Cream Cheese Danishes

Who does not love a delicious and easy cream cheese danish recipe? This Kings Hawaiian Cream Cheese Danish recipe is super simple and makes tasty danishes without using a can of crescent rolls or any puff pastry sheets. 

These are super simple, you only need to shape the premade dinner rolls and make up the homemade creamy center of these easy danish pastries (aka the cheesecake filling basically), and then top it with the easy vanilla glaze and you are ready to enjoy! 

So, if you are a danish fan, but don’t want to do all of the work of making homemade puff pastry, then this danish pastry recipe is what you need to make, especially for an easy breakfast for Christmas morning or just as a tasty breakfast on the weekends. 

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Danishes

• Danish bread: package of Hawaiian rolls
• Butter: unsalted butter, melted
• Sugar: you will want to use brown sugar, I prefer light brown sugar for these easy cheese danishes, and then granulated sugar too
• Seasoning: ground cinnamon gives these the best-added flavor
• Cheese: you will need to have room temperature cream cheese
• Egg: large eggs at room temperature
• Extract: vanilla extract is perfect in this recipe, you can use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract

Glaze:

• Sugar: powdered sugar is the best for making a soft glaze
• Milk: I like to use whole milk for the glaze so it is not too thin
• Extract: vanilla extract

How to make Kings Hawaiian Cream Cheese Danishes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray (or line it with parchment paper)

Using a serrated knife cut a square in the top of each roll halfway down removing about 1 tbsp of the center of each roll.

To a small bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Generously brush this mixture all over the inside and top of the rolls. 

To a medium sized bowl add in the cream cheese, sugar, and egg and beat well.

Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the top of each of the rolls.

Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until the cream cheese has set.

Make the glaze: mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract by hand with a whisk or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.

Once out of the oven drizzle the glaze on top of the rolls, serve, and enjoy!

How to store leftover the simplest cheese danishes:

Fridge: Since you are cooking with cream cheese, it is best to store these cheese danishes in an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Tips and tricks for making this simple recipe: 

Add flavor to the semi-homemade breakfast recipe by trying one or more of these:

• Add fresh berries to the top like sliced fresh strawberries or blueberries
• Add lemon juice or a little lemon zest to the cream to create a lemony cream cheese filling
• Made these extra sweet by adding mini chocolate chip pieces or chocolate chunks to the cream cheese mixture

Will these be flaky?

Since you are using premade dinner rolls instead of flaky puff pastry you will not get the flaky layers, however, you will still get the softness of a danish that everyone loves. 

Add a simple egg wash:

If you want an even more golden brown top to these danishes, you can always use a pastry brush and brush on a little bit of a beaten egg to the top of the constructed pastry.

More delicious dessert recipes to make:

No-bake layered turtle dessert

No-bake pineapple layered dessert

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Buster bar dessert 

If you give these recipes a try, make sure to tag us on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipes!