Preheat oven to 350°F Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.

Make the filling first by placing cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until combined. Add cherries and pulse until the cherries are coarsely chopped. Add pecans and pulse a couple of times, only until combined.

Open 1 tube of the crescent rolls and unroll the dough. Place in the bottom of the prepared pan and press to fit the bottom of the pan, sealing any perforations.

Spread evenly with the filling.

Open the remaining tube of crescent rolls and separate the triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise so you have 16 thin triangles. Begin at one end of the pan, placing triangles across the width, stretching each dough triangle to fit the width of the pan, alternating to opposite sides of the pan. (The first triangle will stretch from top to bottom, the next from bottom to top, etc.) The top will be completely covered by the crescent dough, with the sides of the dough touching closely, but not overlapping.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips. Let cool to room temperature.

For the icing glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, milk or cream, and almond extract until smooth, adding just enough milk or cream to get to a barely drippable consistency. Spoon icing into a zip-top bag, squeeze out all the air, and seal. Snip a corner from the bottom of the bag and drizzle icing over the top of the coffee cake in a zig-zag pattern. Let sit, uncovered, for the icing to firm up about 1 hour. Cut and serve.