These Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish made with crescent roll dough are so delicious and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet treat any time of the day!
They’re so good, in fact, that it’s hard to tell that they’re semi-homemade. If you love pastry but like to keep things fast and simple in the kitchen, this crescent roll danish recipe is for you!
Usually, I’m all about making everything from scratch.
But, hey, I’m also a realist. Sometimes, you just don’t have a lot of time and need a good shortcut.
One of my favorite shortcuts? Refrigerated crescent roll dough. It’s buttery, flaky, soft, scrumptious, and the perfect base for these delectable danish.
And it makes things so quick and easy, they’ll be ready to enjoy in just under 40 minutes!
We start by mixing together cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to make a creamy, sweet and slightly tangy filling that’s reminiscent of cheesecake.
Then we open up those crescent rolls, cut them into rounds, place them on a baking sheet, and press them out a little.
A dollop of the cream cheese mixture goes on top of each one, followed by some strawberry jam or preserves (I love using my easy Strawberry Refrigerator Jam). Then we bake them until they are lightly golden brown.
After letting them cool, we mix up a powdered sugar glaze and drizzle it over the top of each one (it really makes them look super pretty!).
And that’s it…they’re ready to eat!
Ingredients you need:
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Strawberry jam or preserves
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough
- Milk
Here’s a look at how to make Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish:
Note: This is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe with detailed instructions.
Tips & Tidbits:
- I recommend using a light-colored baking sheet and baking on the center rack in the oven so the danish don’t get too dark, especially on the bottom.
- If you use a dark pan, you might want to consider reducing the heat to 350°F (you might have to increase the baking time slightly).
- The parchment paper helps keep the danish from sticking to the pan. If you don’t have any, lightly spray the pan with cooking spray instead.
- If you forget to soften your cream cheese, cut it into cubes, put it in a bowl, and microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds to soften.
- Because it’s such a small amount, I mix together the cream cheese filling with a spoon, but you can use an electric mixer if you prefer.
- Best when served fresh from the oven!
- Store leftover danish covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. They’re also delicious cold (and will have a firmer consistency), or you can put them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to warm them and soften them up.
- Variations: Use different flavors of jam (you could also use preserves), such as raspberry, blackberry, apricot, peach, blueberry, pineapple, or even some lemon curd. Or you can skip the jam for a fantastic cheese danish.
- For a little crunch, you could add some thinly sliced almonds to the top of the danish before baking.
My favorite way to enjoy these danish are with a cup of coffee or tea…so perfect together!
These will be an absolute hit with anyone you serve them to, and it’s easy to make a double batch (or more) if you’re serving a crowd for breakfast or brunch.
I hope you try this Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More recipes with strawberries you might like…
- Strawberry Refrigerator Jam
- Homemade Fresh Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Creamy Strawberry Watermelon Smoothies
- Strawberry Pretzel Cheesecake
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
For the Danish:
- 1 (8-ounce) tube refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 teaspoons strawberry jam, preserves could also be used
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 4 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (I use a half sheet pan, which is approximately 18 x 13 inches).If you don't have parchment paper, spray the pan lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, the lemon juice, and vanilla extract until smooth; set aside.
- Remove the crescent roll dough from the tube but don't unroll it. Cut the dough into 8 equal slices (a serrated knife works best for this).
- Place the dough rounds on the baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Using your fingers, gently press each piece of dough into a 2½-inch round, leaving the edges slightly raised to help hold in the filling.
- Top each dough round with ⅛ of the cream cheese mixture, leaving a border of dough around the edges.
- Place 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam in the center of the cream cheese mixture on each danish.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Remove the danish from the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool (about 15 minutes).
- In a small bowl, mix together the ½ cup of powdered sugar and enough of the milk to make a glaze of your desired consistency; start with the 2 teaspoons and add more, a little at a time, until it is how you want it (I make mine just thin enough to easily drizzle while still being on the thicker side to give you those nice lines of glaze…it usually takes about 4 teaspoons of milk for me).
- Put a piece of wax paper or parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch the extra glaze for easy clean-up (you can use the same piece of parchment that you baked them on).
- Drizzle the glaze evenly over the danish. Enjoy!
Notes
- Best when served fresh from the oven!
- Store leftover danish covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. They’re delicious cold (and will have a firmer consistency), or you can put them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to warm and soften them up.
- Because it’s such a small amount, I beat the cream cheese filling with a spoon, but you can use an electric mixer if you prefer.
- I recommend using a light-colored baking sheet and baking on the center rack in the oven so the danish don’t get too dark, especially on the bottom.
- If you use a dark pan, you might want to consider reducing the heat to 350°F (you might have to increase the baking time slightly).
Recipe adapted from Pillsbury.
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