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This Easy Lemon Cream Danish is the perfect breakfast! These are done in minutes using Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, perfect for on the go.
Last Saturday night we took Jordan to her first concert: Zendaya at the state fair. She was SO excited, because Shake it Up is her favorite show.
I must say, attending a tween concert at a state fair is very…interesting. You have all the girls and piercing screams, of course. That’s to be expected. So is the obligatory adult with each pack of girls. And then you have those adults. The ones that are a little too into a concert sung by a 16-year-old with band members mostly younger than her.
Really, if you’re over the age of 25 and have a pack of tween girls with you, then (1) you are too old to wear a tube top and daisy dukes, (2) you really should cut down on the beer you get at the beer garden beforehand and (3) standing on your chair is not appropriate.
Also, if you happen to be watching from the bar next to the grandstand, and I rush by you on my (third) trip to the potty with a tween, I will blog about you if you’re totally rocking out Madonna style, eyes closed, with your (I assume) 5th very full glass of red wine. I mean…I know it’s a state fair. But it’s a kids concert. The combination of so much alcohol and kids was strange for me.
{No judgement, though. I get it, really. I enjoyed my five glasses of wine…after I was home. I needed it, to clear the ringing in my ears. Or something.}
After a late night, we needed a yummy breakfast.
These Easy Lemon Cream Danishes are the perfect wow breakfast…but they are super easy to make. Perfect for when you can barely open your eyes because the kids woke up at 5:30…after going to bed at 11.
These danish are so easy to make because they are made using Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. I have a slight addiction to those tubes of crescents. I buy them way too much, and eat them way too often! They just make everything easier.
Let’s break down these danishes, shall we?
The base is the crescent roll. You unroll the rectangle and pinch together the seams, then cut 8 squares out of it.
The roll is topped with a creamy mixture of Greek Yogurt (vanilla nonfat is what I had, use what you like!) and a little sugar for sweetness.
Then I added some lemon curd on top…because they’re lemon danish.
Now, let’s talk lemon curd. You can use a jarred curd for this recipe, if you’d prefer. That would certainly be faster and more convenient. But if you have the time, and the lemons, you should totally try making it from scratch. It’s not that hard to do, and it’s really, really good.
I have a lemon curd recipe that I made last year, that’s a traditional curd recipe, using eggs. But I was running low on eggs last weekend, with lots of baking to do. So I made an eggless lemon curd instead. The recipe for the eggless curd is from my friend Keri at Shaken Together. It’s really good, not as smooth as an egg-based curd, but it’s butter and egg free. That means I can eat more!
{That’s a good thing – I can knock back 3 of these danishes without blinking.}
The lemon curd gets layered on top the cream layer, the crescent rolls get folded up around the filling, and then they get baked. The perfect lemon danish!
Oh, and one more thing: glaze. Danishes must have some sort of glaze! I was making muffins (recipe soon!) at the same time, with a white chocolate glaze. The glaze made a lot, so I used it for both recipes. It’s a white chocolate ganache drizzled over the top of the danishes.
Yes, I said white chocolate ganache. On a lemon danish. Oh, yeah! It’s the triple threat danish.
These are the perfect easy breakfast for those “I need a danish day.” Or the “My ears are still ringing” day. Or…any day!
Lemon Cream Danish
Ingredients
For the Eggless Lemon Curd (you can also use jarred curd instead):
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
For the Danish:
- 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls 8 rolls
- 3/4 - 1 cup lemon curd jarred, or fresh using the eggless curd recipe
- 1/3 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
For the Glaze:
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Lemon Curd (optional - you can also use jarred): Mix sugar, water, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk together until no lumps remain, then stir with a wooden spoon constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. After 4 minutes, add the lemon juice and zest. Continue stirring rapidly, it will thicken very quickly once the mixture boils again. Remove from heat and place in a heat safe jar. Let cool on the counter, cover and refrigerate once cool.
- Make the Glaze: Heat the white chocolate chips and heavy cream together in a microwave safe bowl. Mine took about 30-45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Let cool while the danish bake.
