Sweet Cream Cheese Buns with Safflower is a modern American recipe for a classic dessert of crescent roll dough filled with sweetened cream cheese flavoured with safflower petals that are garnished with safflower petals and oven baked. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic American version of: Sweet Cream Cheese Buns with Safflower.
Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 22cm square baking dish and set aside.
Combine the cream cheese, orange zest, vanilla extract, and 1 tsp of the safflower petals in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until well-combined, then set aside.
Take one batch of the crescent roll dough and roll out until large enough that you can cut into a rectangle about 20 x 30cm then repeat with the second batch of dough. Sit the second rectangle of dough on top of the first. Using a rolling pin, roll out the two sheets of dough until they are well stuck together and the gaps have been sealed. This will increase the size of the dough sheet a bit, but be careful to keep the rectangular shape.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough, starting on one of the long edges. Leave 4–5cm of the dough uncovered on the opposite long edge. Roll the dough into a long cylinder, starting on the cream cheese edge and rolling toward the uncovered edge until the roll is completely sealed.
Cut the cylinder into 9 equal pieces using a sharp serrated knife (like a steak knife). Place the pieces in the greased baking dish with the swirls facing up. Mix the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of sugar, 1/4 tsp of safflower petals, and 1/4 tsp of ginger in a small dish and sprinkle evenly over the top of the rolls.
Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for approximately 18–20 minutes, or until the tops of the buns are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, but note that they are best served warm.
