These fun rainbow sprinkled Cream Cheese Filled Croissants are a perfect weekend breakfast for you and the kids! Make on St. Patrick's Day for a delicious rainbow breakfast treat. Made with easy homemade cheese danish filling and packaged croissants for a breakfast ready in just 15 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit, eggs, and bacon.
I absolutely love cheese danishes and will do anything for one! I once walked 2 miles while 8 months pregnant just for a Panera Bread cheese danish. My whole pregnancy I had zero cravings besides for cheese danishes. And I'll tell you, it was a walk well worth it! I had a box of freshly made cream cheese filled croissants from Safeway on the table at least once a week for those 10 months.
While the craving for cream cheese filled croissants has faded, they are still one of my favorite things. Only I have been so foolish to have been buying them instead of making them. Since I have seemed to pass down my love for cream cheese filled croissants to my children, there is no better time to start making them homemade. Or at least partially homemade, but that's okay. There's nothing wrong with taking shortcuts. It's the delicious outcome that matters.
Our other favorite breakfasts on lazy Sunday mornings are this bacon, egg, and cheese croissant ring and vanilla almond milk pancakes. You should give them a try!
Cream cheese filled croissants, or homemade cheese danishes, are so simple if you buy package crescent rolls. They take only 20 minutes from start to finish, with only 5 minutes of that being preparation to make the cream cheese filling.
You probably already have everything you need to make the filling: cream cheese, vanilla extract,sugar, egg white.
I add rainbow sprinkles for the kids to make a fun breakfast. Plus, our mornings can go from "I'm not hungry for breakfast!" to "I'm starving!" once their eyes get a hint at the rainbow colors atop their cream cheese filled croissants!
And we all love mornings when our kids actually eat their breakfast.
Cream cheese filled croissants also make a great breakfast treat or snack alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea. They are excellent for Sunday brunch or when you have overnight guests.
You can make these in a few ways.
The first way is to stuff each crescent triangle with a little cream cheese filling and roll them up as you would a normal crescent.
The second is to make a rectangle out of two crescent triangles, fold the sides toward the center, and put some cream cheese filling in the center.
Either way is delicious, so it's all about your preference. You can put the sprinkles inside the crescents with the filling or on the top of the rolled crescent, or both.
Make them how you like them. You can't go wrong!
📋 Ingredients
All you need to make these cream cheese filled croissants is a package of crescent dough, an 8 ounce block of cream cheese, vanilla extract, sugar, and an egg white.
I use 2 Pillsbury crescent roll packages to make 8 flat danishes or 16 crescent rolls. Or a combination of both.
Rainbow sprinkles are totally optional, but definitely use them for the kids or if it's St. Patrick's Day (or Mardi Gras).
I have made cream cheese filled croissants without using the egg in the filling. However, I recommend using the egg because it helps set the filling.
Without the egg, it will be runnier. I cut out the egg yolk, though. I don't find it changes the texture of the final filling, and it only adds calories and cholesterol.
🔪 Step-By-Step Directions
Cream cheese filled croissants are super simple to make, with only 5 minutes of preparation time. Here's how to do it:
- Preheat the oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with cooking spray)
- Next, roll out the crescent dough in one of 2 ways: as individual triangles, or create a rectangle using 2 triangles and pinch the seams together
- If going with the rectangle danishes, fold the ends toward the middle and press down gently, rounding out the edges like in the picture below
Now is time to make the cream cheese filling.
To make the filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg white, and vanilla extract until smooth. You should use cream cheese that is very soft, even softer than room temperature cream cheese.
My trick is warming it in the microwave until it's nearly melted. This gives me the best cream cheese filling results.
Another helpful hint? Mix everything before adding the egg and give it a taste.
Now it's time to fill the croissants.
- Spoon a tablespoon or two of cream cheese filling onto the edge of each triangle or the middle of each rectangle, like shown here
fill danishes with cream cheese rainbow sprinkles are festive and fun
- If you want to add sprinkles to the inside of the triangles, do that now. But do not add them to the rectangle danishes prior to baking. If you do, the colors will run and bleed together.
- Fold up the triangles as usual and top with rainbow sprinkles.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes, until they begin to turn golden brown.
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Cream Cheese Filled Croissants
Ingredients
- 2 crescent dough packages
- rainbow sprinkles (optional)
For the Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the crescents, keeping 2 together to make a rectangle, and lay on parchment paper. Press the seams together.
- Fold all 4 ends over about ½ inch, pressing the seams together and rounding out the edges.
- In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling until smooth. (hint: use room temperature cream cheese and if it's lumpy, microwave for 20 seconds).
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of filling onto the center of each crescent. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until dough begins to brown. Remove from oven and add rainbow sprinkles to the top of filling.
Notes
Nutrition
🍲 How To Store
Cream cheese filled croissants can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you need more time to eat them (which you probably wont!), store in the freezer wrapped in plastic or in a freezer baggie. Defrost a few hours to the night before.
I hope you enjoy! Leave me a comment to let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.
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