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Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls combine flaky crescent pastry with a sweet and creamy lemon cheesecake filling for a deliciously quick and indulgent dessert. The buttery crescent rolls pair perfectly with the sweet and tangy lemon cheesecake filling, creating a tasty combination of flavors and textures.
Crescent Rolls stuffed with a creamy, sweet, perfectly tangy Lemon Cheesecake filling and bursting with fresh lemon flavor! These beauties are a great treat for dessert, breakfast, or a snack, and are ideal Brunch stars. They are also perfect for a party or potluck, as they can be easily transported and served.
Why Should I Make These Crescent Rolls
- Simple. This is an easy crescent roll dessert that only takes about 10 minutes of hands-on prep time. No fancy equipment, no complicated steps—just mix, roll, and bake!
- Quick. Thanks to store-bought refrigerated crescent roll dough, you can have a batch of these lemon cheesecake filled rolls in the oven in no time. Perfect for last-minute brunches, baby showers, or when that sweet craving hits.
- Fluffy. These are the softest, flakiest pastries with a creamy cheesecake center.
- Customizable. This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Try swapping the lemon for raspberry jam, blueberry preserves, or even Nutella.
Recipe Ingredients
- Refrigerated Crescent Rolls – The base for this easy treat. They bake up golden, flaky, and buttery. I use Pillsbury, but any brand will work. You could also sub with puff pastry.
- Cream Cheese (reduced-fat or full-fat) – Softened cream cheese gives the filling its creamy, rich base. Neufchâtel is a good swap if needed.
- Sugar – Sweetens the filling and balances the tang from the cream cheese. If you want, you could try a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup (but it will change the flavor).
- All-Purpose Flour – Helps thicken the filling slightly so it doesn’t ooze out.
- Egg Yolk – Helps bind the filling together.
- Lemon Zest – Adds fresh, zippy flavor and brightens up the whole filling. You can use orange zest instead for a different citrus twist.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Almond extract would also be delicious here, just use less!
- Egg – Brushed on top for that golden finish. You could use milk or cream instead, but the egg gives the best shine.
- Turbinado Sugar – Adds crunch and a little extra sweetness on top. Swap with sanding sugar or plain granulated sugar if needed.
- Powdered Sugar + Lemon Juice – Creates that smooth, sweet glaze that you’ll drizzle over the baked crescent rolls.
How To Make Crescent Rolls with Cheesecake Filling
- First, grab a couple of cans of crescent roll dough (the Pillsbury kind works great) from the store.
- Next, move on to the best part—making the cheesecake filling with cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the filling onto each triangle, then roll them up into crescent shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze for 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the crescents are puffed and golden brown.
Katerina’s Recipe Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For optimal results in baking, especially when creating dishes like cheesecakes or pastries, it’s crucial to use ingredients like cream cheese, eggs, and butter at room temperature. Ingredients at room temperature blend more easily and uniformly, ensuring your cheesecake filling is creamy and free of lumps.
- Cheesecake Filling Preparation: When making the cheesecake filling, blend cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and vanilla together. It’s important to mix until the mixture is creamy and smooth for a consistent flavor and texture.
- Freezing Before Baking: A key step is to freeze the filled crescents for 30 minutes prior to baking. This helps maintain their shape and ensures even cooking.
- Alternative Fillings: When making pastries like crescent rolls, don’t hesitate to get creative with your fillings. Beyond the classic cheesecake, you can explore a variety of flavors like fruit preserves, Nutella, almond paste, or savory options such as ham and cheese or spinach and feta.
- Dough Alternative: Using puff pastry instead of crescent rolls? You totally can! Just make sure to roll it out really thin first, then cut it into triangles so you can shape them just like classic crescents.
Storage
If you plan to serve the crescent rolls within a day or two, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to a month.
Crescent Dough Desserts
- Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Cranberry Walnut Pinwheels
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries
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Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls
Crescent rolls filled with lemon cheesecake filling are a sweet, creamy, and delicious dessert. Flaky crescent rolls pair perfectly with the tangy lemon cheesecake filling.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (8-ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls,, I use Pillsbury's
For the Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese,, or full fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg yolk,, lightly beaten to break up the yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For the Egg Wash and Topping
- 1 large egg,, lightly beaten to break up the yolk
- turbinado sugar
For the Glaze
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.
- Unroll the dough and break it up into 16 triangles.
- Transfer the triangles to the wax paper-lined baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if necessary. Set aside.
- In your mixer's bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, and flour until well combined.
- Add in the egg yolk and beat until incorporated.
- With the mixer on, add the lemon zest and vanilla, and continue to mix until completely smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling at the center of the wide end of each triangle.
- Starting at the wide end, roll the dough to the opposite point and pinch the edges to seal.
- Keep rolls pointed side down and slightly curve the sides to resemble a crescent shape.
- Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Remove crescents from the freezer and transfer them to the greased baking sheet.
- Brush the rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until puffed up and lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Make the Glaze
- In the meantime, place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk in the lemon juice; whisk until combined. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more sugar or lemon juice, as necessary, to achieve desired consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled crescent rolls.
- Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1crescent roll | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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Oh my gosh!! Currently dying over these… so flaky, warm, gooey, goodness!! I need these in my life. Correction: these will soon be in my life. 🙂
That lemon cheesecake filling just sounds so divine.. wish I had one of these rolls to devour right now!
Omg, these crescent rolls would make a beautiful breakfast tomorrow! Yummy!
I shoved everything in my office. I’m still waiting on the hubs to relocate all the crap to the attic. It might never happen. These… These are going to happen. Pinned.
These look truly irresistible! What a genius combination!
Can you trade the Turbinado Sugar for brown sugar?
These look gorgeous and sound amazing. I love that they could even be eaten for breakfast or for dessert.
I know it’s January and we’re all supposed to be on a healthy kick, but… That just leaves me craving sweets even more. And lemon cheesecake inside of crescent rolls? Pure genius. Pinned!
I wish I had these for breakfast. They looks so sweet and delicious!
Oh yes, these would be the bomb warm! I’m all about warm desserts even if the recipe says to let them coo . I’m a rebel 😉
I’m a scratch baker too, but it’s cold and I’m lazy, and I just want to get to the finish line with several large bites of these cresent rolls. That cheesecake filling. Omgosh!!