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Easy Cheese Danishes

These Easy Cheese Danishes use a shortcut (crescent roll dough) to make your favorite bakery pastry at home. So simple and delicious!

A SIMPLIFIED WAY TO MAKE CHEESE DANISHES

Do you remember a short while back I posted a recipe for Easy Apple Danishes? Well, I got such great feedback from that recipe that I had to try my hand at some cream cheese ones. So I decided on a yummy cream cheese filling – and butter my butt and call me a biscuit – I was surprised at how good these turned out. So this one is for all you cheese danish lovers!

Easy Cheese Danishes made with crescent rolls and layered on a white platter.

TIPS FOR MAKING CRESCENT ROLL CHEESE DANISHES:

  • If you don’t need so many danishes, just use one tube of crescent rolls and save the leftover cream cheese filling for another time. Just put it in a container with an airtight lid and store in the fridge for up to a week.
  • Try adding strawberry or raspberry jam along with the cream cheese. It adds amazing flavor!
Crescent Roll Cheese Danish recipe from The Country Cook, layered on a white plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • crescent rolls
  • cream cheese
  • granulated white sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • butter
  • light brown sugar
  • powdered sugar
  • milk
crescent roll dough, cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla extract, sugar, butter, powdered sugar.

HOW TO MAKE EASY CHEESE DANISHES:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese with white sugar and vanilla extract. Mixture should be creamy and smooth when finished (like cheesecake batter.)

cheesecake cream cheese filling batter in a clear bowl.

Separate crescent roll dough into eight rectangles. Seal perforations to make a rectangle.

sealing perforations of crescent roll dough.

Using a brush or spoon, spread melted butter all over crescent rolls. Sprinkle each rectangle with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

light brown sugar sprinkled on crescent roll dough.

Roll up from long side; pinch edges to seal.

rolled up crescent roll dough.

Holding one end, loosely coil each one.

coiled crescent roll dough to make a danish shape.

Now you want to get in there with your fingers and spread out the dough some to make room for the filling. Just pull and stretch and make a nice dent in the middle. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top each coil with about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling.

prepared crescent roll cheese danish on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350(F) for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. For the glaze, in a bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth and drizzle over each warm danishes.

stack of cheese danishes on a round white plate.

Cook’s Note: If you don’t need so many danishes, just use one tube of crescent rolls and save the leftover cream cheese filling for another time. Just put it in a container with an airtight lid and store in the fridge for up to a week. Makes 8 danishes.

a hand holding up a cheese danish.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Crescent Roll Cheese Danishes recipe

Easy Cheese Danishes

These Easy Cheese Danishes use a shortcut (crescent roll dough) to make your favorite bakery pastry at home. So simple and delicious!
4.90 from 97 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the danishes:

For the glaze:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese with white sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
  • Separate crescent dough into eight rectangles (there will be two crescent rolls to each rectangle.) Seal perforations.
  • Using a brush or spoon, spread melted butter all over crescent rolls.
  • Sprinkle each rectangle with about 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar.
  • Roll up from long side of the crescent rectangle; pinch edges to seal.
  • Holding one end, loosely coil each.
  • Spread out the dough in the middle some to make room for the filling.
  • Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top each coil with about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling.
  • Bake at 350(F) for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • For the glaze, in a bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth and drizzle over each warm danish.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • It’s important that the cream cheese is fully softened to room temperature. If it isn’t, it will end up lumpy. 
  • Salted or unsalted butter can be used. I prefer salted. 
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 448mg | Sugar: 25g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

Originally published: June 2011
Updated & republished: July 2020

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162 Comments

  1. these look AMAZING!! Does anyone know if I could freeze these once made? I would love to have them to just pop out of the freezer, thaw and eat for breakfast if I can make a big batch of them! Thanks for posting!

  2. I'm a little obsessed with cheese danishes and these look amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Megan

  3. 5 stars
    I just found this blog post through pinterest…and I'm drooling! So simple and I can already tell they'll taste great! Will definitely make these soon!

  4. These are absolutely amazing. I LOVE cream cheese danishes. This recipe has ruined all store bought danishes for me =) Thanks so much! I posted this recipe (linked back to you of course) on our food blog BetterThanBurgers.net

    Thanks again for a fabulous recipe! ~Dayna~

  5. That is wonderful Stephanie! Thank you for taking the time to come back & let me know how they turned out for you!

  6. 5 stars
    Made these danishes tonight! Super simple and soooooo delicious. I'm not much for pastries usually but my husband is and they were a hit with both of us. Recipe was simple enough my 4 year old son practically made them for us with a little help. Can't wait to try more of your recipes!!

  7. 5 stars
    OH MY WORD!!! I just made these & love them. This will be on my go to list for the times that I have overnight visitors. Thank you!

  8. OH Another great EASY recipe!!! I have been making Pillsbury Crescents my go-to shortcut for years. Now a cheese danish !!! I just might love you!! lol

  9. 5 stars
    You are OFFICIALLY my new best friend! Ohmygosh those sound and look DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for sharing!

  10. mmm! What a tasty treat! Every Friday someone drops off cheese danishes to our department at work and I'm dying for one now. Of course, your homemade ones look even better!

  11. Wow these look awesome, I will definitely be trying these next week. I already have crescent rolls in the freezer! Thanks!

  12. HAHAHAHAHA!!! "Butter my butt and call me a biscuit" Girl that just made my day! Love you so much! haha!

    And my hubby loves this recipe as this is his FAVORITE type of danish! I will have to try this asap!

  13. What a great recipe! Would you come over to my party "Cast Party Wednesday" and share some of your recipes?
    Thanks,
    I hope to see you there!

  14. WOW Brandie! Congratulations!! Those really DO look so good and are so easy. You go girl! So it's ok if I call you biscuit? lol

  15. Haha, Joy I think the same would be true for my husband! All I can say is yumm-o!!!! I can not wait to try these!!!!!!!