Cream Cheese Delights -- What I Made When I Couldn’t Do Anything Else

Ryan co-worker at the firehouse got COVID. Not his partner, not someone he works with directly, but someone from another shift who uses the same kitchen and bathroom. The station has been testing. Ryan tested negative but we spent four days in that specific anxious limbo where you wait and worry and try not to let either thing show too much. He tested negative again on Friday. We exhaled.

I made a lot of bread during those four days. The no-knead loaf twice, and a batch of cinnamon rolls that I have been wanting to make for months and finally made because I needed something to do with my hands that was not refreshing my phone. Cinnamon rolls from scratch: a yeasted enriched dough with butter and egg, rolled out thin, filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and a lot of butter, cut and proofed and baked at high heat. The icing is cream cheese and powdered sugar and vanilla. They took four hours start to finish and they were worth every minute and I ate three in one day and I regret nothing.

I called Patty both days Ryan was waiting for results and did not tell her what I was waiting for. She sensed something anyway — she always does — and she said I could come home if I needed to and I said I am fine and she said the offer stands. After the negative results came back I told her and she was quiet for a moment and then said okay. Just okay. That silence and that okay held a lot.

The blog this week was the cinnamon rolls, written as a thing you make when you cannot do anything else useful. The response was enormous — apparently a lot of people had their own version of anxious baking this week, this month, this entire year. Someone commented that baking was the only way they had survived the pandemic so far. I said I knew exactly what they meant. I did.

The cinnamon rolls I made that week were everything I needed them to be — slow, absorbing, and completely mine to control when nothing else felt that way. These Cream Cheese Delights are in that same spirit: a soft, enriched dough brought together with cream cheese, just sweet enough, just rich enough, the kind of thing you make with your hands when your phone has nothing good to offer you. If you’ve had a week like that one, you’ll understand immediately why this recipe felt right.

Cream Cheese Delights

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 18 min | Total Time: 38 min | Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until fully combined. Set the egg white aside.
3. Layer the dough. Unroll one can of crescent dough and press it into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, pressing the seams together to form a single flat sheet. Pour the melted butter evenly over the dough.
4. Add the filling. Spread the cream cheese mixture in an even layer over the buttered dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
5. Top the filling. Unroll the second can of crescent dough and lay it carefully over the cream cheese layer, again pressing seams together. Brush the top gently with the reserved egg white.
6. Add toppings. If using, scatter the chopped nuts over the top. Dust evenly with cinnamon.
7. Bake. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the top is puffed and deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before glazing.
8. Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth and pourable. Drizzle generously over the warm pastry.
9. Slice and serve. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature. They keep well covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 210mg