I’m re-sharing a classic today. The other day I did say that I was going to try to share less salads and more comfort food recipes, so here you go. Go big or go home. 🙂
My parents came over to visit this past weekend. My papa loves breakfast pastries so I wanted to make something for him. I couldn’t find a new recipe to try so I looked through my recipe index and found the cheese danish that I originally posted in 2013. I haven’t made it in ages but it was a hit when I made it back then. In fact, it was such a hit that I adapted the recipe into a raspberry cheese danish and an apple cheese danish, which were also fant-abulous.
I was also drawn to making this again because it’s super easy and quick to whip up. While I was in the mood to bake, I wasn’t in the mood for a fussy or time consuming recipe. With that I had a plan, cheese danish it is. It was a big hit again.
I wanted to share this danish with you again with you because 2013 was a long time ago and I think it’s so good that it’s worth giving it a second spotlight. To quote my papa, “This cheese danish is better than what I’d get at a bakery. I hate it when I get a cheese danish that hardly has any cheese in it. This one hits the spot.” And there you go. 🙂
It’s not complicated to braid the danish. If you’d like to see step by step photos, then check out my raspberry cheese danish post because I’ve detailed it all there and it’s a great source to use.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the crescent roll dough is lame because it’s store bought. I’m all for homemade things but sometimes short cuts are a good thing especially if it’s just as tasty. Also, I’ve made this with both the “original” and “buttery” versions of the crescent roll dough. Both work equally well.
Cheese Danish Recipe
(Makes 1 loaf)
Ingredients for the Danish:
- 1 package (8 ounces) of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tube (8 ounces) of crescent rolls (I used Pillsbury original crescent rolls.)
Ingredients for the Glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavor (You can use vanilla extract but the color will not be as white.)
- pinch of salt
Directions for the Danish:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and flour until it’s smooth and creamy. Set it aside.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set it aside.
- Carefully unroll the crescent roll dough into one long rectangle on the prepared baking sheet (don’t separate at the perforations).
- Press the dough near the perforations to even them out and seal any holes.
- At the top of the rectangle of crescent roll dough, cut the 2 corners off.
- At the bottom of the rectangle of crescent roll dough, cut 2 small triangles to make a square tab.
- Cut 1 inch wide diagonal strips on each side of the dough, leaving 2 to 3 inches in the middle.
- Spread the cream cheese filling down the center of the dough.
- Fold the top tab down on top of the filling.
- Fold the bottom tab up on top of the filling.
- Fold the 1 inch wide dough strips up and over the filling, alternating sides so it looks like a braided pattern.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 17-20 minutes or until the filling is set and the dough is golden brown. (Mine took 20 minutes.)
- Let the Danish cool on the baking pan.
- Once the Danish has cooled, drizzle the glaze on top of the Danish.
Directions for the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
Adapted from: Lauren’s Latest
