Semi-homemade Danishes

(makes 20)

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been in a situation where you have offered to bring a sweet treat to someone’s house and then realized how pressed for time you were to make something. Now you can always go to the store or bakery and pick something up but I really try bringing homemade treats, even if they’re semi-homemade.

These Danishes are my best kept secret and I have been making them for years. They’re great for breakfast, brunch or dessert and have endless flavor options. The best part is, they take nearly no time to prep and can be made hours in advance. The trick is using store-bought dough and pie filling.

Trust me, no one will even know that these pastries are semi-homemade!

Ingredients

Dough + Filling

- 2 Pillsbury crescent rolls

- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

- Can of pie filling of choice

- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- Flour (for dusting)

Icing

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

- 3 teaspoons of milk (or water)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Cream Cheese Filling

Combine sugar, vanilla and cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.

Icing (once Danishes are cooled)

Mix all ingredients together until evenly combined. If the icing is too dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too loose, add more powdered sugar 1 teaspoon at a time.

Dough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Open your crescent roll dough and using a very sharp knife divide into 10 equal slices.

Tip: Use a bread knife coated in flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the knife. This also allows your slices to stay round and not have to reshape them.

Transfer the dough to a parchment paper (or silicone mat) lined cookie sheet, evenly spaced.

Coat the bottom of measuring cup (or similar) and flatten each slice slightly.

Take a shot glass (or similar) and coat the exterior with some flour.

Gently press the shot glass into the center of your sliced dough to create a recessed center for the filling. This will create a little wall around the edge to keep your filling in while baking.

Assembly

Fill each ring equally with cream cheese filling and pie filling. I usually can get about 1 teaspoon of each into each Danish.

Bake for 15 mins until slightly golden brown.

Allow to cool completely and drizzle with icing.

Favorite Pairings

Spring/ Summer

Lemon

Blueberry

Cherry

Fall/ Winter

Pumpkin pie

Apple + caramel sauce

Cranberry

Note: You can totally omit the cream cheese and just fill with pie filling for a dairy free pastry!

This recipe sure doesn't need any butter, but if it did it would be salted!