I have fond memories of going to the local bakery as a child and eating danishes. I would eat one jelly danish before we even left the bakery and then I would polish off a cream cheese danish on the car ride home.
When you’re a kid and play sports seven days a week you can polish off danishes like it’s your job. I wish I could get that job again.
And in high school and college, I could do some major damage on Entenmann’s danishes and crumb cakes. With danishes, I love the filling that’s encased within layers of dough and the density and heaviness.
I don’t go for light and airy desserts. I go for thick, dense, heavy slabs. The kind of heavy tonnage that makes you wonder how on earth an 8-by-8-inch baking pan weighs 14 pounds as you’re hoisting it into the oven.
Butter, sugar, cream cheese, jelly, and dough will do that.
But it’s the crust that really sold me on this one and normally I avoid crust. It’s usually boring and dry.
Since I just made mango and streuesel-topped muffins and cinnamon bun crumble-topped pie, I wanted to mix it up with this one and make a solid layer of crust that’s as flavorful as a crumble topping, while avoiding any blandness or dryness.
The resulting crust is a solid wall of butter, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The best kind of wall, and it’ definitely not boring, bland, or dry.
In each bite there’s a little cream cheese and a little jelly, and there’s softness and squishy tenderness.
And then there’s the robustly flavored cinnamon and sugar crust, which is a little bit crunchy and the perfect contrast to the soft filling.
The best part of these is that they’re easy and use a shortcut.
It’s called a can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be playing with my daughter, outside enjoying the fresh air, organizing my sock drawer, or doing just about anything other than making and rolling out pastry dough.
I’m all about baking and I like a good project and challenge, and I have the utmost respect for Christina Tosi who appears to enjoy making things as complicated as multi-staged as possibly, but I just don’t have the time and energy. Hello, shortcut.
I’m all about the shortest distance between two points.
Those points would be me and a bite of this.
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Cinnamon-Sugar Crust Cream Cheese and Jelly Danish Squares
Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls, 8-count (I used Pillsbury Original)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used Trader Joe’s Whipped Light)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup jelly or jam, I used a raspberry preserves and strawberry jelly combination
- ¼ cup unsatled butter, melted (half of one stick)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Open the can of crescent rolls and carefully unfold and unwrap them onto counter top or flat work surface. Take half the dough (4 triangles) and line bottom of prepared pan like a big blanket. Use your fingers to massage dough into corners and squeeze together large seams or gaps. It doesn’t have to be perfect but seal gaps as best you can.
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, and stir vigorously until combined. Pour mixture over the crescent rolls. Add jelly over the top of the cream cheese layer by drizzling it or picking up large chunks with your fingers and dropping over the cream cheese. Try to create a zig-zag pattern or disperse the jelly evenly over the pan. Top with the remaining crescent roll dough (4 triangles). Use your fingers to massage dough into corners and squeeze together large seams or gaps. It doesn’t have to be perfect but seal gaps as best you can.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl (the same bowl the cream cheese was in is fine), add the butter and melt it, about 60 to 90 seconds on high power. Pour the melted butter over the dough.
- In a small bowl (same one is fine), combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and stir. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the buttered dough. Bake for 37 to 41 minutes, or until dough has puffed, browned, butter is boiling, and edges show signs of barely browning. There will likely be a pool of butter in places; this is fine, normal, and it will soak in as danish cools. Do not allow the pooled butter to fool you into thinking these aren’t done enough. Allow danish to cool on the counter for 1 hour. Then place pan in the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving (I chill them overnight). If you do not refrigerate them before slicing, you will have a mess and will not get clean cuts. Store extra danish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If desired, heat for a few seconds in the microwave before serving but I like to serve these chilled or let them come to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I ahve 3 kids, 2 of them are young boys, so I need to keep an eye on them. I am all about the short cuts.
Oh lordy mama, didn’t know you had THREE! Bravo to you!
Oh wow that looks amazing. I can almost taste it! Mom would get those Entenmann’s danishes as a treat once in a while. I thought they were the best things ever until I worked in a German bakery – now those were the best darn danishes ever!
