Save yourself a trek to the neighborhood bakery and make your own with the following simple recipe. They are made with a shortcut ingredient – and that’s crescent roll dough, which you can find in any grocery store. If you have a busy lifestyle, you won’t want to waste time making your own dough. Thanks to this recipe, you don’t have to. Other ingredients in this tasty Danish recipe include cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla, powdered sugar, and more. There’s nothing in there that’s hard to find.
You will love the taste and texture of these amazing vanilla lemon Danishes, and agree they’re even better than the store-bought kind! Since you’re using readymade dough, there’s nothing that can go wrong when making these, and you don’t have to be an experienced pastry chef to get them spot-on! Once you’ve made these one time you will definitely want to make them again, maybe changing some of the flavors for a different (yes still delicious) result.
These Danish pastries are so delicious and, what’s more, they’re simple to make! The vanilla and lemon flavors are subtle, the pastry is soft and chewy and the filling is rich and creamy.
Why You’ll Love the Recipe:
It’s so easy to make these vanilla lemon Danishes when you use readymade crescent roll dough. The creamy filling is amazing and they’re a great breakfast option, and also nice as a snack.
How to Serve Them:
Enjoy this delicious homemade Danish as they are or top them with fresh fruit (berries work great!) if you prefer.
Ingredients:
For the Danishes:
- Crescent roll dough
- Melted unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Light brown sugar
- Lemon juice
- White sugar
For the glaze:
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- Powdered sugar
How to make Crescent Cheese Danishes:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and use parchment paper to line a baking sheet.
Open the dough tubes but don’t unroll them.
Mix the lemon, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, until well combined.
Cut the crescent roll dough (still rolled up) into ½ or ¾-inch thick slices.
Arrange them on the baking sheet.
Use your fingers to shape a slightly raised-up edge on each slice to hold in the filling.
Mix the melted butter with brown sugar.
Then brush this over the slices with a pastry brush.
Divide the filling between the dough slices.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until a little golden brown.
Mix the vanilla and powdered sugar in a bowl, then stir in the milk.
Drizzle this glaze over the baked Danish pastries.
Crescent Cheese Danishes
Ingredients
For the Danishes:
- 2 tubes crescent roll dough
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup white sugar
For the glaze:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons milk
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and use parchment paper to line a baking sheet.
- Open the dough tubes but don’t unroll them.
- Mix the lemon, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, until well combined.
- Cut the crescent roll dough (still rolled up) into ½ or ¾-inch thick slices.
- Arrange them on the baking sheet.
- Use your fingers to shape a slight raised up edge on each slice to hold in the filling.
- Mix the melted butter with brown sugar, then brush this over the slices with a pastry brush.
- Divide the filling between the dough slices.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until a little golden brown.
- Mix the vanilla and powdered sugar in a bowl, then stir in the milk.
- Drizzle this glaze over the baked Danish pastries.
Can You Make These Ahead?
Yes, make them in advance if that’s handy. That way you can grab one as a speedy breakfast when you rush out the door to work in the morning!
Storage Instructions:
Let these completely cool before storing them (or else they’ll get dry and hard faster). Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 3 days.
Variations and Substitutions:
Use any toppings you want on these, perhaps strawberries, peach chunks or pineapple. You can also sub another extract for the vanilla or use lime or orange in place of the lemon.
