A Reason to Love Your Leftovers

Last Thanksgiving, I had a bunch of cranberry sauce leftover and had the lightbulb moment of adding it on top of a cream cheese danish. This idea happened in the middle of the work day, so I only had a few minutes to bring it together in between other tasks, but it sounded so tasty I needed one immediately. I figured I could make a cheats version of a danish by rolling out some crescent roll dough I had in the fridge, a bit of cream cheese sweetened with sugar, a bit of citrus, and vanilla, plus a big dollop of cranberry sauce.  I popped it into the oven and in minutes I had a super tasty, delicious treat.

This version is super similar to that impromptu snack I threw together, but I’ve amped up the orange flavor to make them feel extra festive. They’re honestly so simple, but a nice special treat to pull together the weekend after your holiday celebrations. Plus, who doesn’t love a unique way to use up some of those extra leftovers?

Tips For Making This Cranberry Sauce and Cream Cheese Danish Recipe

If you plan on making this shortcut cranberry and cheese cream pastry, here are a few tips:

• When making the orange-scented cream cheese, it will look very lumpy to begin, but don’t panic!  Give it a few minutes to smooth out and it will look beautiful.  Once it’s mixed, give it a taste and ensure that there’s enough orange flavor for your liking.  It should be subtle, but apparent. If you think you need more, add a touch more orange zest and give it another stir.
• If you have children with smaller appetites, these are easily made smaller!  Use a knife or pizza cutter to divide each rectangle in half and use smaller amounts of filling for each. Reduce the bake time by about 2-3 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe Details

This recipe breaks down into two components: making the orangey cream cheese filling and assembly – that’s it! Before whipping these up, make sure your kitchen is ready.  Preheat your oven to 375°F, line two baking trays with parchment paper or a silpat liner, and set out your cream cheese so it can soften ever so slightly.  

To make the cream cheese, you’ll add a bit of cream cheese, orange zest, some freshly squeezed orange juice, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar to a bowl.  I then used a hand mixer to combine the ingredients and whip the cream cheese a bit. Set this aside and begin assembling the shortcut danishes.

When assembling, I recommend taking two crescent roll dough triangles and pressing them together to make a rectangular shape. You can do this by hand or using a lightly floured rolling pin if you prefer.  Arrange four of these rectangles evenly spaced onto each prepared baking tray and then top with a dollop of the orange cream cheese mixture. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture out into an even layer, leaving about a ½ inch to full inch of space around the border.  Use a tablespoon to add the cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese, using the spoon to spread it out slightly if desired. Pull and pinch the border of the crescent roll dough to make a crust around the cream cheese.

Bake the shortcut cranberry and orange cream cheese danish for just over 10 minutes, until the crescent roll dough is baked through and the corners begin to brown slightly.  Once out of the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and let cool until easily handled. Place on a serving tray and dust with powdered sugar if desired, then enjoy!  

These pastries will last in an air-tight container on the counter for 3 days. If you save a few, wait to add the powdered sugar until right before you enjoy them, otherwise it’ll melt and absorb into the roll.

If you like the sound of this recipe, you should also check out these:

• Christmas Cranberry and Cream Cheese Spread
• Simple Cranberry Sauce

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Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to let me know how your shortcut cranberry cream cheese danishes turn out. I hope you love them as much as I do!

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Thanksgiving

Shortcut Cranberry Sauce and Cream Cheese Danish

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Baked Cuisine: American Courses: Breakfast

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Rest Time 10 mins Total Time 35 mins

Cooking Temp: 375  °F Servings: 8

Best Season: Winter

Dietary:

N Nut Free V Vegetarian

Description

A great way to use leftover cranberry sauce, these shortcut danish use orange-scented cream cheese and prepared crescent roll dough to create a delicious breakfast in a matter of minutes. These treats are tart, sweet, creamy, and fluffy. A great start to the day or mid-afternoon sweet treat.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 5 oz cream cheese
• ¹⁄₂ tbsp orange zest
• Juice from ½ of a navel orange
• ¹⁄₂ tsp vanilla extract
• ¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
• 16 oz refrigerated crescent roll dough (2 packages)
• ¹⁄₂ cup cranberry sauce
• Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

Get Prepped

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Set out your cream cheese to let it soften slightly.

3. Zest and half a navel orange, set out the vanilla extract and granulated sugar.

Make the Orange-Scented Cream Cheese

1. In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, orange zest, fresh orange juice, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar.

2. Use a hand mixer or turn on the stand mixer to medium-low speed and mix until the ingredients have evenly mixed and the cream cheese appears whipped, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Set aside and begin assembling.

Assemble and Bake

1. Divide the crescent roll dough into 8 rectangular pieces, pressing two triangles together to form a singular piece. Arrange 4 rectangles evenly space onto each prepared baking tray.

2. Divide the orange-scented cream cheese among the 8 rectangles of dough, using the back of a spoon to spread it into an even layer, leaving about ½-1 inch of space around the border.

3. Dollop a tablespoon of cranberry sauce onto the top of the cream cheese mixture.

4. Pull and fold the edges of the cranberry dough over onto themselves, slightly covering the cream cheese mixture if necessary, to create a border of dough.

5. Bake the trays for 11-13 minutes, until the corners begin to brown and the crescent roll dough is baked through.

6. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.  Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of each danish if desired and enjoy!