Fans Call This Discontinued Pillsbury Pastry From The '70s 'Toaster Strudel's Older Cousin'

Toaster Strudels have been a pillar of the premade breakfast pastry aisle since the 1980s, beloved for their flaky texture, iconic icing packets, and rapid preparation (you can even eat them raw, if you're really crushed for time). However, it turns out that before Toaster Strudels reigned supreme, Pillsbury offered another convenient, bakery-inspired breakfast treat: Danish Swirls.

The '70s-era product was advertised as just as soft and flaky as a bakery Danish, but easy to quickly warm up at home. The circular pastries came in cinnamon, orange, and caramel flavors, and were accompanied by those classic packets of Pillsbury icing  to spread on top. However, unlike Toaster Strudels, Danish Swirls were sold in the dairy case, not the freezer, and seemed to be more targeted toward adults (advertisements promised that "They toast up fresh and hot while you're pouring the coffee").

A comment on a YouTube clip of a 1971 Danish Swirls commercial dubbed them "Toaster Strudel's older cousin." Another commenter made their preference for Danish Swirls more explicit, lamenting, "I loved these as a kid ... they were much better [than] their toaster strudels they have now."

Danishes (which aren't 100% Danish in origin) popped up in the United States in the early 1900s, and by the mid-century, the doughy treats were a firmly established morning classic at bakeries across the country. Pillsbury Danish Swirls were designed to satisfy customers' cravings for fresh Danish from the comfort of home. In a commercial, the Pillsbury Doughboy (who has a real name and a family) boasted,"It's the fresh Danish you don't run out for."

The buttery breakfast treats seem to have debuted in the early 1970s and then disappeared from shelves by the end of the decade, well before Toaster Strudels debuted in the 1980s (by the way, here's who actually invented Toaster Strudel). Luckily, they weren't involved in one of the Pillsbury recalls that affected millions — the exact reasons they were discontinued are unclear, but what is clear is that many customers would appreciate a return. In the YouTube comments section of the 1971 Danish Swirls commercial, several users mourned the loss of the laminated pastries and suggested that Pillsbury should bring them back. If you're hungry for more retro morning meal memories, check out the childhood breakfasts boomers will remember all too well.