Holiday Cherry Cheese Danish Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the milk, 1/4 cup shortening, sugar, 2 eggs, salt, mace, extracts and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. On a large floured surface, roll dough out to a 24x16-in. rectangle. Dot half of the dough with 1/4 cup shortening; fold dough lengthwise. Fold the dough 3 times lengthwise, then 2 times widthwise, each time dotting with some of the remaining shortening. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise 20 minutes., On a floured surface, roll dough into a 16x15-in. rectangle. Cut into 8x3/4-in. strips; coil into spiral shapes, tucking ends underneath. Place in 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Beat remaining egg. Make a depression in the center of each roll; brush with egg. Fill with 1 tablespoon pie filling. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.Combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk; drizzle over rolls. Sprinkle with almonds.

Steps:

• Separate crescent dough into four rectangles. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; seal perforations. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese onto each rectangle. Top each with 1/4 cup cherry pie filling., Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes. , Place frosting in a small microwave-safe bowl; heat on high for 15-20 seconds. Drizzle over warm pastries. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the icing: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cold water. Mix until the ingredients have dissolved.
• Add marshmallow creme and microwave for 5 seconds, or until the creme is soft enough to fold into the mixture. Stir until smooth. Add whipped topping and stir again, until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate the icing until you're ready to ice the Danish.
• To make the Danish: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, oats, granulated sugar, soymilk, and almond extract, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in cherries and set aside. This is your filling.
• Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Roll out the dough on the sheet into a large rectangle of even thickness. If using crescent roll dough, pinch together perforated seams to seal. Arrange baking sheet in front of you so that the short sides are on the left and right and the long sides are on the top and bottom. Spoon the cherry filling lengthwise across the middle third of the dough, leaving 1/2-inch borders on the left and right of the filling.
• Starting from the top, make 12 vertical cuts-about 1 inch apart-along the top section of the dough, stopping about 1/2 inch from the filling. Repeat with the bottom section of the dough. This will create 1-inch-wide strips of dough on both the top and bottom of the filling.
• Alternate folding the 1-inch strips from the top and the bottom over the filling, covering the filling completely and creating a crisscrossed, "braided" appearance. When you reach the last few strips, cross them toward the middle of the Danish. After all the strips have been folded, fold the left and right sides of the dough in toward the filling, so the filling cannot escape, and pat firmly to seal.
• Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry is crispy and golden brown. Allow it to cool completely.
• Just before serving, stir icing and drizzle it over the entire Danish. Cut Danish into 8 slices and indulge! (P.S. Refrigerate leftovers.)
• PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, 1 slice): 147 calories, 5g fat, 312mg sodium, 22.5g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10g sugars, 4g protein

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly butter 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet with sides).
• In medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla with mixer until smooth.
• Remove dough from one tube of crescent rolls.
• Unroll and place in middle of pan.
• Pat out with fingers, pressing perforations together, until dough completely covers bottom of pan.
• Place in oven 4 minutes, or until slightly dry.
• Cool slightly and spread cream cheese mixture evenly over dough.
• Spread pie filling over cheese.
• Unroll remaining sheet of crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles along perforations.
• Arrange triangles on top of cherries, spaced evenly (will not cover surface completely).
• Brush with egg glaze.
• Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese mixture is set.
• Let cool and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
• Cut into squares and refrigerate until serving.