Cheese danishes are such a great treat to have in the house, perfect for snacking, breakfast, and dessert! I love how cheese danishes are just the right amount of sweetness without being overbearing. This cheese danish recipe is not only easy, but it a great fall twist on a classic.
This recipe is made with crescent roll dough filled with a sweet pumpkin mixture, then topped with cream cheese filling and a crunchy pecan crumble. A perfect way to celebrate fall weather! These make great leftovers, so you can make them a day ahead of time if you want to use them as a holiday breakfast treat for friends and family or to bring them into the office. Once you make the first danish, the rest move along rather quickly!
Servings: 16 Danishes
Calories: 271kcal
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Pumpkin Mixture
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp clove
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
Pecan Topping
- ½ cup pecan finely chopped
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
Danish
- 16 Big & Flaky crescent rolls uncooked
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together. Add vanilla and mix well, then add egg and beat until completely incorporated. Set aside.
Pumpkin Mixture
- In a small bowl, mix all pumpkin ingredients together and set aside.
Pecan Topping
- In a small bowl, mix all pecan topping ingredients together and set aside.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350°F and either lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Open crescent roll canisters carefully, unrolling the dough but not separating it by the diagonal cut. Separate dough by the full rectangle pieces, gently pressing together the diagonal seem to get on solid piece of dough. You should have 8 rectangle shaped pieces of dough all together.
- Gently roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it's about a 10-12" long. Cut in half length wise. Going lengthwise, add a line of pumpkin mixture down the center of the dough (I like using a piping bag for this) leaving about half an inch of room on both ends. Try not to get any pumpkin on the edges of the dough because that will make it harder to seal the dough together.
- Fold dough over and press together firmly, making sure it seals together. Gently take both ends of the dough and twist about a dozen times, then place one end on the baking sheet, circling the dough around to make the danish shape. Tuck end of the dough under the danish. Keep in mind you are going to fill the center with cream cheese so leave room (you may need to push it out with your fingers once the dough is shaped). Repeat until all the danishes are formed.
- Lightly brush the dough with butter as this will keep the danish soft while cooking. If you like a firmer danish skip this step. Add a spoonful of cream cheese filling to the center of the danish. Sprinkle the dough (try to avoid the cream cheese filling as the butter in the topping will cause minor separation in the filling) with pecan topping.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until danish is golden brown and the cream cheese filling is set. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
These danishes are amazing straight out of the refrigerator with a cup of coffee (if you are lucky enough to have any leftovers) but if you want to reheat them, just put them in the microwave for about 5 seconds. You don’t want to overheat them since the crescent dough will become soggy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Danish | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 4407IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
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