- Make the Danish: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Unroll the Crescent Rolls into a large rectangle. Break the rectangle in half along the seam, so you have two rectangle made up of four crescent rolls each. Press the seams together, and then cut each rectangle into four squares, for eight total danishes.
- Mix the Greek yogurt and sugar in a small bowl. Place about a tablespoon in the center of each square.
- Top the yogurt with about a tablespoon of lemon curd. Fold up the edges, pinching to seal the corners as much as you can. Transfer carefully to prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake about 8 minutes, until the crescent rolls are golden brown on top. Drizzle with the glaze. Cool before eating.
Click here to see the complete list of Lemon Recipes!
You might also like:
Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Crescent Rolls
Sweets from friends:
Blueberry Cheesecake Danish by Inside BruCrew Life
Easy Cinnabon Doughnuts by Something Swanky
Macaroon Bars by The Domestic Rebel
Last Updated on May 13, 2020
Did you know you can get the crescent roll dough that is NOT perforated? Yep, just sheets of yumminess. Anyhoo… Have you ever tried making these in muffin pans so none of the curd oozes out?
I’ve never been able to find those sheets! I need to look harder. I haven’t made them in a muffin pan, but you totally could. Just press them in and fill!
You would think in California they would be easy to find. 🙁 Thanks for the thumbs up on the muffin pan! I will let you know how they turn out.
One more question concerning the “Easy Lemon Cream Danish”. Where can I find a recipe for lemon curd that is not egg-less? Also, is there a recipe for orange curd?
Thanks.
Hi Mark, I found your comments!! 🙂 Here is a good lemon curd recipe (pardon the photos, it’s an old post!) https://www.crazyforcrust.com/2012/01/lemon-pie-cookies/.
I’ve never made lemon curd, but I think you could switch out the lemons with oranges!
Can you substitute orange zest and orange juice and get a recipe for “Easy Orange Cream Danish”?
Thank you for this recipe. It was nice to make lemon curd without using so much eggs too. My hubby says these tastes like lemon meringue pie. I was also adventurous and made my own blitz puff pastry for the recipe instead of the Pillsbury stuff – my husband signed me up for a class last year at King Arthur flour to learn how to make and well he has created a baking beast! Will make again and it’s a keeper in my book.
I totally want to make my own puff pastry someday. It’s so scary! 🙂 I’m glad you liked them!!
It sounds scary but it really isn’t all that bad. In the class we learned the blitz version which is the fast one. And, if you go onto their website and type in puff pastry and they will give you a recipe for a turnover but in that recipe they also direct to their blog which shows you photographs of the step by step to make the pastry and if you should make a mistake they have a baker’s hotline and they can help you and guide you in the process of making it. They are very good at that and its always a great help. Trust me I am still learning and even if it is not all that great it still yields yummy results and I am still determined to keep making it.
Oh wow. I too have an unhealthy love of the crescent roll. I never thought to make danish with them! I’m so doing this for my next writer’s group meeting. I’m seeing the lemon and maybe a cream cheese and cherry as well. Ooooo, and blueberry.
I’m going to have SO much fun with this recipe.
I’ve never bought crescent rolls before or baked with them; but I have just invested in my first can and I am looking forward to making these Dorothy. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Just one quick question, are they best eaten on the day they are made or will they last for a few days stored in an airtight container? Thank you. Happy New Year xx
They last a few days, stored in the fridge. But they do taste best on day one! 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I’m looking forward to making these for my lemon curd loving friend hehe xx
This sounds very yummy!!! I am gluten free….boy I miss crescent rolls!!! Do you think this would work with pie dough?? I just bought pillsbury GF pie dough. So maybe I can substitute that???
I bet it would, it would be like the pie cookies I link to in the post! You could form them the same way as these danish, and just adjust baking time accordingly!
Can’t wait to try these. i know they will be great
Thanks Connie!
Let’s face it, you could wrap a sneaker with crescent rolls and it’d be delicious; wrapping it around all this yumminess is beyond delicious to …. oh what would be the word …… deliyummyishiousness???
LOL, that is SO true!
These look like little clouds of deliciousness!!
Thanks Melanie!
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