You worked in a bakery? Omg…dream job. :)
Ha, oh yeah, I was a danish kid too! For me it was apple, and there was never a crumb left on my plate. Actually there was no plate, let’s be serious. :) These look awesome Averie, that crust looks dangerous in a really delicious sort of way.
Right out of the cardboard box and cheapie metal tin they came in…you know it!
I’ve never had a Danish roll before!
what??!! You need to change that!
WOW! All of these pastries look absolutely delicious! Can I have a taste tasting? I’ll take one of each please! I’m not a baker, but if I were, shortcuts would not be a problem!!! Life is hard enough sometimes. Why make it harder? :)
Life is hard enough sometimes. Why make it harder? :) <--- TRUER words were never spoken!!
wow these are to die for (insert drooling). Please come over & use your awesome baking skills, and make them for me!! :)
LOL – these are so easy, not much awesomeness required :)
I am all for homemade, but am definitely ok with shortcuts every now and then! These look amazing, Averie!!! :)
Thanks, Ali. All your stuff always looks amazing!
those look heavenly, averie!
Thanks, Kristi :)
You have no idea how badly I want one of these babies right now!
And your stuff always looks fabulous! I don’t comment much b/c it’s tricky sometimes for me to login with Tumblr but you have some GOOD looking eats girl!
Awww thank you! That means so much coming from you! :)
O.M.G. These look like something I would love to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had just been over at Foodgawker and was reading something from Sally’s Baking Addiction that was so similar to your recipe tonight…musst be in the air. Anything that has cinnamon and sugar, yes, please, thank you! These look absolutely amazing! I just happen to have ALL the ingredients on hand. I always have ready made crescent rolls in my fridge! Can you say “breakfast for 2 teenage boys?” :-)
Omg TOO FUNNY! Sally & I are friends and I emailed her the minute after that post of hers went live and told her I had one on standby with a cinn/sugar crust and was going to post it last week but it got bumped for the homemade PB and the food proc giveaway.
And how sweet (literally) is that…that you have all the ingredients. You are such a good mama. LMK how the boys (or you) like them!
I never would have guessed the shortcut was crescent rolls!! I’ve made some veggie-cream cheese appetizer squares with crescent rolls, but I haven’t ever used them for something sweet. I love that thick layer of filling. Shortcuts are welcome in my kitchen–especially when the box or can of whatever I need is on sale.
Try them with something sweet…sort of like puff pastry, can go either savory or sweet. Blank dough = blank canvas!
Hi Averie, no, I don’t like danish rolls, too sweet for me, and too messy… Baking shortcuts? Well, for that I have to learn how to bake first…:) I made your no bake little balls again, this time I changed oatmeal to be gluten free, and I twisted the recipe again…. (don’t hate me, please) :) Have a great week! :)
You don’t like sweets and don’t bake much and like savory stuff…I gotcha. You can handle the savory stuff, I’ll take care of the sweets. Have a great week, too :)
I like that! :)
These look amazing, but what are crescent rolls? Are they like croissants, or completely different?
there’s a link to them in the post so you can sort of see but they are like croissants in a way, slightly less “layer-ey” with tons and tons of dough, but similar. Something in between a buttery roll and a croissant. You buy them in the refrigerated section of the grocery store but either puff pastry or refrigerated croissants or some other similar bread/roll would likely work if you don’t have them. Use something easy and pre-made from your grocer’s refrigerated or freezer case :)
These look so good, Averie! We used to have Entenmann’s growing up as a special treat every once and a while. I love the cream cheese and jelly combo!
Wow!
Those look absolutely incredible! You are a true pastry genius!
Far from genius, just creative in how to save some time & turn out something delish but that was easy!
I’ve never seen a dessert quite like this before, but it sounds like all the best parts of a cheesecake, tea time pastry, and jam sandwich combined!
Nothing like the handmade every.single.detail you can turn out, but for a busy mama with lots going on, it worked :)