Dining In - Cinnamon Sugar Raspberry Cream Cheese Squares

Cinnamon Sugar Raspberry Cream Cheese - This Can't Be Vegan 

This dessert is amazing! You could even convince yourself it's a breakfast pastry, but as decadent as it is that might be pushing the envelope. I loved the tart, sweet flavor of raspberry preserves paired with velvety cream cheese. Topping if off with a cinnamon, brown sugar butter crust was a brilliant idea. For how gourmet and lovely this recipe is, it really doesn't take much time at all. I think this one will be added to my holiday recipe list!

There are a few links involved in how I found this recipe, so I want to give credit where credit is due. First I saw an image of this recipe on VegNews' Pinterest wall, which linked to a fantastic vegan blog with beautiful photography and creative recipes called This Can't Be Vegan. On that blog I noticed that the author gives credit for this recipe to another blogger who posted this as a non-vegan recipe (Averie Cooks). So there you have it, a lot of love went into this recipe and it deserves it. 

In reading the ingredients list I learned that Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are vegan, who knew? That actually makes me a tad bit uneasy since something like a "buttery" crescent roll I would have thought had dairy. I'm not a huge fan of processed foods, but hey it's perfect for this dessert. 

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
8 oz. vegan cream cheese (I use Trader Joe's This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

First Step - Roll out Crescent Dough to Cover Bottom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use half of crescent rolls (four triangles) to cover bottom of pan, try to press together the seams so you don't have any holes. Set other half aside for now.

In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Spread this mixture in the pan over the crescent roll bottom. 

Spoon raspberry preserves over the cream cheese, covering it evenly so you have a nice top layer of raspberry. Use remaining crescent dough to cover, again pressing gently so you have no holes. Pour melted butter over the crescent dough. 

In a small bowl mix together the sugar, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over the pan, covering dough evenly.

Bake in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes until the dough has puffed up and sugar topping has melted. Remove from oven and let cool, ideally for an hour before serving, the middle is melted so it will fall apart if you cut into it too soon (the ultimate challenge!). Keep leftovers in refrigerator and heat individual servings. 

Ready for the Oven!