Cream Cheese Danishes

One of the few highlights from my time at Enthalpy was when my coworker Denese would bring in yummy baked goods.  There aren't many times that I hunt someone down for recipes, but after one bite of these, I had to know how to make these myself.

The first time I made these was for Jason's birthday.  I've also made them for my in-laws, who have made it a bit of a tradition for me to make them when we visit.  Most recently, I made them for breakfast for the two of us a few weeks back.

I can't decide what I like more, the ease of making these or how flexible the recipe is (definitely allows you to BYOC, be your own chef).

Ingredients:

2 packages crescent rolls

2 8oz packages cream cheese/neufchâtel

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, separated

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325.  

Cream together sugar and cream cheese.  Add yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with Pam spray and spread out one package of crescent rolls in the bottom.

Pour cream cheese mixture over the rolls, and spread the other package of rolls over the mixture.

Beat eggs whites slightly and brush over the dough.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Mix 1 tablespoon of hot water with powdered sugar and drizzle on top.

Variations:

~Omit one package of cream cheese and spread raspberry (or any fruit) preserves on top of the cream cheese mixture before topping with the second layer of crescent rolls.

~ Use lime or orange juice and zest to add some freshness

~This is a very easy recipe to cut into a more manageable size for fewer people.  I used one package of crescent rolls, one package of cheese, and one egg.  I cut the sugar, but pretty much left the juice and vanilla the same.  This fits well in an 8x8 instead of a 9x13 (see picture above).  I bought Grands! rolls because I wasn't sure if it would cover well, but I think a package of smaller rolls would have worked even better.

~You tell me.  I love this recipe, but usually only make it once or twice a year, so I'd love to know if you tried it and what changes you made.