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.
Preheat your oven to 375°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Set out your cream cheese to let it soften slightly.
Zest and half a navel orange, set out the vanilla extract and granulated sugar.
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.
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.
Set aside and begin assembling.
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.
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.
Dollop a tablespoon of cranberry sauce onto the top of the cream cheese mixture.
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.
Bake the trays for 11-13 minutes, until the corners begin to brown and the crescent roll dough is baked through.
Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of each danish if desired and enjoy!