Gilmore Girls Inspired Crescent Roll Cherry Danishes

5 from 1 vote

on Oct 15, 2021, Updated Jan 27, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links.

Crescent rolls are one of those delightful “accidentally vegan” items that lend themselves to all kinds of fun baking projects…including these Gilmore Girls Inspired Crescent Roll Cherry Danishes!

Gilmore Girls is one of my all time favorite tv shows and I too share their love of coffee, hearty portion sizes, and an afternoon spent with a good book.

While watching the show, you may have noticed that cherry danishes are referenced quite a few times….perhaps it’s because a danish pairs so well with a hot cup of coffee? So I was inspired to recreate an easy vegan version to enjoy while watching the show.

The result is flakey pastry, tart cherry preserves, and sweet cream cheese icing. All vegan and about as cozy as it gets. So bake a batch this weekend to pair with a Gilmore Girls marathon, some fuzzy socks, and a Lorelei-sized cup of “coffee coffee coffee!” 😊

pillsbury crescent roll cherry danishes recipe

Watch me make these danishes here 👆

5 from 1 vote

Gilmore Girl Inspired Vegan Cherry Danishes

By: Nicole Vranjican

Pillsbury crescent rolls, tart cherry preserves, and sweet cream cheese icing. All vegan and so cozy!

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Total: 30

Servings: 8 Danishes

Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients

Danishes

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls , or any vegan-friendly brand
3/4 cup cherry preserves
2 tbsp almond or soy milk, unsweetened

Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 cup softened vegan cream cheese, room tempertaure and soft is key
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp almond or soy milk, unsweetened
pinch of salt

Instructions

Prep

Preheat the oven to 375.
Roll out the crescent rolls and pinch the seams toegther. Use a knife to cut four even strips (lengthwise/ long side) per roll. You will have 8 long ribbons of dough from these two cans.
See notes below for modifications 🙂

Form the Danishes

Pick up one ribbon at both ends and gently twist, then anchor one end on a lined baking sheet and wrap the pastry around the center forming a loose rose or flower shape.
Tip: Be careful not to roll them too tightly or they may not bake evenly.
Tuck the end piece underneath and repeat with the remaining dough.
Next, press the centers down with your thumb to create space for the cherry preserves.
Lightly brush the outside of each danish with plant milk and then fill with 1.5-2 tbsp of cherry preseves.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Make the Icing

Cream the softened cream cheese, salt and powdered sugar in a bowl. Whisk in the plant milk and mix until smooth. The icing should be runny and easy to drizzle.
Add one tbsp of plant milk at a time until you reach the desired consitency.

Finishing Touches

Remove the danishes from the oven and allow to cool. Then drizzle the icing on top in a zigzag motion.
Note: Glazing the danishes while they're warm will cause the icing to melt right off, so let them cool a bit first!
Serve with a warm cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and enjoy!

Notes

Not into cherry preserves? Raspberry, strawberry or blackberry would also be good! Peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutiva vegan spread) would be a nice twist too. Get creative and let me know what you come up with!

Not sweet enough for you? Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar onto the dough ribbons before twisting and shaping the danishes.

If you like this recipe please leave a comment and rate this post below! And if you’re on Instagram, tag me in a pic so I can see your recreation! @nikkivegan

For more free vegan recipes, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel here.