. (2) Keep one end stationary, then wrap the other end around it in a circular motion. This will make the dough look like a coiled up snake. Then, press the center of the danish dough down with the thumb or a spoon to create a well for the filling. Note: Make sure there are no open gaps for filling to leak from. (3) Stretch the dough out a bit and use the thumbs to deepen the well for more filling to fit into. (4) Place all 8 danishes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, spreading them out as much as possible.
- Fill the center of the danish with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling and smooth out with the bottom of a spoon. (2) Top with about 3 whole cherries and a bit of the filling sauce. (3) Brush the outside dough with egg white wash. Mix together the cinnamon with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle onto the outside edges of the dough. It should stick well to the egg white wash. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the dough is fully cooked and looks golden and flaky.
- Allow the danishes to cool on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The cream cheese needs to be softened to room temperature or the filling will have chunks.
- If you bought crescent rolls versus dough it's not a problem at all. You can push the perforations closed a bit on the rolls and it's the same thing.
- Keep the crescent dough/rolls in the fridge until right before using. It's easier to work with when cold still.
- When you're rolling the danish up like a coiled snake (ugh scary), make sure the dough is without gaps and to stretch out the thumbprint so it can hold more filling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: breakfast
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Denmark
George says
Everyone loved these! Thanks for the recipe 💕
Tara Smithson says
Yay!! Thanks for making them!