Cinnamon Apple Danish Recipe

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Use crescent roll dough to make a fast and delicious Cinnamon Apple Danish Recipe. It’s seriously so simple to throw together and tastes amazing fresh out of the oven!

Apple Danish

Today, I give you the next danish love child I’ve concocted in my mind: Cinnamon, Apple, and Cream Cheese! This Cinnamon Apple Danish Recipe is the perfect semi-fancy-semi-easy recipe for Fall. If you want a fabulous breakfast or treat, you must must must give this a try. It’s soft, sweet, slightly chewy, slightly tangy, sweet, spicy, and all-around satisfying. Delish!

Main Ingredients Needed

This Apple Danish Recipe uses simple everyday ingredients and is quick to throw together. So if you’re in a pinch and need a perfect autumn dessert or breakfast, this is your recipe. Hurry and gather these ingredients!

• Crescent Dough – the main reason why this recipe is so quick and easy is that I use the store-bought crescent dough. If that isn’t your thing, you can totally make homemade crescent dough instead.

Cinnamon Apple Filling

• Butter – to help cook and add flavor to the apples.
• Fuji Apple – you can use any type of apple you have on hand. Granny Smith is a good traditional choice.
• Cinnamon – cinnamon, and apple go so well together. Especially for fall desserts.
• Granulated Sugar – to sweeten and to make that apple cinnamon syrupy substance.

More Danish Pastries to try and love! Cheese Danish Recipe, Chocolate Cream Cheese Danish, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish, and Easy Blackberry Cheese Danish.

Cream Cheese Filling

• Cream Cheese – softened! Cream cheese is the perfect creamy, tangy addition to this apple danish recipe.
• Granulated Sugar – to balance out the tang and taste of the cream cheese.
• Vanilla Extract – to flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour – this stabilizes the filling a bit so it isn’t a complete melted mess.

For the Glaze

• Powdered Sugar – to sweeten!
• Heavy Cream – this dissolves the sugar to make an icing consistency.
• Vanilla Extract – to flavor the icing/glaze.

How to Make an Apple Danish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add in apples, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes.
3. While apples are cooking, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Set aside.
4. Pop open crescent roll dough and unroll, leaving crescents in rectangles. On an ungreased baking sheet, lay the crescent roll rectangles together, lining them up width wise. The dough should be almost the entire length of a half sheet pan. Press edges together to even out edges and seal any holes. Cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough. (step-by-step photos)
5. Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough to be about 2-3 inches wide. Top with cooked apples.
6. Fold 1/2 inch dough pieces up over filling alternating sides to get a braided pattern. You may have excess dough once you reach the end of the danish, so fold them in as best as you can.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is set and the crescent dough is golden in color. Cool at least 20 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
8. Once danish has cooled, remove to a serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream to create icing. You may need to add more cream to get the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over danish.
9. Cut into pieces and serve.

You can eat this warm or at room temperature…if you want to wait. But, I won’t blame you if you snarf it right out of the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself!

Leftovers

Any leftovers, if any, can be sealed in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 7 days. 

Because this apple danish also has cream cheese in it you can’t let it sit out on the counter. Bacteria could grow and make you sick!

Make-Ahead

Thankfully this danish recipe is super easy to make ahead. This is great to save you even more time! Whether you are making this the night ahead for breakfast in the morning or for dessert the next day you can follow these easy steps.

1. First, follow the directions as normal and stop before baking!
2. Make some room in your fridge because now you can take your whole baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
3. Keep in your refrigerator for up to two days.
4. When ready to bake, pull it out of your fridge and let the danish get to room temperature. Then bake as you normally would! Enjoy!

Freezing an Apple Danish?

Unfortunately, this apple danish does not freeze well. This is because the cream cheese filling will change textures when frozen then thawed again. It becomes less of a creamy filling and more of a crumbly texture. Ew.

But if you want to make this danish recipe without the cream cheese filling you can freeze it (baked or unbaked). 

Unbaked. Prepare recipe completely up to the point of baking. Place the unbaked danish on the parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours until frozen. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place it into an air-tight container. Return to the freezer for up to two months!

You can bake the danish straight from the freezer. Give it an extra 15-20 minutes to bake and watch closely!

Baked. Cool the danish completely then place in an air-tight container. It can last for up to two weeks in the freezer. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight. To heat the danish up place in the oven until heated through. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

More Apple Recipes to Try!

• Buttery Apple Crisp Recipe
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Buttery Apple Pie Recipe
• Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Recipe
• Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
• Apple Turnover Recipe with Caramel Sauce

Get the printable recipe below! Have a great day and enjoy!

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5 from 7 votes

Cinnamon Apple Danish Recipe

Use crescent roll dough to make a fast and delicious Cinnamon Apple Danish Recipe. It’s seriously so simple to throw together and tastes amazing fresh out of the oven!

servings 8 servings

Prep Time 35 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1 large fuji apple peeled and diced
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tube crescent rolls
• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese softened (1 package)
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

for the glaze -

• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons heavy cream plus more if needed
• ▢ splash vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a medium nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add in apples, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes.
• While apples are cooking, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Set aside.
• Pop open crescent roll dough and unroll, leaving crescents in rectangles. On an ungreased baking sheet, lay the crescent roll rectangles together, lining them up width wise. The dough should be almost the entire length of a half sheet pan. Press edges together to even out edges and seal any holes. Cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough. Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough to be about 2-3 inches wide. Top with cooked apples.
• Fold 1/2 inch dough pieces up over filling alternating sides to get a braided pattern. You may have excess dough once you reach the end of the danish, so fold them in as best as you can.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is set and the crescent dough is golden in color. Cool at least 20 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
• Once danish has cooled, remove to a serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream to create icing. You may need to add more cream to get the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over danish.
• Cut into pieces and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 528IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple Danish, Apple Danish Recipe, Cream Cheese Danish